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 you didn't even pay for.
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 validated with a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) as low as 1.6% in specific categories. Additionally, OpenBrand offers scenario-based inflation forecasts, enabling companies and investors to tailor predictions to their expectations and market views.
Munves and McLaughlin also outline practical use cases:
• Manufacturers and retailers optimizing their pricing and promotional strategies.
• Investors seeking early insights on market inflation trends to refine financial models.
• Policymakers evaluating the effects of economic policies.
Video Version <here>
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 infrastructure. The conversation explores how Open Brand is revolutionizing market intelligence, competitive analysis, and business decision-making across industries.
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 teams to leverage new tools. Wrapping up, we invite listener engagement while reaffirming their commitment to authentic, ad-free content.
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 business models, such as private equity and venture capital. Phillip shares his insights about finding and evaluating deals, the challenges of operational leadership, technical debt in software, and integrating AI tools.
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 Gross Retention vs Net Retention, ARR to loan values, and growth vs. profit.
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 prepare a business for sale.
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 industries and organizational functions. Companies often struggle with "agile theater," where companies follow agile rules without understanding the process. Effective agile adoption requires cross-functional collaboration, adaptability in strategic planning, and the ability to balance customer flexibility with engineering realities. Yuval shares examples from biotech and healthcare, illustrating how agility can extend to broader business operations. He also discusses the role of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) as strategic guides rather than rigid metrics. Finally, Yuval underscores the unique position of private equity firms and consultants in driving agile transformations through pragmatic, principle-based solutions.
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.
"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 Funcast.
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 also cover the basics, such as what Christoph and Peter look for in a deal, what they will and won't do, and how that has changed over time. Here are their emails if you'd like to connect . . . pw@flex.capital and cj@flex.capital
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 portfolio companies.
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.
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 what's happening in today's "higher for longer" environment. He provides helpful tips for investors and companies trying to avoid needing his services.
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.
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.
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 all here in a frank and wide-ranging conversation about Dave's first year at the helm of Biscom. We plan to do follow-ups in the years ahead as Dave and Devin take Biscom from new platform company to eventual exit.
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, and different Operating Partner models. We also discuss the relationship between Operating Partners and deal teams, how operating teams are structured within a PE firm, and some common paths to becoming an Operating Partner.
This episode is also available in video format on YouTube.
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-time leaders. They also cover how technology adds to the challenges of scaling companies and the crisis of middle management and how to address it.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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 Diligence – what it is, how it’s done, and why it’s the fastest-growing of all the diligence workstreams.
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 place to make sure everything gets done, and how to make sure you don’t forget about the humans involved in the process.