First Close – Details, episodes & analysis

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First Close

Langham Hall

Business

Frequency: 1 episode/23d. Total Eps: 4

Tom Pinnell sits down with some of the most exciting emerging spinout and startup fund managers in private equity, as well as the people that back and advise them, to discuss their careers to date, why now is the time to launch an emerging manager, and the trials and tribulations involved in reaching a first close. Powered by Langham Hall, the award winning fund services platform for emerging managers.

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Data updated on 12/08/2026

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https://www.langhamhall.com/services/emerging-managers
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Score global : 53%

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Guy Ellis, Founder at Broadfield Capital

Episode 3

Tuesday, August 11, 2026 • Duration 44:33

Will Broadfield ever raise a fund, why the independent sponsor model is maturing in Europe, and the importance of personality types in high performing teams.

Guy Ellis began his career as a management consultant focusing on operational improvement and value creation, before holding roles at Goldman, Alcuin Capital and most recently Rockpool Investments.

Across his career, he's made nine platform investments, completed over twenty five bolt-on acquisitions, and delivered six successful exits. Eighteen months ago, he set up his own independent sponsor, Broadfield Capital, focused on buy and build strategies in the lower mid-market, and already has two platform investments under his belt.

In this conversation we talked about:

The independent sponsor dance: what comes first, the deal or the capital?
Why knowing your exit matters before you've even inked a deal
When does EQ overtake IQ?
Whether the independent sponsor model is here to stay
And of course, what Guy thinks success will look like for Broadfield

First Close is powered by Langham Hall, the award winning provider of fund services to global emerging managers.

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John Messer, Founder at Copilot Capital

Episode 2

Thursday, July 16, 2026 • Duration 41:15

Is AI really taking over the world, are zombie funds a good thing, and when should a founder step down as CEO?

John Messer is the founder of Copilot Capital, a lower mid market SaaS investor.

John has spent a decade in private equity in the UK, including roles at Inflexion, Alchemy Partners and Tenzing, almost exclusively focused on software buyouts. In 2023, he founded Copilot Capital, which invests in founder led SaaS businesses in Europe. Copilot's first fund is now almost fully deployed, with investments in Sweden, Denmark and the UK.

In this conversation, we talked about:

John's unusual route into private equity
The “SaaSpocalypse” and how AI is reshaping software investing
How AI could change the structure of private equity deal teams
When founders should step back from the CEO role
The trade-offs of taking seed capital as an emerging manager
Why zombie funds may create new opportunities for specialist managers
And of course, what John thinks success will look like for Copilot

First Close is powered by Langham Hall, the award winning provider of fund services to global emerging managers.

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Mark Williams, Co-Founder at Goldenpeak

Episode 1

Tuesday, June 16, 2026 • Duration 32:08

Why private equity has become lazy, the importance of trust, and the key to a successful fundraise.

Mark Williams is the co-founder and managing partner of Goldenpeak, one of the most exciting private equity firms to have launched in recent years.

Mark began his career in investment banking at Close Brothers, before holding key investment roles at Bank of America, Sovereign Capital and most recently Inflexion.

At Inflexion, he was responsible for the sourcing, execution and management of private equity investments between £25 – 100m across business services, data and information, and education sectors. Most notably, Mark led Inflexion Partnership Capital’s most successful ever deal, reported to have generated almost 6x return in just 18 months.

In 2025, he co-founded Goldenpeak with ex-Houlihan Lokey banker Leon Gillespie, raising the debut fund at £375m, and hitting the hard cap in just 12 weeks.

In this conversation, we talked about:

How Mark began a career in Private Equity
The key factors that made such a fast fundraise possible, and the challenges along the way
Where there is value to be found in the current market
Building a high performing team
And of course, what Mark thinks success will look like for Goldenpeak

First Close is powered by Langham Hall, the award winning provider of fund services to global emerging managers.

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Welcome to First Close

Thursday, June 4, 2026 • Duration 01:26

First Close is the emerging manager podcast, hosted by Tom Pinnell.

Each episode, Tom will sit down with emerging managers and the people who back, advise, and work alongside them — talking honestly about what it really takes to build a private equity firm from scratch. The fundraises, the failures, and the moments that define whether a first-time fund becomes a lasting franchise.

Episode 1 is coming soon. Hit follow to be the first to know when it drops.

First Close is powered by Langham Hall.

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First Close – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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First Close – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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Latest published episodes

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Other1

Apple Podcasts

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