
Private Equity FunCast
A podcast that dives into the world of private equity, covering how deals work, what happens after a deal closes, fundraising, and company acquisitions. Hosted by Jim Milbery and Devin Mathews from ParkerGale Capital, it blends insights with pop culture and humor. The show is educational and entertaining, aimed at GPs and those interested in private equity.
Episodes

Parker Gals: Caroline Carman, RallyDay Partners
In this episode of Parker Gals, Liz Xu sits down with her former JPMorgan colleague and friend Caroline Carman, Senior Associate at RallyDay Partners, a lower middle market private equity firm based in Denver, Colorado. Caroline shares her journey from leveraged finance analyst to becoming RallyDay's first associate, building the firm's junior team from the ground up. We dive into what drew her to

How PE Firms Are Actually Using AI Right Now (w/ Kate Hopkins, OneGuide)
Devin and Cass sit down with Kate Hopkins, founder of OneGuide, to break down the 36 AI value creation plays private equity firms and portfolio companies are running right now. From TAM mapping and list building with AI to revenue leakage detection, workflow automation, and agent ecosystem strategy — this episode covers what's actually working, what's not, and what's coming next. OneGuide's "Top 3

Parker Gals: Maggie Pugel, Frontenac
In this episode, host Cass Ziebel sits down with Frontenac VP Maggie Pugel for a candid conversation about breaking into private equity the non-traditional way. Maggie shares how she went from buy-side equity research at Ariel Investments to private equity at Frontenac — without the classic investment banking pedigree — and why she's glad she took the "career switcher" route. They dig into what m

Another False Start: PitchBook's H1 2026 Private Equity Data (w/ Steven Buibish)
The private equity market in 2026 was supposed to rip. So why has it fallen flat? Devin sits down with Steven Buibish, CFA, Director of US Private Equity Research at PitchBook, to break down the first half 2026 data. Deal value in Q2 dropped 38% from Q1. Software dealmaking froze. Mega deals are doing all the heavy lifting, distorting every headline number, and yet prices haven't budged. We're sit

Introducing "Parker Gals": Meet Cass & Liz
Welcome to Parker Gals — the podcast by and for women in private equity. Hosts Cass Ziebel and Liz Xu kick off the very first episode from ParkerGale HQ in Chicago, introducing themselves and the show. In this debut episode, you'll hear how Cass stumbled into PE after a 2.5 hour "networking lunch" that turned into an accidental interview, and how Liz almost talked herself out of the job before Cas

Private Equity's About to Get a Lot Less Private (w/ Kevin Hsu of Lumonic)
40% of PE firms and 60% of credit funds still track their portfolios on spreadsheets. That's now a way to monitor a few trillion in AUM. Private equity (and credit) are about to get way more transparent as retail investors get access to PE, and the tools you need to monitor and report your exposure must evolve. The products are way ahead of the plumbing. Devin sits down with Kevin Hsu, founder of

PE GUY Meets an Actual PE Guy
PE GUY turned a Snapchat filter into millions of views and a seven-figure business. Host Devin Mathews (a real PE guy) conducts due diligence on Johnny Hilbrant Partridge's background, business model, and the wealthy towns he's taking on next. We sat down with Johnny in PE GUY's natural habitat -- a Winnetka, IL pool house to figure out how a goofy internet character became an oddly accurate and h

From Sales Rep to $4B GTM Leader: The Playbook for Building Sales Teams (w/ Sam Levy of NetSuite)
Sam Levy's first sales job involved a phone book, a rotary phone, and 200 cold calls for one yes. He was still in college when he started a telemarketing gig with no playbook, no CRM, no email. Eighteen months in, the company went public, and the telemarketing kid was sipping champagne in the boardroom. This episode reveals everything that happened between that room and the one he sits in now: hea

How a Tough PE Market & AI are Changing Exec Search (w/ Nick Cromydas of Hunt Club)
The deep Rolodex model for headhunters doesn't cut it anymore. PE's cookie-cutter hiring scorecards now miss the best candidates in a complex world. And more and more funds are hiring internal teams to source CEOs. The executive search business is under pressure and has to adapt to survive. In this episode, Devin sits down with Nick Cromydas, to answer the question: how does executive search stay

