Connectivity Business Investment Conference | 2019

June 26 & 27, 2019 | New York

The annual Connectivity Business Investment Conference will explore the critical strategic and financial issues impacting private and public equity and debt capital investments across the rapidly evolving broadband infrastructure industry.

Conference photos

June 26 & 27, 2019 | 55 Hudson Yards, New York, NY 10001

The annual Connectivity Business Investment Conference will explore the critical strategic and financial issues impacting private and public equity and debt capital investments across the rapidly evolving broadband infrastructure industry.

The programme will consider a number of communications infrastructure segments, including spectrum, fibre networks, macro cell towers, data centres, small cell networks, 5G technologies / IoT applications, GEO & MEO satellites, LEO constellations, smallsats, high-altitude platforms, and other innovative communications infrastructure.

With active participation from conference delegates, the global forum will advance the investment community’s understanding of the opportunities and challenges in the pursuit of appropriate returns on invested capital from the connectivity industry.


DAY ONE AGENDA: WEDNESDAY JUNE 26, 2019

1:00pm – 1:15pm
Check-in, tea/coffee service & opening remarks


1:15pm – 2:05pm

The focus of private capital investment 
The session will explore the current appetite for investment in 5G technologies / spectrum, fibre networks, macro cell towers, data centres, small cell networks, IoT applications, LEO constellations, smallsats, high-altitude platforms, and other communications infrastructure. The theme of connectivity infrastructure convergence will be discussed as diverse perspectives from a variety of investing vehicles across venture capital, private equity, infrastructure funds, economic development banks, and corporate venture capital investment will be considered. Additionally, a review of key terms that may be associated with private capital placements and considerations surrounding the outlook for changes in the overall private capital environment will be discussed.

Beth Michelson  Senior Managing Director, Cartesian Capital Group
Will Porteous 
 General Partner & Chief Operating Officer, RRE Ventures
Jason Tofsky – Managing Director, TMT, Goldman Sachs & Co.
Elizabeth Evans – Partner, Reed Smith

        


2:20pm – 2:55pm
Investor Keynote 
Steven Sonnenstein – Managing Director, Digital Colony, Digital Bridge Holdings


3:10pm – 4:00pm
The outlook for investments in fleet connectivity 
The session will focus on the future for fleet connectivity growth for both terrestrial and satellite players by addressing specific demand drivers and costs associated with mobility market verticals, including aviation, maritime, ground transportation, energy, agriculture, and mining. 
 
Gabriele Cambriglia – Executive Director, Media & Communications, J.P. Morgan
Jon Cobin – Executive Vice President, Corporate Development & Chief Strategy Officer, Gogo
Arunas Slekys – Vice President, Hughes Network Systems, EchoStar
Craig Barner – Senior Financial Journalist, Finance Information Group
 
        

4:15pm – 4:50pm
Strategy Keynote / Interview
Haynes Griffin  Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, SmartSky Networks
Steve Kaufman  Partner, Hogan Lovells

   


4:50pm – 6:30pm
Reception & hors d’oeuvres


DAY TWO AGENDA: THURSDAY JUNE 27, 2019

8:45am – 9:00am
Tea/coffee service & welcome


9:00am – 9:50am
Understanding positive and negative sentiment in the equity and debt capital markets 
The session will consider diverging strategies for investment or capital preservation, discuss the outlook for a potential contraction in global equity and debt capital markets, and explore the prevailing views of industry analysts, advisors, and investors across the various subsectors of communications.

R. Clayton Funk – Managing Director, Towers Group, MVP Capital
Chris Moon
 – Managing Director, Head of Telecom & Media Finance, ING
Rudi Stuetzle
 – Senior Vice President, Infrastructure Debt, MR Infrastructure
Dara Panahy – Partner, Milbank

         


10:05am – 10:40am
CFO Keynote / Interview

Mark Wong – Chief Financial Officer, Kacific Broadband Satellites
Jason Rainbow
– Group Editor-in-Chief, Finance Information Group

   


10:55am – 11:45am
Navigating regulatory and antitrust issues 
The session will consider the current environment and challenges that are unique to the market for broadband connectivity – from incumbent communications service providers to innovative new entrants and platform. The discussion will include a look at direct investment and consolidation antitrust dynamics; offering insights from recent transactions that were cleared with behavioral – rather than structural – remedies, considering the potential increase in coordinated effects reviews, and reflect on the potential impact of a shared investor base, among other elements that may impact the industry.

