This episode is sponsored by scaleMatters. In this episode, Shiv Narayanan interviews Scott Stouffer, CEO and Founder at scaleMatters, to talk all about data – data hygiene, data infrastructure, and the insights that come from data to make those important value creation decisions. Learn how scaleMatters – a firm that specializes in go-to-market ana…

Shiv interviews Sean Cantwell, Managing Partner at Volition Capital. In this episode, Sean shares how Volition Capital’s operations teams support their portcos with the resources, tools, and frameworks they need to grow. Learn about best practices including portfolio summits, internal resource portals, and training. Hear about when it makes sense t…

Shiv interviews Jordon Kruse, Managing Director and Co-Portfolio Manager, and Matt Wilson, Managing Director and Co-Portfolio Manager, at Oaktree Capital. In this episode, Matt and Jordon explain their approach to special situations investing, including rescue financing transactions where they restructure the debt and balance sheet of companies. Th…

Shiv interviews Krista Skalde, Chief Talent Officer Partner at Inovia Capital, Meryl Almeida, Director of Corporate Development at Inovia Capital, and Kory Jeffrey, Principal & VP, Technology at Inovia Capital. In this episode, Krista, Meryl, and Kory share how they evaluate acquisitions, how to create value from a corp dev perspective, and how to …

Shiv interviews Aldy Keene, CEO at Loyalty Research Center. In this episode, Aldy shares how to evaluate the quality of relationships to understand how loyal a company’s customer base really is, and how both founders and investors can use that data to create value. Learn why companies should spend more time analyzing their customer base, how to fin…

Shiv interviews Randy Garg, Founder and Managing Partner at Vistara Growth. In this episode, Randy explains the situations in which debt is a viable avenue for funding companies, how growth debt differs from growth equity, and how to decide which is right for your company. Learn what the targeted returns are on these types of investments and the ro…

Shiv interviews Tim Strickland, Advisory Partner at Summit Partners. In this episode, Tim draws on his experience as CRO of Zoom Info and in leadership roles at large martech companies to discuss what it takes to build and grow multi-hundred and billion-dollar go-to-market organizations. Learn what metrics are important to track to keep everyone al…

Shiv interviews Brian Neider, Partner at Lead Edge Capital. In this episode, Shiv and Brian discuss best practices for building boards and what board members can do to add value to portfolio companies. Learn how to guide a business as a board member once you’ve invested in a company, what the changes to the financial markets mean for PE firms, and …

Shiv interviews Jeff Standridge, Managing Director at Innovation Junkie. In this episode, Jeff shares his framework for a strategic growth plan and how his firm conducts an introductory diagnostic based on seven domains. Jeff discusses some of the best practices within those domains and the questions you can use to determine how senior leadership v…

Shiv interviews Paul Swaney, Managing Director of Swaney Group Capital. In this episode, Shiv and Paul discuss how to create value when investing in industrial and manufacturing industries, and how that differs from B2B tech and software investments. Learn how Paul and his team increase capacity by looking at production lines, the impact of workpla…

Shiv interviews Peter Walker, Head of Insights for Carta. In this episode, Peter and Shiv discuss how PE-backed companies can use equity to attract, compete for, and retain employees, as well as to grow companies and increase continuity. Plus, learn how Carta’s first-party data helps PE firms, management companies, and founders learn from industry …

Shiv interviews David Bluth, Managing Director of GLC Advisors. Shiv and David discuss how the tech M&A market has changed since 2021, with deal volume dropping by 45% in 2023. Learn the top reasons David sees deals fall apart in the last few years, how founders should prepare themselves as the market starts to become more active, and why PE firms …

Shiv interviews Omair Sarwar, Founder & CEO of Gearbox Capital. In this episode, Omair and Shiv discuss how to vet founder-led companies to ensure they share the same values, how to build deep relationships with those founders, and the benefits of focusing on bootstrapped companies. Plus, learn how Gearbox uses offshoring to enhance their investmen…

Shiv speaks with Kate Hawkes, VP of Marketing at How To SaaS. Shiv and Kate talk about the challenges businesses face when they don’t have C-level marketers on their team, and how CEOs and investors can support marketers to advance to this level. Learn what being a C-level marketer entails, how this approach impacts growth strategy, how to improve …

Shiv interviews Alex Western, Managing Director of Terminus Capital Partners. Shiv and Alex talk about how TCP’s Vision Prism offers a more focused strategy, targeted positioning, builds better products, and provides a lot of enterprise value. Learn how focusing on the right mission can help investors, founders, and CEOs use this framework to build…

Shiv interviews Mohammad Rasouli, CEO of AIx2, and Philipp Reineke, COO of AIx2. Learn how AI can be leveraged in the investment industry, from sourcing and vetting deals, to getting VDDs and CIMs ready, as well as optimizing and exiting investments. They discuss the social welfare impact of AI as more and more funds start to use the technology, ho…

Shiv interviews Kevin Iudicello, Partner at Realization Capital Partners, on the data-driven strategies that enable the firm to create value in a crowded market. You’ll learn about the possibilities for investors in the secondary market, how the high valuations of 2020 continue to impact options for liquidity, and how companies with slower growth c…

