The Playbook for a Perfect Exit: Design with Your End in Mind
Every Founder Will Exit. The Smart Ones Plan for It.
Whether you’re dreaming of an acquisition, planning a merger, or imagining an IPO, one thing is certain: a great exit doesn’t happen by accident. It’s designed from day one.
The Playbook for a Perfect Exit is a powerful, founder-focused session built to help you make smarter decisions today that lead to a more profitable, seamless exit tomorrow. Whether you’re years away from selling — or you’re getting ready to start the process — this session will equip you with the strategies, structures, and insight to maximize your outcome.
You’ll hear from seasoned M&A experts, exit planners, and founders who’ve been through it — sharing both the wins and the lessons learned the hard way.
Event Details
Location: bwtech SOUTH
1450 S Rolling Rd, Halethorpe
Date & Time: October 8, 2026, 6 PM
Tickets: Early Bird Only $49
Regular Price $79
Includes expert panel, networking, and post-event session access.
What You’ll Learn
This session is all about reverse engineering your business with a clear exit strategy in mind. You’ll walk away with:
- The top mistakes founders make when it comes to exits — and how to avoid them
- How to increase your valuation and become more attractive to buyers
- What acquirers are really looking for (and what kills deals)
- How to structure your business, team, and financials to prepare for due diligence
- Tips on timing the market and when to start the process
- The role of M&A advisors, brokers, and deal teams — and how to choose the right ones
- Why thinking about your exit early gives you more optionality, not less
Expert Speaker Lineup
Moderator
S. Tien Wong is a private investor, technology entrepreneur, and capital formation strategist operating at the intersection of venture capital, private equity, and alternative assets. He is Chairman & CEO of Opus8, Inc., a private investment and advisory firm that invests in and advises exceptional life sciences, medtech, AI, and technology-enabled services companies, and structures capital raises for growth-stage companies and alternative investment managers globally.
Mr. Wong is Founder and Executive Chairman of CONNECTpreneur, a global community of more than 480,000 founders, investors, operators, and institutional capital partners. Since 2012, CONNECTpreneur has convened thousands of private investors and over 1,600 presenting companies, with a significant portion securing funding through its curated investor network.
He is also Executive Chairman of the New York Private Equity Forum (NYPEF), a premier private capital platform focused on family offices, private equity firms, private credit funds, institutional allocators, and sophisticated direct investors. NYPEF is a best-in-class convening platform for middle-market private capital, connecting GPs, LPs, independent sponsors, and operators in disciplined, high-signal forums centered on institutional underwriting, governance, and capital strategy. Through Opus8, CONNECTpreneur, and NYPEF, Mr. Wong operates across the full private capital stack—from seed and growth equity through structured credit and buyouts—bringing institutional-grade capital architecture to private markets.
Mr. Wong is a Venture Partner at IronGate Capital Advisors, a VC and fund-of-funds manager investing in dual-use technologies, and serves on the Investment Advisory Board of Virginia Venture Partners. He was appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley to the Maryland Venture Fund Authority, overseeing $84 million in venture allocations.
He has served on numerous boards and advisory councils including the Austin Venture Association, Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Junior Achievement, the Washington Institute for Business, Government & Society, and the Entrepreneurship Advisory Council of The Universities at Shady Grove. He is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Georgetown University.
Mr. Wong is the co-founder and former Chairman & CEO of CyberRep, Inc., one of the world’s largest privately held CRM outsourcing companies at the time of its 2003 acquisition by Affiliated Computer Services (NYSE: ACS). CyberRep operated nine U.S. customer interaction centers with over 2,300 employees and $80 million in revenue, was profitable for eleven consecutive years, and was backed by Allied Capital. The CyberRep platform today generates $3+ billion in revenue within Conduent (NYSE: CNDT), Xerox, and related successor entities.
A recognized international expert in private capital markets, CRM, outsourcing, and growth strategy, Mr. Wong has spoken at conferences globally and has been featured on ABC, Fox, NBC, CNBC, Maryland Public Television, and China’s CCTV, as well as in Time Magazine, The Washington Post, Inc., and Success Magazine.
He is a recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Greater Washington) and the EY Performance Excellence Award, and is a member of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame and the Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame. He has been named a Washingtonian “Tech Titan” multiple times and selected to the Washington Business Journal Power 100.
He is a graduate of Dartmouth College.
Mr. Wong is Founder and Executive Chairman of CONNECTpreneur, a global community of more than 480,000 founders, investors, operators, and institutional capital partners. Since 2012, CONNECTpreneur has convened thousands of private investors and over 1,600 presenting companies, with a significant portion securing funding through its curated investor network.
He is also Executive Chairman of the New York Private Equity Forum (NYPEF), a premier private capital platform focused on family offices, private equity firms, private credit funds, institutional allocators, and sophisticated direct investors. NYPEF is a best-in-class convening platform for middle-market private capital, connecting GPs, LPs, independent sponsors, and operators in disciplined, high-signal forums centered on institutional underwriting, governance, and capital strategy. Through Opus8, CONNECTpreneur, and NYPEF, Mr. Wong operates across the full private capital stack—from seed and growth equity through structured credit and buyouts—bringing institutional-grade capital architecture to private markets.
