KARMA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS PODCAST

The Business Builders’ Podcast

Customer Type
PE Firms PE-Backed Companies Private and Public Companies
Function
Private Equity
Deal Team Human Capital Operations
Companies
CEOs Finance Other Functional Leads
Need
Due Diligence Prep For Sale Value Creation

Episode 029

Gabe Mesanza, Huron Capital | An Expert Perspective on Culture, Growth and Cash Flow in Private Equity

A Partner and Resource Group Lead from Huron Capital, Gabe Mesanza, joins the Karma School of Business to discuss a wide variety of tactics for business leaders and private equity professionals. In this episode, we discuss:

1:20 - Gabe's path to private equity and engineering mindset
9:58 - The traits of a great business: people and culture
17:27 - Perspective into the evolution of value creation in the PE industry
25:42 - Growing through uncertain economies
33:10 - Gabe's advice to his younger self
38:58 - A life hack for handwritten note takers

For more information on Huron Capital, go to https://www.huroncapital.com/
For more information on BluWave and this podcast, go to https://www.bluwave.net/podcast

PE Firms
CEOs
Due Diligence

Episode 028

John Kirk, Tuckerman Capital | The Key to Modern Private Equity and Business Growth: People

The Karma School of Business is joined by John Kirk, a Deal Partner and Operating Advisor at Tuckerman Capital. John shares his unique perspective on people, business growth, and perseverance. We discuss:

1:20 - John's path to private equity
6:04 - Hiking the Appalachian Trail and a lesson in perseverance
11:32 - Finding a great business: growth mindset
13:31 - Finding a great business: alignment to secular trends
14:30 - Finding a great business: identifiable differentiation
18:18 - The modern private equity process: managing the motion offense
25:28 - The differentiators between businesses that are successful and those that aren't
29:55 - How the best business builders in the world act in times of uncertainty
34:01 - John's book recommendation

For more information on Tuckerman Capital, go to www.tuckermancapital.com

PE Firms
CEOs
Value Creation

Episode 027

Scott Phillips, Orix Capital Partners | How to Focus on the Things That Matter in Private Equity

Scott Phillips, a Managing Director at Orix Capital Partners, joins the Karma School of Business podcast to discuss key data monitoring and choosing the key KPIs that really help companies grow. In this episode we discuss:

0:53 - Scott's path to private equity (including a background in industrial modeling)
6:22 - Identifying businesses that could or will be great
14:01 - The trend towards value creation and a unique approach
22:38 - Working with portfolio companies to find opportunities in uncertain times
27:58 - Scott's advice to his younger self: resilience

For more information on Orix Capital Partners, go to www.orixcapitalpartners.com
For more information on BluWave and this podcast, go to www.bluwave.net/podcast

PE Firms
Human Capital
Value Creation

Episode 026

Paul Stansik, ParkerGale Capital | The Sales Metric Playbook: A Private Equity Guide to Measuring Sales Growth

The Karma School of Business podcast is joined by Paul Stansik, an Operating Partner at ParkerGale Capital, to discuss his Sales Metric Playbook and overall approach to growth within portfolio companies. In the episode, we discuss:

2:06 - Paul's origin story and path to private equity
8:01 - The Sales Metrics Playbook and the importance of clean data
15:42 - What to do after you've got clean data
20:08 - Analyzing specific cohorts of revenue
30:04 - Managing long-term revenue goals versus short-term
36:42 - What benefits the key questions in the Sales Metric Playbook have in portcos
40:17 - Prioritizing sales opportunities
44:20 - The importance of marketing

To get in touch with Paul and ParkerGale, go to parkergale.com.
To get on the list for the weekly Sales Metric Playbook, go to parkergale.com/weekly-sales-metrics.
For more information on BluWave and this podcast, go to bluwave.net/podcast.

PE Firms
CEOs
Value Creation

Episode 025

AI Roundtable: Tangible Takeaways to Help Leverage Artificial Intelligence

In this special episode, we have exclusive audio from our recent webinar: Activating AI: Empowering Your Business for Success. The panel of experts from this webinar includes:

Alex Castrounis, Founder and CEO, Why of AI
Nik Kapauan, Principal, Access Holdings
Ken McLaren, Partner, AI, Frazier Healthcare Partners
Keith Thomas, National Practice Lead, Security Operations, AT&T

The panel, moderated by Karma School of Business host, Sean Mooney, includes the following topics:

4:40 - What pre-cursor activities to perform before diving in to AI
10:20 - Things that companies should keep in mind to remain secure
13:50 - Expert opinions on best in class tools
27:23 - Most addressable use cases for everyday companies
34:07 - Considerations that companies should take when implementing tools off the shelf
39:03 - Things that may take shape in the near future
46:55 - Answering FAQs

To view the on-demand webinar, go to www.bluwave.net/demystifying-ai-webinar-registration/.