Financial Modeling Will Never be the Same (w/ Tarun Amasa of Endex)
In the past year, Excel AI plugins have become increasingly powerful, raising the question: Are Analysts and Associates about to become obsolete, or are we entering the age of the 10x modeler? On this episode, Devin and Caroline Phipps, a ParkerGale VP, go deep on AI and how it's changing the game. They're joined by Tarun Amasa, Founder & CEO of Endex, an OpenAI-backed startup automating modeling

Private Equity is Coming For Your 401(k) (w/ PitchBook's Nizar Tarhuni)
Your 401(k) is about to get access to private equity, but how, in what form, and at what price are all still TBD. Which is kind of a problem for such a big change. The pitch for putting private markets in retirement accounts is all about fairness: regular people got locked out of the hottest private companies, such as SpaceX, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Stripe. But the products actually getting built a

Will AI Kill Consulting? (w/ IGS CEO Matt Umscheid)
AI is reshaping the consulting industry faster than the internet or remote work ever did. Some say the industry's days are numbered. So why are Anthropic and OpenAI building PE-backed consulting firms of their own? And how will private equity firms and the companies they own feel the change? We get into what AI is actually doing to the consulting industry, why it's hitting faster than any tech shi

How Private Equity Is Rethinking AI & Tech Due Diligence (According to Code & Co.)
Artificial intelligence is changing the rules of software investing, forcing private equity firms to adapt quickly and carefully. In this episode, we're joined by the team from Code & Co., one of the leading AI and tech due diligence firms serving private equity investors, to discuss how AI is transforming the way software companies are evaluated before a deal closes. Jim sits down with Code & Co.

What's Working NOW At Private Equity Owned Companies
It's hard to execute today. Growth has slowed, and costs are up. If you own, advise, or operate a PE-backed company, this episode offers a behind the scenes look at some plays you can run to execute your way through the chop. Paul Stansik and Jim Milbery cover sales training, customer support data, weekly go-to-market reporting, speed-to-lead, AI-assisted engineering, video marketing, release velo

Inside Private Equity's AI-led Transformation (w/ Kyle Roemer of Accordion)
Everyone says they are one-shotting workflows with AI. We brought on the guy who can tell us what's actually happening in middle-market private equity companies. Kyle Roemer, Head of Data & AI at Accordion, has a unique view because his firm advises over 350+ private equity clients. He can see what's real and what's hype, and Accordion has the Ramp data to tell the difference. Kyle walks Devin thr

How We Broke Into Private Equity
How do you make the leap from the college quad to private equity? Associates Liz Xu and Niko Ivanisevic share their unexpected journey to the offices of ParkerGale. They get honest about imposter syndrome, the myth of the "perfect path," building a personal story beyond your resume, and why you should never chew gum in a job interview. Whether you're an undergrad planning your career or a junior b

The Secret Formula to Drive Your Company's Growth
Most B2B software companies have more growth left in what they already sell. This framework shows exactly where to find it — and where to stop looking. Jim Milbery and Paul Stansik walk through the Ansoff Matrix, a simple four-quadrant tool for organizing every growth conversation a software company will ever have. New market or existing market? New product or current product? Sounds obvious, but

The Right Way to Hire Salespeople
Most B2B sales reps are professionally trained to make you like them in 30 minutes. But when you're recruiting salespeople, likability doesn't guarantee success. Make the wrong hire and you can lose two years and a chunk of your growth plan. In this episode, Devin and Paul walk through the five qualities ParkerGale tests for (customer focus, structure, accountability, problem-solving, drive), the

How Operating Partners Create Value in Private Equity
Most private equity firms claim to use a leather-bound "value creation" bible nobody's allowed to touch. The truth? It's more of a Cheesecake Factory menu. In this episode, Paul and Jim break down what operating partners actually do once the deal closes — the three buckets that matter (revenue, cost, risk), why many software companies leave revenue on the table with their existing customers, and w

The Evolution of PE Ops
In 1995, the typical "PE operating team" was a few old-timer ex-CEOs. Today there are 20,000 of them. Cass and Paul from ParkerGale's ops team sit down with Devin to walk through how private equity operations actually evolved — from the "I got a guy" Rolodex era, to the captive consulting model, to today's proliferation of professional operators. Plus hot takes on the AI-specialist hiring boom, wh

10 Lessons From 10 Years Running Our Own Private Equity Firm
Do operating teams matter? Why is sourcing broken? Are add-ons a strategy or a crutch? What firms have actually "stayed small?" In this episode, Devin and Jim get introspective, reflecting on their biggest lessons to mark the 10-year anniversary of the final close of ParkerGale's first fund. Tell us what you've seen change over the past ten years, and what has stood the test of time.

