Private Equity Value Creation Podcast

Ray Carey, Head of NextLevel Operations at Level Equity, is a former banker, VC and software operator who leads teams focused on growth, product/AI and finance. He discusses structuring operating teams, prioritizing portfolio interventions, the nine metrics tied to valuation, engagement modes (cheer, coach, play), and bridging talent and execution gaps to drive returns.

Cory Eaves, Partner and Head of Portfolio Operations at BayPine and former multi-time CTO, shares how tech can turn analog businesses into repeatable value machines. He discusses diagnosing transformation potential, when AI fits versus basic digitization, quick wins like commerce conversions, and structuring ops-led investing for consistent outcomes.

Bob Brown, founding partner at Motive Partners with decades in private equity and fundraising, explains the investing, operating and innovating model. He describes embedding operators and tech teams to fix execution and lead transformations. He highlights pragmatic tech work, monetizing existing customers and data, and rapid AI and product changes that lift EBITDA and speed results.

Ellen Havdala, Managing Director at Equity Group Investments with decades of operator-led investing experience. She discusses flexible capital and nontraditional fund structures. She covers evaluating barriers to entry and structuring liquidity for black swan events. She explores culture, apprenticeship, incentive alignment and building repeatable, long-term partnerships.

Scott Neuberger, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Karmel Capital, shares how later-stage secondaries can provide access to high-quality technology companies. Learn how to assess capital efficiency, management quality and growth durability using data and market signals, and get a repeatable lens for evaluating technology businesses.The conversation also sharpens how to think about AI investing over a realistic time horizon. Hear how to identify where value is likely to accrue over the next few years, why infrastructure matters in periods of rapid change and what concrete indicators suggest a credible path to liquidity in uncertain exit markets.   The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.

Allen Mask, Partner at Westcap and Head of CōLab, shares how the firm leverages an "operating equity" model to go beyond capital to drive real value creation in marketplace businesses.Learn how to structure an operating team that founders want to work with and how pairing operators with investors during diligence surfaces risks that financials alone won't reveal. Plus, hear how to approach the first 100 days, when to bring in outside partners, the economics of a large operating team work, and why reinvesting management fees back into the firm is central to WestCap’s model.The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.

Sean Dempsey, Co-Founder and Partner at Sheridan Capital Partners, shares how deep sector specialization in healthcare shapes sharper investment theses and more disciplined value creation in regulated markets—grounded in a practical understanding of the patient, provider, payer and product ecosystem.Learn how to professionalize founder-led businesses, including structuring ops support, recruiting and assessing CEOs, and building internal benchmarks that drive disciplined growth over time.The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.

On this episode, Bill Dupee, Partner, Transaction Advisory Services at Aprio, breaks down how buyers and sellers can use diligence to clarify the true economic engine of a business, identify risk early and build a narrative that stands up in a competitive process.Learn how disciplined metrics, higher-quality information and a repeatable diligence process shape deal outcomes, from avoiding late-stage surprises to accelerating post-close value creation. Plus, hear where deals most often falter and how better preparation changes both speed and leverage in negotiations.The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.

In this episode, Gustavo Cardenas, Managing Director and Co-Head of Strategic Partnerships at Wafra, explains how GP stakes investors evaluate and partner with private equity firms—what “edge” looks like, how managers fit within LP portfolios and what signals readiness to scale.The conversation explores GP stakes as a firm-building lever: how early, catalytic capital can accelerate a manager’s trajectory, why LP conversations happen before capital is needed and what differentiates GPs that earn repeat backing across market cycles.The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.

On this episode, Anastasia Kovaleva, Partner at Pollen Street Capital shares how sector focus informs value creation across financial services and how her team approaches scaling mid-market businesses across Europe. Hear how specialist playbooks differ across software, services and regulated models, how investors can partner with management to professionalize go-to-market and M&A capabilities, and how to apply automation and AI to improve efficiency, integration and growth in complex financial services environments.The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.