Mandell Crawley on CNBC from the Founders Summit.mp4

Summary

Morgan Stanley's Chief Client Officer Mandell Crawley discusses findings from the firm's inaugural Founders Survey at the Founders Summit. Founders are focused on growth, liquidity, partnerships, and integrating AI, but many feel unsupported. The IPO path remains popular, and a massive capex cycle in AI is underway.

• Morgan Stanley published its first Founders Survey on private company founder sentiment.
• 95% of founders say AI is critical, but only 23% feel supported in implementing it.
• About two-thirds of founders still plan to eventually go public via an IPO.
• Liquidity options are diversifying, including tenders, secondaries, and private share lending.
• Founders are broadly constructive on the macroeconomic environment despite geopolitical instability.
• The AI capex cycle is driving significant financing activity, especially in debt markets.
• Morgan Stanley is positioning its integrated platform to serve founders across their lifecycle.