The Private Equity Glossary - 50(ish) Terms You Should Know
LPs. GPs. Carry. Waterfalls. Pari passu. The unlock. Quantum. De-Risk. Niko originally thought one of these was a French dish. Liz wants to ban another from all future meetings. In their PE Funcast debut, ParkerGale Associates Liz & Niko join Devin to demystify the private equity alphabet soup, breaking down everything from formal vocabulary to finance bro speak. Whether you're a first year Assoc

The Ghost of Software Future
In February of this year, an obscure research report triggered a $1 trillion wipeout in software stocks in seven days. In this episode we decipher what actually happened — and why AI is more likely to be a gift to enterprise software than a death sentence. Devin and Jim have invested through every major tech transition: PCs, client-server, the browser, mobile, the cloud. This time, they're break

When And How To Sell Your Company
Selling a company isn't just about price - it's about timing, preparation and process. In this episode, Devin sits down with Ryan Milligan to break down how to sell a company - from timing the exit to running a competitive process and getting a deal across the finish line. They walk through the full private equity playbook including when to sell, whether or not to hire a banker and how deals move

You Just Bought A Company. Now What?
Everyone loves the chase but what happens when the ink dries on the deal and you actually own a company? In this episode, Jim sits down with Paul Stansik to pull back the curtain on how the combined deal, ops, and management teams come together in the first few weeks and months post-close. They break down what life looks like immediately after an acquisition, including setting up governance, ident

How Private Equity ACTUALLY Buys Companies
It all starts with an acquisition, but most people don't understand how private equity firms actually find and buy companies. Devin sits down with Ryan Milligan to break down the mechanics of deal sourcing, banker-led processes and direct founder relationships. From the early days of rotary phones ringing with deals to today's hyper-competitive sourcing environment, we discuss how firms build pip

How to Survive Raising Your First Private Equity Fund
Raising your first private equity fund is humbling. Like Lloyd Dobler holding a boombox outside an LP's window, you need to be committed and creative. It took us over 150 meetings and almost 2 years to get to the finish line. One LP fell asleep mid-pitch. We got stranded in a monsoon in Connecticut. Kenny the Associate torpedoed us in Manhattan. Jim got locked out, and Devin had to fly solo. We su

How do you start a private equity firm from scratch?
In this episode, Devin and Jim rewind to 2014 — and a $12 bottle of Cabernet at the Macaroni Grill — where they hatched the plan to leave their firm and build a new private equity firm from nothing. This is the insider's guide they wish they'd had.

Private Equity Predictions 2026
It's our annual Predictions episode (and by annual, we mean just the years we remember to record one). Devin and Jim offer their hot takes on fundraising, liquidity, why artificial general intelligence (AGI) is still years away, and whether or not the world is officially "over-softwared." PE FunCast New Episodes Every Wednesday Follow us on social media and subscribe to our Substack! LinkedIn: h

Software Holdcos in Australia
Devin sits down with Funcast listener and Terem Capital CEO Scott Middleton. Terem is a software holdco in Australia, and Scott shares his strategy, investment criteria, sourcing approach, and the difference between US holdcos.

AI-First (Whatever That Means): Hiring Product & Engineering Leaders with Sean Lucq from SPMB
Jim sits down with Sean Lucq (Partner at SPMB Executive Search) to talk about the art of hiring senior engineering and product leaders—especially now that every job description on Earth has "AI" duct-taped to it. We get into why sticking with one great search firm beats "random recruiter roulette," why tech interviewing is tough (spoiler: engineers aren't always born interviewers), and the eternal

Modernizing Legacy Systems: The CNX Journey from Green Screens to Great Screens
In this episode of The Private Equity Funcast, Jim Milbery sits down with Jennifer Nelson (CEO of Izzy Software), Richard Malone, Rob Swanson (co-founders of CNX Corporation), and Iwona Montgomery to talk about CNX's nearly 30-year glow-up — from green screens to the cloud. After almost three decades in the biz, CNX just joined forces with Izzy Software, and the result? Legacy systems that finally

