Winston & Strawn Sponsors Sidebar Summit Conference

Winston & Strawn was proud to sponsor the Sidebar Summit Conference in New York on June 5, 2025. The conference brought together the brightest minds in technology, entrepreneurship, venture capital, academia, and government.

Mike Blankenship, Houston Office Managing Partner, served as a keynote speaker discussing the private equity and capital markets outlook for 2025-2026.

Key Takeaways

• Unicorns vs. Decacorns
  Founders and investors alike are recalibrating expectations. Valuation discipline is back in vogue even for companies with billion-dollar badges.
• Circle’s IPO: A Signal, Not a Surge
  Circle’s listing brought excitement to the floor, but the broader sentiment remains cautiously optimistic. The IPO window may be cracked open, but it is far from wide.
• Crypto: From Chaos to Compliance
  Crypto companies are maturing, and the focus is shifting from tokenomics to transparency. Public market readiness now demands institutional-grade governance.
• FinTech’s Next Chapter
  FinTech founders are no longer just chasing growth, they are solving for sustainability, profitability, and regulatory alignment. Investors are paying close attention.
• The NYSE Still Sets the Tone
  Being at the NYSE during a major tech IPO reminded us: the public markets still matter. Going public is not the endgame, it is a new beginning with higher stakes.