WoMAN brings first Impact & Growth Summit to Denver

Women in Mergers & Acquisitions Network will host its inaugural summit Sept. 29 at The Curtis Hotel in Denver to connect women across the M&A deal cycle. The event comes as women’s representation in private equity has improved, but senior leadership remains disproportionately male.

Why it matters: - Women in M&A still face a steep drop-off at senior levels, even as overall representation in private equity has improved. - The summit is designed to give women in the deal business a place to build technical skills, mentorship ties and referral networks. - The event also aims to strengthen retention and advancement across M&A teams, where relationships often drive opportunity.

What happened: - Women in Mergers & Acquisitions Network will host its inaugural Impact & Growth Summit on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. - The event runs from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. MDT at The Curtis Hotel in downtown Denver. - WoMAN says the summit is built for women across the M&A deal lifecycle, from sourcing through integration. - Registration is open at event registration. - Sponsorship and vendor exhibitor opportunities are also available.

The details: - The summit will feature two concurrent tracks: M&A Industry Trends and Leadership & Professional Development. - The program also includes keynotes, a fireside chat, curated networking and a closing reception. - Featured keynote speakers include Jen Thompson, WoMAN president and an M&A integration and strategy consultant. - Marla DiCarlo, CEO of BizNavigators and SMB managing director at SDR Ventures, will deliver the opening keynote, “Deals, Drama, and Due Diligence: Why Women Make M&A Better.” - Jennifer Fondrevey, CEO and consultant at Day1Ready and author of Now What? A Survivor's Guide for Thriving Through Mergers & Acquisitions, is also a featured keynote speaker. - Additional speakers include Julie Holunga, George Helock, Alison McQuillan, Kate McDonald, Brittany Martin, Morgan Hoffman, Brea Page, Stephanie Polen and Theresa Szczurek, PhD. - The event is aimed at investment bankers, private equity and venture capital professionals, corporate development teams, M&A attorneys and advisors, diligence specialists, valuation specialists, integration specialists and firm leaders. - WoMAN was founded in 2017 and is based in Denver. - The organization says its programming is built around three pillars: Inform, Connect and Serve. - WoMAN partners with nonprofits including Volunteers of America, Kenzie's Causes and Girls Inc.

Between the lines: - A PwC report cited by WoMAN found women’s share of the global private equity workforce rose from 17.9% in 2017 to 25.4% in 2025. - The same report cited a 2025 Columbia Business School study that found women made up 22% of investment professionals across 661 U.S. PE firms but held only 6% of senior roles. - The summit’s mix of technical content and leadership programming suggests WoMAN is targeting both deal execution and advancement into decision-making roles. - The emphasis on networking and referrals points to a market where access to deals and mentors can matter as much as formal training.

What's next: - WoMAN will hold the summit in Denver on Sept. 29, 2026. - The event will likely serve as a visibility push for women working in M&A and private equity while extending WoMAN’s membership network. - Sponsorship and exhibitor outreach may broaden the summit’s industry reach ahead of the event.

The bottom line: - WoMAN is using its first Growth & Impact Summit to address a familiar gap in M&A: women are entering the field in greater numbers, but leadership still lags.