Marionettes, Metrics, and Medieval French Lit: A Conversation on UX and Life with Leah Reich
Jim and Leah dive headfirst into a whirlwind chat that covers everything from the fine distinctions between puppets and marionettes to the equally delicate art of building great user experiences. Leah shares her fascinating journey from a Medieval French literature course at Berkeley to leading UX research at companies like Slack, Spotify, Instagram, and Mozilla. Along the way, they tackle why use

Exit-Ready Marketing: Shiv Narayanan on Making Marketing Measurable in PE-Backed Companies
Paul Stansik sits down with Shiv Narayanan—founder of How to SaaS and author of Exit-Ready Marketing—to break down what most private equity firms and portfolio companies get wrong about marketing. They explore how to make marketing a measurable, scalable lever for value creation, from diligence to exit. Shiv shares the frameworks he's used across countless engagements to tie marketing strategy, bu

Continuation Vehicles 101 with Houlihan Lokey
Devin sits down with Sameer Shamsi, Co-Head of Houlihan Lokey's GP Led Secondaries group. We cover everything you want to know about continuation vehicles, but were afraid to ask (or too dumb to ask?). What is the difference between LP-led and GP-led? How should GPs talk to their LPs about it? What assets are best suited for CVs? How does company management get treated in a CV? Plus so much more y

Real-Time Inflation Tracking and Forecasting: A Deep Dive into Open Brand's Proprietary Consumer Price Index
In this episode of the Private Equity Funcast, host Ryan Milligan speaks with OpenBrand CEO Greg Munves and Chief Economist Ralph McLaughlin about their innovative approach to tracking inflation through the OpenBrand Consumer Price Index for Durable and Personal Goods (CPI-DPG). The CPI-DPG is updated weekly, providing a third independent data point for measuring inflation. Its accuracy has been v

From Hype to Impact: Deploying GenAI in Real Businesses with Chris Taylor of Fractional AI
In this episode, Chris Taylor, CEO and Co-Founder of Fractional AI, joins the show to discuss how his company helps traditional businesses adopt and implement generative AI (GenAI) to improve operations and product offerings. Fractional AI focuses on transforming workflows with GenAI through practical, production-ready solutions, especially for companies lacking deep AI expertise.

Open Brand's AI-Powered Market Intelligence Revolution
In this episode of the Private Equity Funcast, Greg Munves (CEO) and Kristopher Kubicki (CTO) join Partner Ryan Milligan to discuss the rapid growth and transformation of Open Brand, a company formed through the combination of four market intelligence companies. They share insights on leveraging AI for real-time data analytics, scaling through strategic acquisitions, and modernizing technology inf

Shock and Nawww : DeepSeek and the Future of LLMs
Join host Jim Milbery along with guests Alan Williamson (CTO of HiBid) and Kristopher Kubicki (CTO of OpenBrand) as we react to the recent DeepSeek AI announcement, its implications for the AI industry, private equity, and technology companies. We discuss the shock and awe response from the VC and tech communities, debating whether it signals a true paradigm shift or an overreaction. The conversa

Predictions and Strategies for 2025
Jim and Paul kick off the 2025 podcast year. We discuss economic uncertainties, private equity challenges, and evolving market strategies. We explore AI's role in portfolio management, cybersecurity concerns, and operational improvements, emphasizing practical efficiency over drastic changes. The conversation also touches on AI adoption within organizations, avoiding vendor lock-in and training te

Enhancing Technical Due Diligence with SEMA Software
Matt Van Itallie from SEMA Software joins Jim to discuss the value of SEMA's code analysis tools for private equity backed companies, particularly for companies managing technical debt, security, and code quality. They highlight the challenges of due diligence in software acquisitions, especially for older companies with legacy systems, and stress the importance of transparency in identifying secu

AI-Powered observability with Jeremy Burton
Jim welcomes old friend and colleague, Jeremy Burton, CEO of Observe, to the podcast. They discuss the importance of observability in modern software development, the evolution of observability, the challenges of distributed applications, and how advancements in data technology and AI are shaping modern software development and troubleshooting.

