The Infrastructure Investor Podcast

Mid-market muscle: How smaller deals are powering the next US infrastructure boom

2026-02-05 · 07:00 UTC ·PEI Group ·1 min read

Brief

US mid-market infrastructure investing is framed here as a beneficiary of rising power demand, reshoring, and AI-related buildout, but also as a market requiring careful navigation through policy and macro volatility. Posner and Bhandari appear aligned on the long-term opportunity set while emphasizing that success will depend on how managers structure deals and realize exits in a more complicated operating environment.

Why it matters

Ross Posner of Ridgewood Infrastructure and Gautam Bhandari of I Squared Capital argued in a 2026 Infrastructure Investor Podcast episode that US infrastructure investing is supported by three major tailwinds: electricity demand growing at the fastest pace in decades, accelerating industrial reshoring, and continued AI-driven infrastructure buildout.

Key details

  • The speakers said mid-market infrastructure managers may be positioned to generate higher returns and better exits even as the US market grows more complex, with abrupt policy changes, macroeconomic uncertainty, and geopolitical volatility shaping deal execution.
  • Despite differing investment strategies, both Posner and Bhandari expressed confidence that the US infrastructure market will continue to expand and mature over the next several years, creating plentiful opportunities in smaller and mid-sized deals.
Source evidence

title: Mid-market muscle: How smaller deals are powering the next US infrastructure boom
author: PEI Group
contenttype: podcast
publication: The Infrastructure Investor Podcast
published: 2026-02-05T07:00:00+00:00
sourceurl: https://infrastructureinvestorpodcast.podbean.com/e/mid-market-muscle-how-smaller-deals-are-powering-the-next-us-infrastructure-boom/

word_count: 148

This episode is sponsored by Ridgewood Infrastructure and I Square Capital At the start of 2026, infrastructure investors in the United States benefit from numerous tailwinds. Electricity demand is rising at the fastest rate in decades, industrial reshoring is gathering momentum, and the artificial intelligence revolution is continuing to accelerate. While many of the fundamentals are positive, infrastructure managers must navigate a complex environment in the US. Abrupt policy changes, alongside macroeconomic and geopolitical volatility, mean the path to success is far from straightforward. In this episode of The Infrastructure Investor Podcast , Ross Posner, managing partner at Ridgewood Infrastructure, and Gautam Bhandari, managing partner at I Squared Capital, discuss how mid-market managers can be best placed to deliver higher returns and secure favourable exits. Although their strategies differ, they both see plentiful opportunities as the US infrastructure market continues to grow and mature in the years ahead.