Marek leads Catalus Capital, a multi-strategy investment firm that he co-founded in 2011. He has achieved impressive milestones since inception, including Catalus executing over $300 million of investments. With a keen focus on the lower middle market and co-investments, Marek has carved an intentional niche in the hunt for alpha.
Sourcing exceptional co-investment opportunities with strong partners is a perpetual challenge and opportunity. The last several years have attracted much attention to the lower middle market, resulting in new entrants and higher valuations. We see those dynamics now normalizing; remaining patient and selective has paid off.
Q: How was your overall experience? What aspects of the event did you find most valuable?
It was an excellent event with quality people, relevant content, and a great venue. The speed-networking format is particularly efficient and iGlobal’s system allows for selecting the most compatible meetings in advance. I was able to meet with over a dozen groups per day, many of which had a specific live transaction to talk through.
Q: What is your key takeaway? Can you share a specific moment or session from the event that particularly resonated with you? Can you provide some detail about how you can relate that to your work? How you will use it in your work?
Panels and roundtables at conferences often lack substance. At iGlobal, the content was thoughtfully curated. There were insightful presentations about typical terms, structures, and fees, as well as some data-driven insights into executive recruiting. We’re able to compare those statistics to the deal flow that we’re seeing and pass along learnings to our portfolio companies.
Meeting with several dozen private equity firms in the course of a few days is invaluable when sourcing co-investment opportunities and understanding the state of the market. We have developed a perspective that the excesses of the last few years are dissipating, resulting in valuations normalizing and improved deal quality.
Q: What was the most important outcome of attending the event?
The relationships. I’m optimistic that closed investments will develop as a result of the meetings at the iGlobal event, and that I’ll stay in touch with interesting thoughtful people who are active in the marketplace. We’re also able to refer back to notes from those discussions to see how consistent managers are in terms of their strategy and follow-up items that were discussed. Acquisition investments can take many years to source, close, and eventually exit; it’s important to identify groups that have a persistent long-term commitment.
“It feels like the iGlobal team really cares about ensuring that each attendee has a productive experience, which is displayed both in the structure of the event and in their responsiveness to any hurdles that arise.”
- Marek J Olszewski, Managing Partner, Catalus Capital
Marek J Olszewski's journey is a testament to the power of strategic networking, insightful learning, and building meaningful relationships. As Marek looks to the future, he remains committed to leveraging these experiences to drive success and growth in the ever-evolving world of investments.
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