Jeffrey Egan is a business leader, strategic advisor, and entrepreneurial executive. Jeff grew up in New York City and started working in capital markets, trading short-term bonds and other credit investments. He did this at Kidder, Peabody, and then Chase Manhattan, navigating through two notable transactions that still live today in what became UBS and JP Morgan, respectively. The second phase of his career was using his capital markets knowledge to build institutional investment management platforms. Following a relatively successful exit from this business in 2016, Jeff entered the vast and opportunistic world of on-regulated pools of private capital. He founded a merchant bank advisory firm with other Wall Street professionals, purposely engaging across the landscape of venture capital, hedge funds, and private equity. This led to managing the investments for a multigenerational family office that had been a co-investor with Jeff, and multiple engagements in the lower middle market with independent sponsors and operators. He currently sits as a strategic advisor to Redbird Capital on behalf of their financial services portfolio.

In this episode, Philip and Jeff Egan discuss: 

• Protecting your time in a high-velocity world
• Investing in people before deals
• Creating opportunities in the “in-between” moments
• Bringing value instead of waiting to be asked

Lightbulb Moments:

• In an always-connected environment, distractions compete constantly for your attention. Being intentional about how you spend your time allows you to focus on meaningful relationships and the opportunities that truly matter.
• Successful investors often evaluate the character, story, and conviction of the people behind the opportunity first. A strong deal with the wrong partners can fail, while the right people can shape a good idea into something exceptional.
• Many valuable opportunities don’t come from formal meetings or major events. Instead, they emerge through casual conversations, introductions, and follow-ups where trust is built, and relationships deepen.
• Showing up prepared to contribute—whether in business or personal relationships—signals initiative and generosity. Offering value proactively removes friction and helps strengthen connections with others.

“All those little things that happen in between… add up and matter, and they support what ends up becoming maybe a greater deal or a greater outcome.” - Jeff Egan

Connect with Jeff Egan: 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-egan-00023b15/ 

Connect with Philip: 

Website: https://www.fornarolaw.com/ 

Podcast Website: https://lbmpodcast.com/ 

"X": https://x.com/FornaroLaw 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/philipfornaro/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@fornarolaw3002 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fornarolaw 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fornarolaw/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FornaroLaw 

https://www.facebook.com/philip.fornaro.3/ 

Podcast Production by Turnkey Podcast. Thinking of starting a podcast? Get more info at https://turnkeypodcast.com/ or reach out to Doug Sandler directly at [email protected] or call 410-340-6861. 

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