A podcast dedicated to the people and ideas of the Middle Market, hosted by Andy Greenberg and Charlie Gifford.
John Ferrara, Capstone Partners
This one is as action-packed and varied in scene as a James Bond movie. John Ferrara is founder and CEO of Capstone Partners, the middle market investment bank. John’s story rolls through his upbringing in hardscrabble Brockton, MA to college at liberal arts enclave Wesleyan to an early career stop with Lehman Brothers on Wall Street, to two years of professional baseball in Australia. Then business school at UCLA, partnership at Arthur Andersen and, in 2002, the founding of Capstone. John discusses his ambitious early plans for a new investment bank, the buildup of Capstone through a series of acquisitions, and the decision to sell to Huntington Bank in 2022. John and the hosts wrap up discussing some personal challenges and life philosophy that applies to but transcends the world of finance.

For the past 15 years, I’ve been an investment banker and a publisher of M&A data. This combination has afforded access to a lot of information on deals. But information alone is not insight. The tagline for this podcast is “people and ideas of the middle market.” Each time out, we ask our guests to share a fresh perspective, to reflect on issues beyond what is on their schedule for the day, and to be good sports with two guys who—as my kids say, “think they are funny.” We hope you find these interviews worth your time.

I’ve worked in the Middle Market for more than twenty years. Over that time I have met some extraordinary people, each with a unique story to tell. While we all know that the world doesn’t need another podcast, Andy and I are hopeful that you’ll enjoy listening and learning about each individual profiled. Half business, half human interest, half insightful, half irreverent. Yes, that’s lots of halves to cover. And aiming to do so in around 30 minutes of time. We hope you will give it a listen, and let us know what you think.