Operator memos
Value creation, diligence and go-to-market
Essays and playbooks on value creation, diligence, revenue systems and the operating work behind a hold.
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Data Analytics for Portfolio Companies: Why the Sponsor Never Gets a Number They Trust
Verdict up front: A portfolio company closes eight months ago with clean financial reporting and a well-instrumented CRM. The sponsor asks for the monthly pipeline number.…
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What a Roll-Up’s Website Consolidation Buys You
Most website consolidation projects in a roll-up get approved for the wrong reason and killed for the wrong reason. They get approved because the estate looks…
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Merger Integration Planning: The Decisions a PE Deal Partner Owns
Most integration plans I have reviewed fail before the first 100 days start. Not because the operating team is weak, and not because the synergy model…
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Software Due Diligence for Private Equity: The Findings That Move a Purchase Price
You are three weeks from signing, the seller’s tech stack is the thesis, and the CTO handed you a 40-page report color-coded by severity. None of…
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When to hire a fractional CTO for a portfolio company (and when it is the wrong hire)
Hire a fractional CTO for a portfolio company when technical debt or a missing technology owner is blocking the value creation plan and the company cannot…
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A Crosslake Alternative That Fits the Deal in Front of You
(advisory profile) You are two weeks from a confirmatory diligence deadline, the target is a software or software-enabled business, and someone on the deal team said…
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The IT Diagnostic for Private Equity: What a Deal Partner Needs to Decide
You are three weeks from signing an LOI, or you have signed and confirmatory diligence is running hot, and someone hands you a 40-page technical report.…
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M&A Technology Assessment: What a Deal Partner Needs to Decide
An M&A technology assessment should answer four questions in order: does the platform carry the investment thesis, is there a deal-breaker risk, what will integration cost…