Ep. 157: Robin Graham, Head of Technology Investment Banking, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Robin is the Head of Technology Investment Banking at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., where he leads a 50-banker team spanning 12 tech verticals. He has 30+ years of investment banking experience advising high-growth technology companies on M&A and capital raising. **Topics:** - AI in Investment Banking - Tech Market Outlook - Strategically Hiring Senior Talent - Building a Collaborative Culture ...and so much more. **Top Takeaways** - **Growth opportunities are increasingly coming from venture-backed targets.** Most of the M&A activity Robin's team is seeing isn't traditional buyouts but portcos making strategic acquisitions to build out their existing platforms. Oppenheimer’s recent sale of Kentik to PE-backed Infoblox is one example. For sponsors, it’s a reason to look beyond the traditional add-on universe when building their M&A pipelines. - **The best use of AI may be capacity creation rather than headcount reduction.** Oppenheimer is using an internal analytics tool to offload model-building, SEC data pulls, and other repetitive work. Robin sees the payoff not as needing fewer bankers, but as giving the existing team more capacity to process transactions and spend time with clients. The practical opportunity is to identify where AI can remove execution bottlenecks, then deliberately reinvest that capacity rather than treating efficiency as the end goal. - **High-stakes moments are built through low-stakes repetition.** Robin learned that lesson rowing at Harvard, where months of repetitive training came down to a handful of six-minute races. Dealmaking requires the same discipline: keep doing the work when the payoff is distant, so you’re ready when the moment that matters arrives. **About Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.** Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. is a full-service investment bank and wealth manager. Robin leads its technology investment banking group, with about 50 bankers across 12 verticals, from semiconductors and enterprise software to defense tech and aerospace. The team has advised on transactions including Backblaze's 2021 IPO, Corvex's $33M data-center financing, and Gilat's ~$157.5M acquisition of Comtech's satellite and space communications segment. **Investors & Operators is brought to you by 51 Labs** 51 Labs is a marketing agency for the lower middle market. We offer full-service digital marketing for PE, portfolio companies, IB, VC, hedge funds. - Brand Identity, Marketing Strategy, Marketing & AGM Video, LinkedIn Strategy & Execution, Web Design & Development, CRM Support & more - 400+ videos - 100+ projects - #1 content creator on LinkedIn in the lower middle market