PE – Tech Investing Criteria

  PE Tech Investing Criteria PE investors look for more than just growth – they look for durability, scalability, and resilience. The best firms apply a consistent framework across markets, products, customers, GTM, and financials to separate true compounders from hype-driven plays. Below is a distilled set of criteria drawn…  Read More >

PE Value Creation – Driving GTM/Commercial Excellence Portfolio-Wide

Here are some of the areas that the GTM Operating Partner drives: Institutionalize commercial excellence frameworks, playbooks, and KPIs across the portfolio Accelerate revenue growth and margin expansion through scalable GTM execution Strengthen commercial engines to enhance exit readiness and maximize equity value Partner with portfolio companies to refine strategy…  Read More >

PE Portfolio Company Turnaround Playbook (GTM/Commercial Focus)

  My notes on a practical PE Operator’s Turnaround Playbook for a portfolio company that’s underperforming (was healthy before, now slipping). This assumes the core product/market fit is intact, but commercial execution and cost discipline have weakened. This isn’t slash-and-burn. It’s about rebuilding commercial discipline: the right leader in the…  Read More >

Navigating Key Issues in PE – What Has Changed in 3 Decades

Private equity has expanded significantly over the past three decades, with fund counts and AUM reaching record levels. As competition increases and financing costs rise, PE firms must rely more on GTM Improvements (Profitable Revenue Growth Acceleration) combined with Operational Improvements to generate returns. # of PE Funds up 5x+…  Read More >

How to Hire Effectively for Portfolio Companies or for Portfolio Ops

Hiring in PE is a lengthy and typically inefficient exercise – lengthy processes, endless debates, misaligned expectations from different interviewers. And despite all that effort, many firms still miss on critical hires. The core issue is not lack of rigor. It’s misplaced rigor.  Also, most hiring failures don’t come from a…  Read More >

PE Value Creation – The Mission of the Operating Partner Role

Here’s the core purpose of the GTM Operating Partner role in PE: Mission of the Role Own GTM value creation: Lead all commercial excellence aspects of Value Creation Plans (VCPs) from diligence through exit Support deal teams: Surface hidden GTM value opportunities in diligence, shape VCPs, and own execution post-close,…  Read More >

Key insights – The Future of Private Equity Investing is all about PAOVA (Post-Acquisition Operational Value Add)

Key insights from the Partners Capital whitepaper on The Future of Private Equity Investing is all about PAOVA     Post-Acquisition Operational Value Add (PAOVA) is becoming the critical differentiator between alpha-generating and alpha-detracting sponsors Past PE returns were boosted largely by falling rates, leverage, and multiple expansion rather than…  Read More >

Assessing the Company’s Scalability During GTM Diligence

Scalability – Assessing a Ptential Investment’s Scalability During Diligence (for Middle Market Companies)   In software (for Tech PE buyouts), the margin between success and mediocrity hinges on accurately assessing scalability before writing the check. While revenue growth captures headlines, PE investors know that sustainable unit economics, operational leverage, and…  Read More >