Banking Solutions for Middle Market Private Equity - Scott Aleali - Head of Private Equity Finance - Citizens Private Bank

Scott Aleali joins Brandon Sedloff on The Distribution to share his journey from early beginnings at Silicon Valley Bank to leading the private equity business at Citizens Private Bank. He reflects on the collapse of SVB and First Republic, the creation of Citizens Private Bank, and how his team is building a differentiated service model for private equity and venture capital clients. Scott also provides insight into industry trends, the rise of new liquidity solutions, and his own experience as a podcast host creating content for the private markets community.

They discuss:

Lessons learned from the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and First Republic

How Citizens Private Bank was created and its focus on private equity and venture capital clients

The importance of differentiation and returning capital in today’s private markets

New liquidity solutions for investment professionals and why the middle market is underserved

Scott’s journey into podcasting and the role of content creation in building authentic connections

This episode offers valuable perspective for private markets professionals navigating an evolving financial landscape.

Links:

Scott on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottaleali/

Fund Fanatics Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/lu/podcast/fund-fanatics/id1810788445

Citizens Private Bank - https://www.citizensbank.com/private-banking/overview.aspx

Brandon on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bsedloff/

Juniper Square - https://www.junipersquare.com/

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:02:04) - Scott’s career and background
(00:06:33) - The SVB and FRB failures
(00:13:13) - Advice for delivering harsh news
(00:14:42) - The founding of Citizens Private Bank
(00:17:19) - The landscape of CPB today
(00:31:12) - Scott’s view of the market today
(00:34:46) - What makes for a differentiated strategy/GP?
(00:44:32) - Building the Fund Fanatics podcast and its impact on the business