Shiv interviews Sunaina Sinha, Global Head, Private Capital Advisory at Raymond James. Shiv and Sunaina discuss how PE sponsors can look at overall capital formation for their funds and portcos in order to generate the highest ROI. Learn about what alternative liquidity options are available to LPs and GPs and when it makes sense to consider a cont…

Shiv interviews Richard Lichtenstein, Expert Partner and Chief Private Equity Data Officer at Bain & Company. Shiv and Richard discuss how PE firms and their portfolio companies can leverage generative AI to improve investment processes and create more enterprise value. Learn how other companies are using this technology to increase efficiency, del…

Shiv interviews Dave Mangot, CEO of Mangoteque. Dave discusses how he helps PE firms navigate DevOps and technological processes in their portcos, and the approaches that help companies deliver better products and be more competitive in the marketplace. In this episode, you’ll learn how your product release schedule is critical to value creation an…

Shiv interviews David Acharya, Managing Partner of Acharya Capital Partners. Learn about the differences between the traditional committed fund model of PE firms and the independent sponsor model. David shares his proven process for using acquisitions to grow portcos and generate greater ROI for investors, how to vet those mergers, and an extensive…

Shiv interviews Matthew J. Safaii, Founder & Managing Partner of Arrowroot Capital. Shiv and Matthew discuss the alignment-focused strategy that helps Arrowroot separate themselves from a crowded market, including how they deliver positive outcomes for previous investors and a founder-friendly approach to acquisitions. Founders will learn how to av…

Shiv interviews Edgar Baum, Founder & CEO of Avasta. Learn how sizing the market for B2B companies and PE investors is critical to properly creating sales projections. Edgar shares his thoughts on what is flawed with the TAM, SAM, and SOM approach and why you should incorporate the WAM approach as well. Plus, hear how to start thinking about your t…

Shiv interviews Devin Mathews, Partner at ParkerGale Capital. Shiv and Devin discuss how ParkerGale invests in smaller companies that many firms would consider ‘too hard’. Learn how Devin and his team view potential challenges as value creation opportunities, and how they prioritize their resources in portfolio companies post-close. Plus, hear how …

Shiv interviews Hillel Zidel, Managing Director of Kennet Partners. On this episode, Shiv and Hillel focus on how founders and investors can expand companies to international markets – whether that’s going into the U.S., Europe, or APAC. You’ll learn what Hillel’s strategy is for vetting companies and how they address any potential barriers such as…

Shiv interviews Craig Dupper, Founder of Elan Growth Partners. In this episode, Craig shares his firm’s Partner Equity investing strategy, which includes a value growth and enhancement approach. Shiv and Craig discuss the key areas founders should address to take their business to the next level and where their company might be underinvesting. Lear…

Shiv interviews Mark Kearney, Fractional CFO of Ascent CFO Solutions. In this episode, Shiv and Mark discuss how finance can be used as a strategic lever inside companies and should become part of their broader planning process. They discuss when companies usually bring in a fractional CFO and the patterns Mark sees as he works with these businesse…

Shiv interviews Jason Caplain, Co-Founder and General Partner of Bull City Venture Partners. In this episode, Jason shares why his firm values founders above an idea or business, and walks listeners through a tried-and-tested approach to assessing entrepreneurs and their teams. Founders will take away Jason’s tips on raising capital and leveraging …

Shiv interviews Chip Baird, Managing Partner at GreyLion Capital. Shiv and Chip take a deep dive into GreyLion’s core LIFT (Leadership, Investment, Flexibility, Technology) strategy for optimizing companies to increase enterprise value. Learn how to identify critical leadership gaps and hold new hires accountable, and how a flexible approach to cap…

Shiv interviews Anna Talerico, CEO at Corporate Finance Institute and Operating Partner at Arthur Ventures. Learn how capital-efficient companies can make better hiring decisions by focusing on what role they really need to fill. How can companies clearly define those roles and how do they go about finding the best-fit candidates? Plus, when should…

Shiv interviews Mark Buffington, CEO at BIP Capital and Managing Partner at BIP Ventures. Learn why the concept of permanent capital from a multistage fund might be a better long-term approach to funding a startup. Mark explains how not all measurements of success are based on the financials, and how that might look different for different companie…

On this episode, Shiv interviews Adam Solomon, Partner at Thoma Bravo. Shiv and Adam discuss how Thoma Bravo’s focus on market-leading companies impacts their approach to evaluating assets and value creation. Hear how one of the biggest PE firms in the world approaches due diligence, performance metrics, profitable growth, and founder relationships…

Shiv interviews Matthew Stevens, Founder of Stevens.VC. Shiv and Matt discuss the business fundamentals that founders and investors should be focusing on in early-stage companies. Hear how to add value and prepare for future investment by professionalizing your business operations, why a deep understanding of your market is critical to success, and…

Shiv and Dan discuss how the first 100 days can shape the outcome of private equity deals and explain the actions investors, founders and business leaders can take to set a business on the path to growth. Tune in for expert advice on when to start value creation planning, how to focus your efforts and resources on the most impactful strategies, and…

