Join the EPI Greater New York Chapter on October 28th for our 12th Annual Business Owner Forum. This landmark event marks over a decade of dedication to helping business owners secure their legacies and navigate the future of exit planning.
Agenda Highlights:
- 9:00 am – 9:30 am: Registration & Breakfast
- 9:30 am – 9:40 am: Introductions
- 9:40 am – 10:15 am: Michael Smith – Unlocking Value in M&A: How AI Technologies are Revolutionizing Exit Planning
- 10:15 am – 10:50 am: Fireside Chat with Rick Friedman – Tales of an Entrepreneur and Art Collector, Interviewed by Mark Kravietz
- 10:50 am – 11:05 am: Break
- 11:05 am – 11:45 am: Keynote Richard Seewald, Founder and Managing Partner at Evolution Equity Partners - Masterclass on Cybersecurity and AI Venture Capital
- 11:45 am – 11:50 am: Closing Remarks
This gathering is a vital connection point between industry experts and business owners. By participating, you'll position your firm as a market leader and demonstrate your commitment to guiding businesses toward successful exits. The forum fosters a collaborative environment where owners can access the crucial information they need to take actionable steps within their businesses.
Don't miss this opportunity to be part of a milestone celebration that continues to shape the future of exit planning.
About the Presenter:
Hear from industry experts Michael Smith, Rick Friedman, and Richard Seewald
Thank you to our Sponsors






Event Location
Event Details
Who Should Attend?
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Attorneys
You have close relationships with clients, and can benefit from being the first advisor to introduce the idea of exit planning.
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CPAs/Accountants
Owners participating in the State of Owner Readiness research continue to indicate that you are the No. 1 "Most Trusted Advisor." You are a natural fit to lead the exit planning team and deepen your relationship (and retention) of next generation owners.
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Wealth Managers
You’re a skilled relationship person. Being entangled into your clients’ professional lives matters as you build a strategy to manage their wealth upon them harvesting it from their business. Exit planning allows you to build a deeper relationship with your client, expands your COI network, while giving you an early seat at table well before the liquidity event.
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Financial Advisors
One of the critical ‘legs of the stool’ is personal financing planning. An owner must have a strong financial plan & contingency plan post-transition to enable them to thrive in the next act of the lives personally and financially. Exit planning brings this future mindset into the present. Exit is now.
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Valuation Analysts
Valuation is both a billable engagement AND an opportunity to provide owners some perspective on how to accelerate value drivers (and deal with value killers). Use exit planning to make that valuation into a longer term value acceleration engagement.
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Investment Bankers
Only 2 of every 10 businesses that come to market actually sell. Learn how exit planning can bring attractive AND ready business to your purview.
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Estate Planners
Exit planning is a natural fit for estate planners who want to operate more holistically with their owner clients.
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Strategic Consultants
One of the most critical roles in exit planning is building transferable value. Strategic consultants have the ability to expand options and drive rapid business value that affect performance today.
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Insurance Professionals
Exit planning addresses the 5 D's. So do you. Approach the risk conversation differently with exit planning.
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Mergers & Acquisition Advisors
Proper exit planning causes less deals to fall through at the last minute. Connect with CEPAs to build your healthy deal flow network.
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Commercial Lenders
One of the best relationships a business owner makes is with their banker. How can you help your corporate clients think about the future and ensure financial continuity? Answer: exit planning.
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Family Business Advisors
More than 50% of lower middle market business owners would prefer to transition to the next generation. Help them succeed with exit planning strategies.
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Other Professional Advisors
Regardless of your unique specialty, there is seat at the exit planning table for you. Learn more at www.EarnCEPA.com.
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Private Business Owners
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Members of Family Business Boards
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Professional Advisors
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Business Consultants
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Other Business Professionals
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Business Owners
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Business Owners & Their Trusted Advisors
EXIT PLANNING IS GOOD BUSINESS STRATEGY
The Exit Planning Institute, provides Financial Advisors, Accountants, Consultants, and other advisors of business owners with the critical education to differentiate themselves and add value to their existing client relationships through a credential, conference, courses, and content. Download the CEPA brochure for more information.