Mr. Wong is a Venture Partner at IronGate Capital Advisors, a VC and fund-of-funds manager investing in dual-use technologies, and serves on the Investment Advisory Board of Virginia Venture Partners. He was appointed by Governor Martin O’Malley to the Maryland Venture Fund Authority, overseeing $84 million in venture allocations.
He has served on numerous boards and advisory councils including the Austin Venture Association, Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Junior Achievement, the Washington Institute for Business, Government & Society, and the Entrepreneurship Advisory Council of The Universities at Shady Grove. He is an Entrepreneur in Residence at Georgetown University.
Mr. Wong is the co-founder and former Chairman & CEO of CyberRep, Inc., one of the world’s largest privately held CRM outsourcing companies at the time of its 2003 acquisition by Affiliated Computer Services (NYSE: ACS). CyberRep operated nine U.S. customer interaction centers with over 2,300 employees and $80 million in revenue, was profitable for eleven consecutive years, and was backed by Allied Capital. The CyberRep platform today generates $3+ billion in revenue within Conduent (NYSE: CNDT), Xerox, and related successor entities.
A recognized international expert in private capital markets, CRM, outsourcing, and growth strategy, Mr. Wong has spoken at conferences globally and has been featured on ABC, Fox, NBC, CNBC, Maryland Public Television, and China’s CCTV, as well as in Time Magazine, The Washington Post, Inc., and Success Magazine.
He is a recipient of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Greater Washington) and the EY Performance Excellence Award, and is a member of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Hall of Fame and the Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame. He has been named a Washingtonian “Tech Titan” multiple times and selected to the Washington Business Journal Power 100.
He is a graduate of Dartmouth College.
Erika Baez-Grimes, CM&AP is a nationally recognized, award winning M&A advisor, SMB investor, and deal maker with more than 15 years of experience leading high stakes negotiations and structuring complex transactions. Erika is proud to have built a reputation for strategic positioning, disciplined negotiation, and maximizing enterprise value. For the past 6 years, she served as a principal sell side broker within the largest business brokerage organization in the world, earning distinction for delivering premium outcomes for founders and family-owned businesses.
At a pivotal point in her career, Erika transitioned from advisor to Co-CEO of Silver Tsunami Transitions. Along with 3X CEO Esther Aguilera their partnership was formed to bring a boutique advisory platform focused on serving Main Street and lower middle market companies on the preparation, structure, and grit it takes to execute successful transitions. Today, they advise family held businesses and growth minded owners across the globe on valuation, deal structure, legacy planning and identifying buyers exiting successfully.
In addition to her M&A work, Erika actively invests in small businesses, teaches Scale ++ Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition. She educates entrepreneurs, operators, and investors worldwide on how to acquire, scale, and transition companies using disciplined acquisition frameworks. She’s educated and mentored aspiring buyers across multiple cohorts, helping them move from employee to operator & operator to owner.
A strong believer in development, Erika is deeply embedded in the Vistage Worldwide Inc. ecosystem. She works closely with CEOs, Key Leaders, and SMB’s, placing qualified executives into Vistage peer advisory groups where they gain access to confidential, high-level decision-making forums. She is also an active member of the Vistage community, strengthening executive skills and elevating her leadership capacity.
An entrepreneur at heart, Erika founded a payment processing company in 2014. Following the post pandemic economic shift, she transitioned the CEO role to her husband. To date, the company has helped clients process multi-millions and they continue to achieve steady year over year growth.
Erika’s roles on Main Street, inspired her to dedicate free time to serving various profit and Non-profit organizations. Currently, she holds 2 board roles with eyes on strengthening the economic landscape in the community & will continue to stay committed to helping business owners build enterprise value, execute strategic exits, & scale with confidence.
At a pivotal point in her career, Erika transitioned from advisor to Co-CEO of Silver Tsunami Transitions. Along with 3X CEO Esther Aguilera their partnership was formed to bring a boutique advisory platform focused on serving Main Street and lower middle market companies on the preparation, structure, and grit it takes to execute successful transitions. Today, they advise family held businesses and growth minded owners across the globe on valuation, deal structure, legacy planning and identifying buyers exiting successfully.
In addition to her M&A work, Erika actively invests in small businesses, teaches Scale ++ Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition. She educates entrepreneurs, operators, and investors worldwide on how to acquire, scale, and transition companies using disciplined acquisition frameworks. She’s educated and mentored aspiring buyers across multiple cohorts, helping them move from employee to operator & operator to owner.
A strong believer in development, Erika is deeply embedded in the Vistage Worldwide Inc. ecosystem. She works closely with CEOs, Key Leaders, and SMB’s, placing qualified executives into Vistage peer advisory groups where they gain access to confidential, high-level decision-making forums. She is also an active member of the Vistage community, strengthening executive skills and elevating her leadership capacity.