For more information on this podcast, go to www.bluwave.net/podcast.

www.whyofai.com
www.accessholdings.com
www.frazierhealthcare.com
www.att.com

PE Firms
CEOs
Value Creation

Episode 024

Brit Yonge, Corsair Capital | An Expert Perspective on Strategy and Resilience in Private Equity

Join us for an in-depth conversation with Brit Yonge, an Operating Partner at Corsair Capital, to hear his expert perspective:

1:29 - Brit's path to private equity
6:23 - How Brit formed his values from serving the US Military
13:45 - Characteristics for evaluating a great company
21:56 - Working with management teams to build great companies
25:44 - Persevering through an uncertain economy
32:15 - Personal/professional growth books and topics from Brit

For more information on Corsair Capital, go to www.corsair-capital.com.
For more information on this podcast, go to www.bluwave.net/podcast.

PE Firms
Operations
Value Creation

Episode 023

Q2 Snapshot: Key Findings from BluWave’s Private Equity Insights Report

Listen as Sean Mooney discusses private equity findings from the Q2 2023 BluWave Insights Report. The report uncovers how private equity firms are taking action, securing safety and finding success. In this episode, Sean discusses:

1:02 - Why value creation is surging
3:33 - Cooling activity on human capital
4:32 - Growing activity across other value creation sectors
5:12 - The trend toward data and AI
6:30 - An update on 2023 predictions

To download the full report, go to www.bluwave.net/insights-report/.

PE Firms
Deal Team
Due Diligence

Episode 022

Cici Zheng, ParkerGale Capital | Private Equity Advice on Pricing, Human Capital and More

We're joined by Cici Zheng, a Partner from ParkerGale Capital to give her operations-focused perspective on many different private equity topics. Listen to the conversation as we discuss:

2:30 - Cici's path to private equity
8:19 - What traits show a company has potential
13:06 - Focusing on all facets of a company
17:18 - The strategy behind working with portco management teams
20:31 - Navigating uncertain economies
24:05 - Getting buy-in from portco sales teams on pricing changes
27:31 - Cici's advice to her younger self

To learn more about ParkerGale Capital, go to www.parkergale.com.
To learn more about BluWave and this podcast, go to www.bluwave.net/podcast.

PE Firms
CEOs
Value Creation

Episode 021

David Hellier, Bertram Capital | Harnessing Data to Innovate, Differentiate and Evolve

We're joined by David Hellier, a partner at Bertram Capital, to discuss:
1:31 - His background and what brought him to private equity
5:40 - How private equity is evolving 
9:18 - David's story about throwing out the first pitch
11:09 - Overcoming adversity and being differentiated
16:23 - Running private equity like a business
22:37 - How data and AI will impact productivity
27:50 - Finding opportunity admidst uncertainty
34:08 - David's life hack

For more information on Bertram Capital, go to their website: bertramcapital.com

For more information about this podcast, go to bluwave.net/podcast

PE Firms
CEOs
Value Creation

Episode 020

Filling a Need: Unraveling the History and Growth of the Private Equity Industry

In this captivating episode, we delve into the history of private equity, exploring its origins, confronting industry stigmas, and witnessing its evolution into a dynamic force. Join us as we:

(0:54) Uncover the ideas that gave birth to the first private equity firms, laying the groundwork for an industry that would reshape the business landscape.
(5:37) Challenge the prevailing stigma personified by 1980s Wall Street movies, to explore how the industry has and continues to evolve.
(10:05) Highlight the shifting focus of private equity towards the people involved and the value they can create, from investors to management teams.
(13:18) Touch on the importance of being the best in private equity, engaging the right third party resources to help.
(15:20) Revisit the current state of PE and predict where it's going.

PE Firms
CEOs

Episode 019

John Huhn, Compass Group Equity Partners | Unlocking Success: The Power of Persistence in PE

A managing partner from Compass Group Equity Partners, John Huhn, joins the Karma School of Business Podcast to discuss:

1:04 - John's background and path to private equity
9:28 - The most important traits to look for when evaluating a potential investment
13:50 - What makes Compass unique and how they approach value creation
21:34 - Advice to successfully manage a rocky economic period
26:52 - Important aspects of the portco-PE firm relationship
31:30 - John's advice to his younger self

And much more. 

To learn more about Compass Group, go to https://www.cgep.com/.

To learn more about BluWave, go to www.bluwave.net.

PE Firms
Deal Team
Value Creation

Episode 018

Brian Adams, Excelsior Capital | Real Estate vs. Buyout: Private Equity Investor Perspectives

Brian Adams, Founder and President of Excelsior Capital, joins the Karma School of Business podcast to discuss real estate investing and compares it to private equity investing. Brian dives into a broad scope of topics, including:

1:44 His path to real estate investing
5:55 Advantages and benefits to real estate investing
10:36 How to evaluate a good investment
17:39 How the current economic landscape is impacting the real estate investing industry
21:48 The long term outlook for real estate investing
30:29 What lessons Brian would teach his younger self

PE Firms

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