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Four days of keynotes, live deal breakdowns, breakout sessions, and receptions, with time ashore in Key West and Bimini and open hours to connect, co-work, and recharge aboard the Brilliant Lady.
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Aboard the Brilliant Lady
The voyage begins. Check in, get settled, and open the Summit with an evening of cocktails and conversation as the ship leaves Miami behind.
Miami, FL
Arrive at the Port of Miami, check in with the Summit team, and get settled into your cabin before the evening's programming begins.
Raise a glass with fellow Searchers, Operators, and Advisors as the Summit opens: a warm welcome, an overview of the Summit's goals, a preview of what's ahead over the next few days, and a thank-you to our sponsors.
Small-group dinners across the ship's restaurants, where the first real conversations of the trip tend to happen.
A packed morning of programming, headlined by Walker Deibel's keynote and the premiere of the Lab's docuseries, then the afternoon ashore in Key West with the community.
Key West, FL
We open the day by celebrating the members on board who have closed a deal, with recognition and swag to match.
Years after writing the book that helped launch a movement, the author revisits it with fresh eyes and a healthy dose of hindsight.
In this candid keynote, we'll dig into what Buy Then Build got right, where it fell short, and what Walker would write differently if starting from scratch today. It's not a victory lap. It's an honest look back at the assumptions, blind spots, and lessons learned from years of watching real searchers navigate the acquisition journey.
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An exclusive premiere of Acquisition Lab's latest film, followed by a rare, unscripted conversation with the two people who lived the deal: the buyer and the seller featured in the film.
Three concurrent breakout discussions. Choose the conversation that fits your search:
Go ashore and explore Key West alongside other acquisition entrepreneurs. The afternoon is yours. All aboard by 5:00 PM as the ship departs for open water.
Reconnect over dinner and swap stories from the day ashore.
Early Bird pricing runs through October 31, 2026. The ship holds a fixed number of cabins.
The biggest programming day of the Summit. A full morning on the main stage with deal autopsies, committed capital, and the Shark Tank, then an open afternoon at sea.
Open Water
Coffee and conversation with the fund's Limited Partners, the investors behind the Lab's committed capital, who are sailing with us. A relaxed start to the biggest programming day of the Summit.
A quick look back at yesterday and a preview of the day ahead.
Six of the Lab's deal-team partners across legal, Quality of Earnings, and SBA lending come together to dissect two real deals side by side: one that closed, and one that got killed. Each partner walks through their piece of the puzzle: the red flags, the negotiations, the moments that made or broke the deal. The result is a rare, full-picture view of what separates a deal that survives diligence from one that doesn't.
Having committed capital available changes how a search can be run. A member who searched with the Lab's committed capital behind them walks through the journey from acceptance to closing: how committed capital shaped their search strategy, strengthened their position in negotiations, and factored into the decision to pursue a larger acquisition target.
Bring your deal into the tank. In this high-energy session, members pitch a live acquisition opportunity to a panel of seasoned investors, operators, and search fund veterans and get real-time feedback on valuation, deal structure, risk, and growth potential.
The afternoon is unstructured by design. Co-work, take meetings, join fitness classes, enjoy the ship, or keep the morning's conversations going.
Another evening of small-group dinners across the ship's restaurants.
The final full day: owner-focused sessions and partner office hours in the morning, an afternoon at the Beach Club, and a farewell reception to close out the voyage.
Bimini, Bahamas
Highlights from the Summit so far and a look at the final day of programming.
Buying a business doesn't just change the buyer's life. It changes their household. In this session, we turn the mic over to the partners and spouses who've watched someone they love sign a personal guarantee and step into the unknown. What did it feel like to say yes? What worries kept them up at night? What's it actually like to watch a partner run a business for the first time: the wins, the stress, the late nights, and everything in between?
Three concurrent sessions for owners and soon-to-be owners:
Running alongside the breakouts: drop-in office hours with each of the six deal-team partners: attorneys, Quality of Earnings providers, and SBA lenders. Bring your deal, your questions, or your term sheet.
Spend the afternoon at Virgin Voyages' Beach Club at Bimini: beach, pool, and open time with the community before the ship departs at 6:00 PM.
Closing remarks and one last round together before the sail home.
A final evening of dinners across the ship as the Brilliant Lady sails back toward Miami.
Back where we started, with four days of new relationships, sharper thinking, and (we hope) a little sun to show for it.
Miami, FL
The Brilliant Lady arrives back in Miami at 6:30 AM. Because of the early arrival, we recommend setting aside Monday as a dedicated travel day. Safe travels, and see you in the Lab.
Four days of keynotes, deal breakdowns, and real connection with the acquisition entrepreneurship community, at sea.
Early Bird pricing runs through October 31, 2026. The ship holds a fixed number of cabins, and Summit pricing is per cabin, not per person.