Private Equity Value Creation Podcast

On this episode, Bob Morse, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Strattam Capital, shares how founder-led vertical software companies can embed AI meaningfully into their products and avoid being left behind as the market shifts.Hear how Strattam approaches AI adoption across its portfolio—from replacing year-long custom development backlogs with 48-hour turnarounds, to tracking the share of deals where AI features are the deciding factor in the sale. Learn why successful AI adoption requires leadership change before technology change, how to identify AI projects worth pursuing by staying close to the customer problem and why the goal is to be in the AI spending bucket rather than the SaaS spending bucket.The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.

Luke Sarsfield, CEO and Chairman at Ridgepost Capital, shares how a fund of funds platform can generate differentiated alpha by staying disciplined about market focus and building proprietary data advantages over time.Luke explains why concentrating on the middle and lower middle market creates structural advantages that broader platforms miss, and how collecting deal-level data across 20-plus years turns an LP relationship into genuine investment insight. Learn what separates best-in-breed managers from median performers, and why being a value-added partner—not just a capital provider—is what makes firms want to work with you.The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.

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.