ABOUT THE PRESENTER
Michael Smith is an entrepreneur and technologist with over 20 years of experience driving marketing and business innovation strategies. Michael has established himself as a facilitator and builder of world-class marketing and technology teams for over 1,000 B2B and B2C companies, with a primary focus on start-up and scaled growth stages.
Michael brings his proven networking, collaboration skills, and business acumen to clarify the integrated value a business brings to potential buyers. Illuminating the investment thesis in creative ways to help clients achieve their Extraordinary Exits™.
Michael's broad-based business experience comes from his role as the President and CEO of Linx Communications, a full-service strategic consulting, marketing, and technology company. Michael has exited three of the companies he founded.
Michael is the co-founder of Stewards of Change, a think tank in the human services arena, developing new business processes and technologies to deliver Human Services 2.0. In 2017, Michael co-founded Augintel, an AI technologies company, which uses NLP to create meaningful insights from clinician case notes in health care. The system is implemented by state/county human services systems, currently in Illinois, Pennsylvania, California, Massachusetts, and Hawaii.
Michael is a recipient of KPMG's prestigious "Entrepreneurial Spirit Award for Growth" as one of the fastest-growing firms in the country. His community involvement and support are integral to his contribution to the business community. As an officer and ambassador of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), his leadership extended to support the Northeast Region as Chairman and Communications Chairperson for the Impact Network and Deal Network.
Michael holds degrees from Bentley University in Management and Marketing. He has also completed five years of Presidents' Seminars at Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration.
Michael is currently based in New York and Nosara, Costa Rica.
Rick Friedman, Collector, Art Fair Producer
Mr. Friedman is a champion for the viewing, awareness, and acquisition of fine art by creating art fairs around the country. In the Hamptons, he created the region’s first fine art fair, ArtHamptons, nearly a decade ago, and Attendance has grown from 3,000 to 14,000 under his ownership. Over 100,000 art lovers attended his fine art fairs annually in places like Palm Springs, SF, and Silicon Valley.
Ever the entrepreneur, Mr. Friedman pioneered advanced software technology in the 1990s through a worldwide network of publications, conferences, and expos in 6 countries. During that period, his SIGS Publications became one of the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the US. His original team of advisors and writers included Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. After the sale of the company to private equity, he went on to pioneer and champion the growth digital media/digital video/special effects/animation with a series of expos which culminated with owning the venerable ShowBiz Expo in LA, the largest event for filmmakers in the world, which he acquired from Variety Magazine.
Earlier in his life, as a colorful entrepreneur, his range of ventures including creating, directing and hosting as series of Disco Dance Contests at Regine’s in the late 1970’s which was sold to and became the format of Merv Griffin’s popular “Dance Fever” syndicated TV series in the 1980’s. He then moved into sports promotion, focusing on volleyball, where his popular NCAA matches led him to owning the USA Mens and Women’s National Teams. His tours set national attendance and revenue records for the sport, including playing at Madison Square Garden.
Rick lend artworks from the 250 piece art collection to museum exhibits, eclectically ranging from Guild Hall, The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, to the National Museum of Picasso in Paris. I bring you Rick Friedman, the collector, writer, producer, publisher and philanthropist
Richard Seewald is the Founder and Managing Partner at Evolution Equity Partners and is responsible for all aspects of the firm’s global activities and strategic direction, bringing over three decades of investment, operational, and entrepreneurial experience to his role. Richard is an American venture capitalist backing iconic cybersecurity software companies from inception to IPO. Under his leadership, Evolution has become a premier venture capital firm with multi-billion-dollar assets under management investing in category-defining cybersecurity companies including Halcyon, Torq, ProtectAI, SecurityScorecard, Quantexa, Pentera, Snyk, Carbon Black, Talon Cyber, Arctic Wolf amongst others. Richard holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Juris Doctor from the New York Law School. He sits on the global advisory board of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.