From Startup to Search Fund: Navigating Entrepreneurship with Phillip Weinstein
Jim welcomes Phillip Weinstein, founder of Atropates Capital who discusses his background, entrepreneurial journey, and the concept of starting a search fund. The conversation covers a range of topics, including Phillip's first entrepreneurial venture at Wake Forest University (a laundry service), through founding his search fund. The discussion explores how search funds differ from other busines

Product-Market Fit with Rob Snyder
Join Paul from the ParkerGale Ops team as he unpacks the concept of "product-market fit" with special guest, Rob Snyder – multiple-time startup founder and Fellow at Harvard Innovation Labs. Paul and Rob explore the origins of the PMF concept, what it means, and why it's both an essential and confusing concept for PE-backed tech companies. Learn about the importance of building a shareable case st

ARR Lending with PNC
Devin spends an hour with Ankur Gupta, PNC's Global Head of Technology Finance, to discuss the current state of software company lending. We cover where PNC fits in the lending landscape, what a "good fit" deal looks like, what you should expect during due diligence, what covenants you should expect, and where pricing is across different lenders these days. We also cover how lenders think about Gr

Exit Readiness as a PE-Backed CFO
ParkerGale Principal Cass Ziebel sits down with CFO Jon Danielson to discuss the priorities of a PE-backed CFO and what he's learned from a recent sale process. In this episode, Jon talks about what surprised him most when he moved from an investor role to an operating role, what it means to "shrink the QofE," and advice to other CFOs as they enter a PE-backed business in the first few months and

Understanding the Agile/Agility Ecosystem
In this interview, Jim and Yuval Yeret discuss the implementation and challenges of agile methodologies within the private equity space. Yuval has extensive experience in product development, and he emphasizes the importance of principle-driven agility over rigid adherence to frameworks. While agile practices originated in software development, their application is beneficial across various indust

How to Avoid Product Pessimism + Build a Better Sales Pitch (With Special Guest April Dunford)
Product positioning expert April Dunford joins Operating Partner Paul Stansik to talk about the curse of product pessimism (and how to fix it), why most software companies struggle to create a winning sales pitch, and how better product positioning fits into an effective growth plan for an emerging tech company.

Big Band Software
Ryan Milligan dives deeper into our investment in Big Band Software, joined by Big Band founders Kevin McArdle (CEO), Chris Reedy (Head of Acquisitions), and Jason Heath (COO). Throughout the discussion, the team covers what companies, founders and executives they target, where they think the opportunity lies, and how they aim to scale this consolidation effort.

Getting Real About Value Creation in PE
"Value Creation" - It's one of the most over-used terms in private equity today. What does value creation mean? What's wrong with how investors talk about their value creation approach? And how does ParkerGale think about its strategy for value creation? Operating Partners Jim and Paul get real about the PG value creation playbook - and have some fun along the way - in the latest episode of the Fu

The View From Europe with Flex Capital
We welcome back our friends Christoph and Peter from FLEX Capital in Berlin, Germany. Our conversation covers everything you would expect . . . how is the tech market holding up in Europe, how is deal flow, are deals getting done, are founders selling or holding on, where are valuations today compared to a few years ago, how is the fundraising market, what does competition for deals look like? We

Mastering Business Storytelling: Strategies for Effective Communication in Private Equity
Jim welcomes the CEO of Master Storytelling and former host of Planet Money, the always-entertaining Adam Davidson. We explore the importance of crafting a compelling and memorable narrative for companies to effectively communicate with various stakeholders, including investors, management teams, and customers. We take a detour to delve into the challenges of generic messaging, the significance of

Revolutionizing Investment Strategies: Harnessing Low-Code/No-Code with Jon Kragh
Jim talks Low-Code/No-Code with Jon Kragh, founder of Proactive Logic Consulting. Jon and his team provide fractional CTO, cloud architecture, tech modernization, and process automation services. Jon has a wealth of experience with low-code solutions and he can quote both Kierkegaard and Ray Dalio, so come have a listen.

The Incredible i Episode
Jim talks with IBM Champion and the Incredible i Show host, Peg Tuttle. IBM's Power Systems platform running the IBM i operating system powers some of the most significant applications in the world. Peg has 20+ years working in the IBM I world, and we talk about everything from common misconceptions to leveraging the latest and greatest open-source solutions on the IBM Power Systems platform.

AI for Investment: A Platform Disruption
Jim talks with Stanford's Dr. Mohammad Rasouli about AI's pending disruption in Private Equity. He is an ex-McKinsey consultant from the Bay Area and the New York offices managing AI activation projects for private equity clients. He has worked with top-20 private equity funds and many middle and small-size PEs to use AI technology for automating their fund processes and to use AI for their portf

10 Lurking Problems for Sellers with Bill Snow
Bill Snow, a noted authority on mergers and acquisitions, is back with the second part of our discussion on his new book, Mergers and Acquisitions for Dummies. He joins host Jim Milbery to discuss the most common problems that sellers encounter in the deal process.

