Private Equity Value Creation Podcast

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.

On this episode, Matthew Wiener, Co-Head of Aon Transaction Solutions, shares how private equity firms can use insurance to manage the risks that diligence can’t fully eliminate. You’ll learn where post-close issues most often arise, how insured structures change buyer–seller negotiations and why even infrequent losses can have an outsized impact on fund-level returns.

Hear how transaction risk insurance can be used in continuation funds, secondaries and GP stakes transactions to support liquidity, protect value and reduce friction—as well as what these policies will and won’t cover in today’s market.

The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.

On this episode, Scott Adams, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Soul Street Asset Management, discusses the value operators bring to portfolio companies through real boots-on-the-ground experience. Scott shares his expertise on the execution gaps that show up repeatedly in growing companies—from bloated teams to unclear priorities—and how to scale businesses in a capital-efficient way.

Learn how to make better decisions by understanding where revenue actually originates, how to apply data with discipline and how businesses can stand out in an increasingly AI-driven environment.

The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.

On this episode, Amyn Hassanally, Partner and Global Head of Private Equity Secondaries at Pantheon, explains the role secondaries play as a core portfolio management tool, rather than a source of distressed liquidity, and offers practical insight into how investors can use secondaries to manage timing, concentration and cash flow as exits slow.

Learn how experienced investors diligence and assess value in secondaries, how motivation and repeatability are underwritten in practice, and why portfolio management and alignment are so essential in these types of deals.

The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.

Alan Taetle, General Partner at Noro-Moseley Partners, draws on decades of investing experience to share what makes portfolios and PE firms successful, including differentiated expertise and an aligned sense of purpose.

Learn how to create long-term value through apprenticeship cultures, incentive and carry design, and thoughtful founder ownership structures. The episode explores what alignment looks like in practice, why playbooks fall short, and how collaboration and incentives influence outcomes long after the deal closes.

The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.

Jonathan Drillings, Partner at Riverside Acceleration Capital, discusses how B2B software companies can bridge the gap between early traction and scalable growth. Jonathan explains RAC’s sister fund model—how growth lending and growth equity are deployed at different moments, what each is designed to achieve and how the two work together as companies mature.

Learn how investors assess durability before scale, and how AI is reshaping both risk and opportunity for growth-stage software companies, without changing the importance of fundamentals like retention and focus.

The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.

On this episode, John Messer, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Copilot Capital, breaks down how value is built in scaling European B2B software businesses—including how to professionalise go-to-market, sharpen customer segmentation and pricing and use M&A as a focused growth lever.

Get practical guidance on sequencing international expansion, maintaining clarity as teams grow from 50 to 200 people, and applying AI in ways that genuinely improve products and internal efficiency rather than creating distraction.

The information contained in this podcast is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice.