OODA Loop Offers a Solid Framework for Agile, Fast-Moving Companies
When I left my partner position at a PE fund to start BluWave, I sought an operating framework to help us build the company in an agile and customer-centric way. I embraced a model conceived by Air Force Colonel John Boyd called the OODA Loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act). This framework has been extremely helpful as we’ve grown to serving more than 350 PE funds in a short period […]
Research Finds PE-backed Companies More Resilient Than Others During Economic Contractions
Although states and businesses are beginning to reopen amid progress in the fight against COVID-19, the economic fallout has been devastating. Over the past nine weeks, almost 40 million Americans have filed for unemployment while the unemployment rate reached almost 15 percent in April – a number that has steadily increased since then. The private […]
As Yogi Berra once said: “The future ain’t what it used to be.” Those words ring particularly true now, as everyone—from investors and business owners to teachers and healthcare workers—transition to living in a world with COVID-19. The numbers are in, and realistically this isn’t going away any time soon. The good news is that, […]
How Companies Can Leverage Interim Leadership for a World in Flux
A rapid transformation of the global workforce has been taking place, fueled by digital transformation, specialization, and an increasingly on-demand labor pool. This transformation will only accelerate in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. Your company can’t afford to be paralyzed. In fact, when the world starts rotating again, now more than ever you and global […]
Bain’s Global PE Report 2020: High Prices and Higher Stakes
Every year, Bain & Company, one of the leading private equity consulting companies, releases its annual “Global Private Equity Report” to provide context and insights for the current year. While these reports often top 100 pages (which makes them somewhat cumbersome to digest), they are filled to the brim with useful information.
How the alternative workforce fits into the future
A few weeks ago, before the world seemingly imploded with the Nashville tornado and news that the coronavirus was on the move and spreading fast, BluWave was tapped for an Inc. Magazine article about how the “alternative workforce” fits into the future of work.
In retrospect, and without knowing it at the time, the insights we gave couldn’t be more true—particularly now that millions of companies have been upended and will rely on fast-moving, highly-skilled experts to help them rebuild and steer their ships in the right direction.
Yesterday, we hosted a live “CARES Act” session in conjunction with The Cypress Group, a leading Washington DC advisory firm that advocates for the private equity industry and a member of the BluWave network. Our goal was to offer an up-to-the-minute, inside look into how the proposed bill would likely affect private equity and its portcos.
This has to be the strangest St. Patrick’s Day on record. To me, the business world feels a lot like the fog during the few weeks after 9/11 and when the bank meltdowns reached a fever pitch in 2008. Just like then, I’m quite sure that calm will prevail and that “this too shall pass.”
We’ve been getting all sorts of calls the last two weeks from fellow PE fund and portco clients to help understand how they can best get ahead during uncertain times. If nothing else, it feels good having contingency plans in process versus waiting to see what fate has in store.
On Thursday, March 5, 2020, we hosted a COVID-19 Intel Session for our PE fund stakeholders featuring leading experts from healthcare, government, and supply chain risks. For those who missed it, or perhaps aren’t officially part of our network yet, we wanted to provide the key takeaways on this important and rapidly-evolving topic.
PRESS: BluWave and Sean Mooney in Mergers & Acquisitions June 2019
Mergers & Acquisitions recently published an article titled “Dealmaker’s guide to service providers: Accordion, Axial, BluWave, Frazier & Deeter, Intralinks” that features BluWave and BluWave’s CEO, Sean Mooney. From Mergers & Acquisitions: “‘When I started in the industry, we would buy low, do one or two things, and sell high. Now PE firms have to […]
A Year in Review In 2018 alone, BluWave supported over 700 private equity projects, providing due diligence, value creation, and private equity operations services to our clients. Upon review, we found that private equity funds and their portfolio companies are investing more and more resources in value creation initiatives. Due diligence services remain critical to […]
The business of private equity is getting more business-like. Today, most private equity funds are largely managed like partnerships, not like the companies they own. However, many firms have realized the private equity industry has now matured into an industry and are starting to manage their own companies like their portfolio companies. Here are some […]
BluWave Receives $14 Million Strategic Growth Investment led by Highmount Capital to Scale Market Network Platform for Private Equity Services NASHVILLE, Tenn. (October 29, 2025) – BluWave, the leading market network platform connecting private equity firms and their portfolio companies with top-tier boutique professional service providers and interim executives, today announced the close of a […]
In private equity, the CFO role is a pressure point. The person in that seat determines how quickly a portfolio company can turn plans into measurable results. A strong CFO builds systems that produce accurate data, uses that data to make sound decisions, and keeps both the CEO and investors aligned on what’s next. When […]
Interim CFO Private Equity Services: A Competitive Edge for PE Firms
Your portfolio company’s CFO just quit. Or maybe they’re simply not cutting it anymore. Either way, you need an interim executive that can handle the pressure of private equity ownership, and fast. This is where interim CFOs prove their worth. They’re not temp workers or consultants. They’re battle-tested finance executives who step in when PE […]