It's Restructuring Time!
Devin is joined by Tuck Hardie, a Managing Director in Houlihan Lokey's Financial Restructuring Group. After operating through the bankruptcy at Marvel as a client of Houlihan, Tuck switched sides and joined the HL team over 20 years ago. Tuck introduces the restructuring business, how it has changed during the past two decades, lessons from the GCF (and how we are still feeling the effects), and

Mergers and Acquisitions with Bill Snow
Bill Snow, a noted authority on mergers and acquisitions has represented buyers and sellers in a multitude of industries. He joins host Jim Milbery to discuss his new book, Mergers and Acquisitions for Dummies. In this episode, we focus the conversation on the most common pitfalls that can derail a deal.

It's the 10 Year Anniversary of the PE Funcast
Two Hundred and Seventy Three Episodes and Two Million downloads later, it's the 10th anniversary of the PE Funcast. Indulge your intrepid co-hosts, Devin and Jim, as we walk down memory lane.

Generative AI: Implications for PE Investors
This week we sat down with Clark O'Niell and Jay Barlett from BCG to discuss their most recent research report on Generative AI and its implications for PE investors and their portfolio companies. GenAI is already becoming a game changer, with use cases emerging across all industries; Use cases range from efficiency improvements to long-term advantages (i.e., transformative use cases). And we pro

PE Partner and the CEO
In this episode of the PE Funcast, we take a deep dive into the relationship between the portfolio company CEO and the private equity Partner. What do they talk about when they talk? How does their connection evolve from the interview, to building the team, to planning for an exit? What does the first year of a PE-backed CEO gig feel like? Devin and our newest portfolio CEO, Dave Lucey, cover it a

What is the role of an Operating Partner at a private equity fund?
We've been hearing more questions and interest in operating partner roles than ever before. In our latest episode of the Private Equity Funcast, Operating Partners Jim and Cici cover some of the most frequently asked questions we frequently hear about the role of Operating Partners. We cover things like why an operating team is needed, the history and evolution of Operating Partners at PE firms, a

AlixPartners 8th Annual PE Leadership Survey
Ted Bililies, Managing Director and Head of Global Transformation Leadership Practice at AlixPartners joins Devin again to review the findings of the 8th Annual PE Leadership Survey. Devin and Ted discuss where PE and Portfolio Executives agree and differ on what's most important in today's turbulent times. They talk about sprinters vs. marathoners, growers vs. grinders, and peace-time vs. war-tim

What's a Software Company Worth?
In this episode of the PE Funcast, Devin and our Head of Research, David, discuss our research on software valuations, "What's a Software Company Worth." They cover how software valuations have trended over the past 20 years, the challenges that private and public investors will face over the coming year, and inject some of "what we're seeing" inside our portfolio and the markets we play in.

More Working with Private Equity from the Portfolio CXO Perspective
The grand finale of our two-part conversation with Kelley Powell, a long-time ParkerGale collaborator, and ex-portfolio executive. Kelley talks about the ins and outs of working with PE from the portfolio company perspective. She's a wealth of knowledge about working with PE AND helping founders prepare for a PE process.

Working with Private Equity from the Portfolio CXO Perspective
Part One of a two-part conversation with Kelley Powell, a long-time ParkerGale collaborator and ex-portfolio executive. Kelley talks about the ins and outs of working with PE from the portfolio company perspective. She's a wealth of knowledge about working with PE AND helping founders prepare for a PE process.

Technical Due Diligence with Code & Co
Jim spends an hour talking about technical due diligence with Dan Bender, and Lukas Ingelheim from Code & Co. Dan and Lukas have over 250 engagements under their collective belts and have literally "seen it all." We cover a wide range of topics, including Technical Debt versus Architectural Debt, code "smells," and the top ten things a company should have in place ahead of technical due diligenc

Think Like a CTO with Alan Williamson
Jim talks with an old friend and comrade, Alan Williamson, about his new book - Think Like a CTO. Alan shares hard-won lessons on how to thrive in the fast-paced role of Chief Technology Officer. We discuss the ins and outs of establishing successful technology platforms and teams, leveraging practical software selection and implementation frameworks, conducting bias-free interviews and performan

M&A Rollups with Matt Lynch
Jim talks Mergers and Acquisitions Roll-up strategies with Matt Lynch, Managing Director at District Capital Partners. We discuss the various types of add-on acquisitions and answer the key questions. What is an M&A roll-up strategy, and why does it matter? How does it work? How do you get started?