Shiv Narayanan interviews Chirag Shah, Growth Partner at Wavecrest Growth Partners. Chirag and Shiv discuss the wide variety of value creation levers that Wavecrest uses to grow their portfolio companies. Learn how to identify the most effective growth levers for each company, and how to scale revenue by optimizing pricing, sales strategy, cross-se…

Shiv interviews Joanna Arras, Partner at Baird Capital in the US venture fund.Joanna and Shiv discuss the challenges and opportunities for both founders and investors in the current venture landscape. Learn about how to balance growth and capital efficiency, the impact of the right capital raising strategy and how to select the right investment par…

Shiv Narayanan interviews Ripan Kadakia, Partner at ZMC. Ripan and Shiv discuss ZMC’s aim to serve portfolio companies through a strategy that includes business development, talent acquisition and technology. Learn about ZMC’s focus on macro trends to identify long-term investment opportunities, and hear case studies of growth in challenging circum…

Shiv Narayanan interviews Dirk Sahlmer, Head of Origination at saas.group. Dirk and Shiv discuss how saas.group’s investment approach differentiates them from traditional PE firms and influences their value creation framework. Learn about saas.group’s focus on profit margins rather than quick flips, their criteria for identifying companies with lon…

Shiv Narayanan interviews Kevin Mosley, General Partner at Jurassic Capital. Kevin and Shiv take a deep dive into Jurassic Capital’s B2B SaaS Benchmarks Report and explore how founders, investors and business leaders can use this data to achieve their growth objectives. Learn about the vital metrics every SaaS company should be tracking, how your c…

Shiv Narayanan interviews Narbe Alexandrian, founder and CEO of Define Capital. Shiv and Narbe discuss the options investors and founders have for their deal structure and capital stack. Learn about how Define Capital builds long-term partnerships with companies, their approach to valuations and risk, and hear how the current economic environment i…

Take a look at some of the highlights from the 2023 season of the Private Equity Value Creation podcast. In these bite-sized value creation insights from firms including Hg Capital, B Capital Group and JMI Equity, you’ll learn about tried-and-tested strategies for portco hiring, financial management, sales processes and much more.…

Shiv Narayanan interviews Hanny Akl, Transaction Advisory Services Practice Leader at Warren Averett, David LeGrand, Member (Partner), Tax and Transaction Advisory at Warren Averett, and Zach Crowe, Partner at Morris, Manning and Martin. Hanny, David, Zach and Shiv walk you through the essential legal and finance work it takes to set your business …

Shiv Narayanan interviews Lauren Bonner, Managing Partner at MBM Capital. Shiv and Lauren discuss how to sustainably scale enterprise value in companies where VC funding has dried up. Learn about MBM Capital’s playbook for investing in these companies, including how they evaluate potential investments, an approach for guiding companies towards prof…

On this episode Shiv Narayanan interviews Sunil Grover, Managing Partner at True Blue Partners. Sunil and Shiv discuss how True Blue Partners’ corporate finance perspective helps early-stage AI companies scale. Learn how they identify founders and companies that are best suited for their approach, why product-market fit is so vital, and how they co…

Shiv Narayanan interviews Andrew Pierno, Co-Founder at XO Capital.Andrew and Shiv discuss XO Capital’s highly-targeted investments into small, PLG, single-purpose SaaS companies, and how their thesis contrasts with typical VC attitudes.Learn about why micro-investing presents such a blue ocean opportunity, how Andrew’s technical capabilities inform…

Shiv Narayanan interviews Krista Morgan, General Partner at Stage Fund.Krista and Shiv discuss the challenges many companies experience in high-pressure VC models, and how Stage’s alternative investment approach offers a solution for founders and investors.Learn about Stage’s process for finding efficiencies and rebuilding revenue generation to get…

Shiv Narayanan interviews Justin Johnson, Director of the Investment Team at Camber Partners. Justin and Shiv discuss how Camber Partners sources, evaluates, and adds value to companies with a product-led growth focus. Learn why PLG is such a popular approach among SaaS companies, and how Camber is leveraging AI, machine learning and a proprietary …

Shiv Narayanan interviews Cody Lee, Vice President in Summit Partner’s Peak Performance Group. Cody and Shiv discuss why marketing is a function no portco (and no investor) can afford to ignore, and what you need to know about portco marketing in the current environment. Learn about a realistic approach to data-driven marketing strategy, common are…

Shiv Narayanan interviews Allen Duan, General Partner at B Capital Group.Allen and Shiv discuss how B Capital Group’s role as minority investors influences their approach to value creation and how they leverage the experience of advisors and partners.Learn how you can guide companies towards growth through team and organization, capital advisory, s…

Shiv Narayanan interviews Matt Gallagher, Portfolio CRO at Hg Capital. Matt and Shiv discuss how the Hg portfolio team prioritize revenue growth strategies that will move the needle most in the first months after an investment. Learn about the importance of due diligence as a foundation for scale and the metrics you should review to assess performa…