Watch Video of the Panel Below, or Click HERE:
CorpGov hosted the second Princeton CorpGov Forum on May 21, 2026, at The Nassau Inn in Princeton, New Jersey. Speakers featured industry leaders and alumni spanning five decades at Princeton, and topics comprised university endowments, shareholder activism, private equity, venture capital, private and public capital markets, entertainment and the finance of college sports.
- Discussion on GameStop’s bid for eBay: The speakers analyze GameStop/Ryan Cohen’s attempt to pursue eBay, highlighting the unusual nature of a smaller company targeting a much larger one and the challenges of proving financing, strategy, and shareholder value.
- Ryan Cohen’s activist background and GameStop turnaround: They review Cohen’s success with GameStop—building on prior activism, leveraging the short squeeze, raising capital, improving the balance sheet, and repositioning the company with significant cash reserves.
- High bar for a successful takeover or proxy fight: The conversation emphasizes that Cohen would need a compelling, well-articulated value proposition, credible financing, and strong shareholder support to convince eBay investors, proxy advisors, and large institutional shareholders.
- Role of proxy advisors and institutional investors: Firms like ISS, Glass Lewis, BlackRock, and Vanguard are described as key gatekeepers that prioritize certainty, economic value, and minimizing unintended consequences in mergers, acquisitions, and board contests.
- Corporate governance, DEI, and political shifts: The speakers discuss risks of companies overcorrecting politically in either direction on DEI/ESG policies, arguing that firms should stay focused on balanced governance, shareholder communication, and long-term value creation as the strongest defense against activism.
Speakers and Notable Attendees
- Paul Haaga ’70, Former Chairman, Capital Research and Management Company; Chair of the Board, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation; Board Director, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
- Ned Nalle ’76, President, Copper Beeches, Inc.; Previously, ION Media Networks, ABC Studios, President, Universal Worldwide Television, Universal Studios
- Thomas Courtney, Jr. ’86, President and CEO, The Courtney Group
- Curtis Glovier ’86, S’87, P’19, P’25, Chief Investment Officer, Star Mountain Capital
- Robert Maciejko ’88, Founder, Board AI Institute; Managing Partner, Oaks Prime Family Office
- John Evans ’91, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Tractus Asia
- Phillip Escaravage ’97, CEO, Gift Games
- Kevin McLaughlin ’97, Vice President, Brand and Corporate Marketing, Dataiku
- Doyl Burkett ’98, Managing Partner and Founder, Integrity Growth Partners
- Brian O’Kelley ’99, Co-Founder and CEO, Scope3
- Ari I. Weinberg ’99, Contributor, Pensions & Investments; Board member, HBS Club of Connecticut; Class agent, Princeton University Annual Giving
- Brian Kirschbaum ’02, Partner, Astra Capital Management
- James Shin ’05, President, Film & TV, HYBE America
- Judson Wallace ’05, Managing Director, White Rabbit Capital; Former Captain, Princeton Men’s Basketball
- Whit Clay, Partner, Head of New York, Longacre Square Partners
- Lawrence S. Elbaum, Co-Head of Shareholder Activism Practice and Partner, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
- Jon Feldman, Partner, Head of Business Law Group, Goodmans LLP
- John Grau, President, InvestorCom
- Rafique Jiwani, Vice President, Goldman Sachs Private Equity
- Lisa Kaplan, Founder and CEO, Alethea
- Andy Katz, General Partner, BrknPar Ventures (Sport Tech Growth Equity Fund)
- Ryan Keating, Industry Leader, Venture Services, Eisner Advisory Group
- John Price, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, HighGround Market
- Michael W. Robinson, Chairman and CEO, The Montgomery Strategies Group
- David Schulhof, Founder and CEO, MUSQ Global Music Industry ETF (NYSE: MUSQ)
- Karen Snow, CEO, Rose & Co. Capital Advisors; Former Global Head of Listings, Nasdaq
- Zach Swartz, Partner, Real Estate Capital Markets and Mergers & Acquisitions, Vinson & Elkins LLP
- Ken Traub, Chairman, President and CEO, Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (Nasdaq: CMTL)
- Patrick A. Westerhaus, Partner, Cyber Risk Services, EisnerAmper
- Christopher Young, Investment Banker, Formerly Director of M&A and Proxy Fight Research, ISS
- John Jannarone ’03, CEO, CorpGov (Moderator)
- Jarrett Banks, COO, CorpGov (Moderator)
- John G. Quigley, Co-Founder and former Managing Partner, Nassau Capital (Moderator)
More Upcoming Events:
Save the Date: 2nd LA CorpGov Forum on Sep 18 Featuring Sports, Entertainment & M&A
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