An entrepreneur at heart, Erika founded a payment processing company in 2014. Following the post pandemic economic shift, she transitioned the CEO role to her husband. To date, the company has helped clients process multi-millions and they continue to achieve steady year over year growth.
Erika’s roles on Main Street, inspired her to dedicate free time to serving various profit and Non-profit organizations. Currently, she holds 2 board roles with eyes on strengthening the economic landscape in the community & will continue to stay committed to helping business owners build enterprise value, execute strategic exits, & scale with confidence.
Many business owners discover too late that their company isn’t truly transferable because it depends too heavily on their daily involvement. Peter G. Daniels solves this “owner trap” by helping entrepreneurs build businesses that work for them—rather than because of them.
As a Business Broker and Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), Peter specializes in turning companies into structured, valuable assets. He utilizes his proprietary Owner Decision Protection System™ (ODPS) to help owners make better decisions, document institutional knowledge through the Owner Decision Vault™, and position their enterprises for sustainable growth or a lucrative sale.
Peter’s approach is defined by three core pillars:
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Build: Strengthening operations to improve enterprise value.
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Protect: Creating continuity and safeguarding what the owner has built.
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Exit: Structuring and executing seamless business transitions.
His expertise is backed by more than 30 years of professional experience, ranging from high-level leadership roles at a global investment management firm to the hands-on reality of building, acquiring, and operating his own businesses. This unique blend of corporate sophistication and entrepreneurial “in-the-trenches” experience allows him to speak the language of both professional advisors and business owners.
Today, Peter partners with entrepreneurs, succession-bound owners, and professional advisors to ensure that years of hard work culminate in a successful, well-structured exit. Whether you are looking to buy, sell, or simply ensure your business can thrive without you, Peter provides the strategic roadmap to get there.
Here is the revised long bio in a simpler, more conversational text format.
About Laura
Laura doesn’t just manage organizations; she transforms them. With a career spanning public office, private sector leadership, and venture-backed entrepreneurship, she has built a reputation as a relentless leader who thrives where complexity meets high stakes. Her leadership style—described by colleagues and investors as having the power to "field an NFL team" or "go through a brick wall"—is defined by a unique blend of grit and sophisticated operational expertise.
A Track Record of Results
Laura’s career is marked by high-impact turnarounds across very different worlds. In the tech sector, she stepped into the struggling startup Matrics, orchestrated a massive turnaround, and raised $17 million in venture capital. Her efforts led to a $230 million acquisition by Symbol, a move recognized as "Venture Deal of the Year" and used as a case study in entrepreneurship at Princeton University.
In the public sector, she managed a $1.3 billion government budget. During her tenure, she successfully navigated a billion-dollar unfunded mandate, improved the bond rating, and replenished the Rainy Day Fund. She excels at optimizing operations to ensure that large-scale resources are deployed for maximum public value.
An Unconventional Journey
Laura’s path to the top was anything but traditional. Without finishing high school or college, she leaned into her drive and experience to eventually earn her MBA from Loyola University Maryland and complete the prestigious Executive Program at Stanford Business School. This background fuels her belief that true impact is driven by results and persistence rather than a standard pedigree.
Speaker and Advocate
A powerful voice on leadership, economic development, and women’s rights, Laura is a frequent speaker and media contributor. Her story and insights have been featured in premier outlets including The Washington Post, People Magazine, 48 Hours, and The Baltimore Sun.
Core Expertise
Today, Laura specializes in strategy development and execution, building high-performance teams, and managing large-scale organizational change. Whether she is raising capital or guiding a public initiative, her focus remains the same: turning bold visions into reality.
A serial entrepreneur, venture investor, and innovation ecosystem builder, he is dedicated to strengthening the people, capital, and infrastructure that help startups grow and scale. Over his career, he has raised more than $2 billion in equity funding through global capital markets and has held leadership roles across corporate strategy, operations, ventures, finance, and go-to-market for both public companies and high-growth startups. His focus is on supporting founders from late bootstrap through scale, helping teams prove and perform at scale.
He has mentored thousands of entrepreneurs and plays a national leadership role in ecosystem development. He is a cofounder and policy and advocacy chair of the Startup Champions Network and previously cofounded and led Startup Maryland, one of the nation’s most active regional startup initiatives. His work has included ecosystem metrics, venture development, policy advocacy, and partnerships with organizations such as the Kauffman Foundation, major technology companies, and leading investors.
He is also a cofounder, venture studio leader, and active angel investor across sectors including AI, cybersecurity, cloud, data, and life sciences. He holds honors degrees from James Madison University and a graduate certificate in Innovation Management from the University of Maryland, and he has taught entrepreneurship and innovation at multiple universities while serving as a mentor and evaluator for national innovation programs.
Why You Should Attend
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Understand what you need to build now to exit strong later
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Get practical, founder-tested advice on selling your company
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Learn how to increase your value and reduce risk
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Hear stories from people who’ve actually done it
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Start building your exit playbook with clarity and confidence
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