Sasha Field  Deputy General Counsel, Omnispace
Ben Gris – Partner, Shearman & Sterling
William Jefferson Black
– Managing Director, Finance Information Group

      


12:00pm – 12:35pm
CEO Keynote / Interview

PJ Beylier – Chief Executive Officer, Speedcast
Jason Rainbow 
– Group Editor-in-Chief, Finance Information Group

   


12:35pm – 1:15pm
Luncheon


1:15pm – 2:05pm
The outlook for wireless broadband services and 5G connectivity
The session will consider the investment theses for terrestrial and orbital broadband connectivity in various sub-segments of the industry, including fibre infrastructure, data centres, OTT delivery platforms, as well as adjacent opportunities in content distribution, customer data sets, and edge computing. Debate will focus on the metrics investors should be tracking to monitor small cell and tower penetration, the development of LEO constellations, and the advancements in antenna and relay technology, compression capabilities, and high capacity data centers.

Todd Crick – Co-Founder, Astra Capital Management
Brian Holz
– Chief Architect, Akash Systems
Zac Smith – Chief Executive Officer, Packet
Scott Wilcoxen – Executive Director, Media & Communications, J.P. Morgan
Brian Weimer – Partner, Head of Communications Practice, Sheppard Mullin

            


2:20pm – 3:10pm
Will spectrum investment and operational cost changes materially affect the industry? 
The session will consider capex investment (spectrum pricing and licensing) and opportunities for driving down opex, including deployment costs from launch to fibre and creative infrastructure sharing agreements. While relentless demand for data in an increasingly connected world is a strong foundation for growth, uncertainty still shrouds the real cost of building out next-generation networks. The tension and blurring line between satellite and terrestrial solutions (e.g., spectrum repurposing) yields questions over the value of ‘new beachfront’ spectrum as investors negotiate ambitious capex strategies.

Brian Barnell – Managing Director, Q Advisors
Bob Quinn
 – Partner, Wilkinson Barker Knauer
Vivek Stalam
 – Associate, Equity Research, US Communication Services, New Street Research
Douglas Yu
– Senior Financial Journalist, Finance Information Group

         


3:25pm – 4:15pm
Shifting M&A dynamics and the outlook for consolidation 
The session will debate how M&A may advance opportunities for software-driven value creation and vertical application growth in 5G, mobility, content, wireless broadband, and other connectivity markets. Valuation trends, changes in the cost of capital, take-over premiums, prevailing themes of recent deal activity, and the driving characteristics that may shape future deal activity will be discussed.

Ryan Lepene – Co-President, Peppertree Capital Management
Vaibhav Lohiya – Managing Director, TMT Investment Banking, Deutsche Bank
​Robert Paige – Senior Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions, Vertical Bridge
Nic Volpi – Partner, Permira
Douglas Yu – Senior Financial Journalist, Finance Information Group

          


WHO SHOULD ATTEND

The Connectivity Business Investment Conference is designed for institutional investors, venture capital and private equity investors, investment analysts, commercial bankers, economic development bankers, investment bankers, senior legal advisors, entrepreneurs, board members, CEOs, heads of strategy and corporate development, CFOs, general counsel, and senior corporate executives with responsibility for financing, M&A, and strategy.


PAST CONFERENCE SPEAKERS & PROCEEDINGS

TERMS

Registration rates are subject to change. Registrations are nonrefundable. If you are not able to attend an event in which you registered, we will make every effort to transfer your registration to a future conference, of similar or lesser value, for a period of one year. You may also transfer your registration to another individual within your organization, upon our approval. We reserve the right to limit or deny access to our events to any person at our sole discretion. We make no representation that the information and experience provided at any of our events or conferences are suitable for any purpose (see Disclaimer of Warranties). By attending this program you grant Finance Information Group LLC permission to capture and publish videos and pictures that may include your image.