Demystifying Executive Coaching
Jimmy is joined by Katrina Calihan, Executive Coach and Co-Founder of Wind + Sail Leadership Partners, to discuss and demystify executive coaching. Jimmy and Katrina have been working together since 2019 when they launched L6, the leadership development program that has now become a staple inside ParkerGale and our portfolio businesses. On today's show, they discuss the landscape of executive coac

How PE firms use the Jobs-To-Be-Done framework to drive a high-growth product strategy
In this episode of the Private Equity Funcast, Operating Partner Cici Zheng is joined by Jared Ranere, President and COO of thrv, a firm that delivers services, training and a software platform using the Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) framework to identify and serve customers' unmet needs. We cover what the framework is and how it's used at PE backed portfolio companies, both during due diligence and post

The Digging In Episode
Jim talks with Paul Stansik about his experiences digging in on the sales and marketing function within our portfolio.

Defining Your Ideal Customer Profile
In the latest episode of the Private Equity Funcast, Operating Partners Cici Zheng and Paul Stansik discuss the ICP - Ideal Customer Profile. As investors, we're frequently asking our portfolio companies - who is your ICP? Which ones are your best-fit customers, the ones that your product is truly the best fit for to solve their pain points? How do we avoid trying to be the dreaded "swiss-army kni

Value Creation through Human Capital with David Cohen, Partner at Kelso and Company
Jimmy is joined by David Cohen, Human Capital Partner at Kelso and Company. David has been working in the Human Capital / Private Equity space for over a decade and has helped shape the discipline across the PE industry. They break down the various ways that human capital can impact a portfolio business, including alignment to strategy, leadership effectiveness, talent acquisition, and org design.

What is Human Capital Due Diligence? A lot more than you think.
In this episode, Jimmy is joined by Laura Queen, founder, and CEO of 29Bison, a Human Capital Consultancy focused on the PE space. Laura is also the author of the book "People Economics: Defining and Measuring the True Value of Human Capital" and is a genius at understanding how strategic human capital management contributes to the value creation process. They break down Human Capital Due Diligenc

DevOps with Dave Mangot
Jim talks all things DevOps with Dave Mangot from Mangoteque. Dave's philosophy is "Get Good at Delivering Software", and he has helped many well-known companies become "best in class" We discuss the four keys that define a company's competence in software delivery; deployment frequency, lead time for changes, change failure rate, and time to recovery. There's also a heated discussion about whe

They Ask, You Answer with Marcus Sheridan
No prospect is going to buy enterprise software on impulse. Prospects don't need advertising, they need help, help understanding that they have a problem, help in understanding their options for solving that problem, and help in working their way through an evaluation and choosing a solution. Paul Stansik talks with Marcus Sheridan, author of "They Ask, You Answer" about these topics and more.

Lessons Learned from Integrating Companies - and why you need an Integration Management Office (IMO)
Your company acquired another company - congrats! But what happens next? In this episode, Operating Partners Cici and Jimmy break down the Integration Management Office, or IMO. They discuss what it is and how they deploy it inside the portfolio to integrate recently acquired businesses into their acquiring entity. They discuss how they stand up the process, the key processes that need to be in pl

The Increasingly Important Role Talent is Playing in Private Equity
Jimmy is joined on the show by Ted Bililies, Managing Director at AlixPartners, for what is now becoming a yearly ritual to discuss the results of the 7th Annual PE Leadership Survey. This year, the theme is all about the COVID-driven acceleration of trends that is propelling human capital to the forefront of the value creation agenda. They discuss the great resignation, how CEOs are now more fear

Mastering the Basics of B2B Marketing (w/ Special Guest Elias Rubel)
On this episode of the Funcast, Operating Partner Paul Stansik is joined by CEO Elias Rubel, whose team at Matter Made works with B2B marketing teams big and small to help accelerate their revenue growth. If you've ever wondered how to organize a marketing team, the right way to interview a marketing leader, the foundation you need in place to launch an effective demand generation campaign, or wha
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