The Private Equity Podcast, by Raw Selection

Alex Rawlings is joined by Ian Reynolds, Founder of Thesis Capital, to discuss why private equity firms should put leadership at the centre of their investment decisions. Drawing on his experience across transactional finance, $10 billion in deals and operating businesses, Ian explains how Thesis Capital approaches acquisitions by evaluating the CEO, management team and operational realities befor...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings is joined by Cory Steffek, Partner in the Private Equity Division of Ara Partners, to explore value creation in industrial decarbonisation and growth infrastructure. Cory shares his unconventional journey from PhD chemist and climate-tech venture capital investor into private equity, and explains why successful industrial decarbonisation...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings is joined by Thomas Igeme, Managing Partner at TL Partners, to explore one of the biggest challenges facing private equity firms: understanding whether performance issues are caused by the leader, the operating system around them, or both. Thomas shares lessons from his time in organisational development, BCG, LinkedIn, ServiceNow and Tu...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings is joined by Andrew Weinberg, Founder and CEO of Brightstar Capital Partners, to explore how private equity firms can create value in the middle market while navigating a changing exit environment.  Andrew explains why culture, apprenticeship and team-based decision-making are central to Brightstar’s approach, and why spending more time...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings is joined by Konstanze Nardi, Partner at EY and leader of EY’s Global Exit Readiness offering, to explore how private equity firms and portfolio companies can prepare for successful exits and maximise value. Konstanze shares insights from EY’s Global Private Equity Exit Readiness Study, based on perspectives from 100 PE executives and 10...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings is joined by Dan Bernoske, Founder and CEO of Cortado Group, to explore how private equity firms and portfolio companies can strengthen go-to-market performance while effectively leveraging AI. Dan explains why speed matters after an acquisition, particularly when assessing commercial talent, and why firms need to separate emotional atta...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings is joined by Jeffery Raju, Founder & CEO of Stonehill Business Services . With 15 years of experience across fund administration, controller, and CFO roles, Jeffery has worked with emerging managers ranging from sub-$10 million funds to multi-billion-dollar platforms. Jeffery explains why emerging private equity managers must treat t...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Brian Bishop, an electrical engineer and experienced Chief Executive with a background in embedded systems, product development, business building, and successful company exits. Brian shares lessons from leading businesses through seven- and eight-figure exits, including the importance of structuring deals to align the intere...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Paul Golden, an experienced CEO, private equity investor, and operating partner with nine private equity-backed exits and more than 20 add-on acquisitions. Paul shares lessons from operating, investing, and leading PE-backed businesses, including why speed matters when building the right leadership team, how to identify stron...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings is joined by Mark Radzik, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Granite Creek Capital Partners, to explore investing and value creation in the lower middle market. Mark shares his journey from Arthur Andersen and banking to spending seven years at Equity Group Investments, the private investment firm founded by billionaire Sam Zell. It was...

After more than 30 years in investing—including 20 years at BC Partners and a decade as CIO—Jean-Baptiste Wautier joins Alex Rawlings to share the lessons that have shaped his approach to private equity. Jean-Baptiste explains why trying to time markets is a mistake, how GPs should think about exits, and why time and DPI can matter just as much as MOIC. He also argues that private equity has enter...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Lesley Thomas, founder of the Money Confidence Academy, about how financial pressure, fear, and ego can affect value creation within private equity-backed businesses. Lesley explains how pressure changes executive behaviour, slows decision-making, and discourages honest communication. She outlines the early warning signs that...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings is joined for a second time by Brian Gustason, Fractional Operating Partner at BG Operating Advisors. Brian explains why many lower-middle-market businesses struggle to scale after receiving institutional investment and how private equity firms can professionalise their go-to-market strategy. The conversation explores founder dependency,...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings is joined by Adrian Siew, Managing Director at Rothschild & Co and co-leader of its GP Solutions practice. Adrian explains why continuation vehicles have become an increasingly important part of the private equity market and how firms can use them to generate liquidity, retain high-performing assets and strengthen relationships with...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Adam Crandall, Chief Revenue Officer at Addtronics, a private equity-backed platform of robotics and automation companies. Adam shares how he helped quadruple revenue at a founder-led automation business before its successful exit. He explains why growth begins with putting the right people in the right seats, rather than rel...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Zachary Darrow, Chief Executive of Darrow Everett and leader of the firm’s Private Equity and Securities Practice Group. Zachary shares how Darrow Everett grew from a real estate and finance boutique into a full-service law firm with eight offices across the East Coast. He explains how the firm navigated the global financial...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Bill Bell, Fractional Chief Revenue Officer at Chief Outsiders, about building a repeatable sales engine that drives organic growth across private equity portfolio companies. Bill explains why commercial due diligence is often far less rigorous than financial, legal, and operational diligence—and how this leads firms to under...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Bobby Ocampo and Sheldon Lewis, co-founders and managing partners of Blueprint Equity. Following the successful close of Blueprint Equity’s $333 million third fund, Bobby and Sheldon explain how the firm identifies and supports high-growth B2B software companies. They discuss Blueprint’s early growth investment strategy, its...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Paul Isaac, Managing Partner of Isaac Management LLC, about investing in lower-middle-market businesses through a permanent-capital model. Paul explains why Isaac Management operates without a traditional fund, predetermined exits or outside investor pressure. He discusses the risks of overleveraging, the importance of unders...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Russ Roenick, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Transom Capital, about building a differentiated middle-market investment strategy around carve-outs, special situations and operational complexity. Russ explains how launching Transom shortly before the global financial crisis shaped the firm’s highly hands-on approach. He out...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Daniel Pianko, Co-Founder of Achieve Partners, about Achieve’s talent-led investment strategy, its $465 million exit of Optimum, and how the firm reached top 5% performance for DPI in Cambridge Associates’ US buyout benchmark. Daniel shares how Achieve Partners invests in businesses where the biggest growth constraint is acce...

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with David Bell, former Wharton Professor of Marketing and early-stage investor in consumer companies including Diapers.com, Warby Parker, Harry’s and Jet.com. David shares what he looks for in standout consumer brands, why founder insight and capital discipline matter, and how businesses can build emotional and symbolic value aro...

In this episode, Alex Rawlings speaks with Adil Taha, a private equity operator specialising in the UK legal sector. They explore why private equity has struggled to scale law firms, the challenges of buy-and-build strategies, and why many legal businesses are weaker than they appear financially. Adil shares lessons from rescuing and rebuilding Child & Child, explains why consumer legal servic...

In this episode, Alex Rawlings speaks with Shiv Narayanan, CEO of How to SaaS, about how private equity firms can use marketing and AI as value creation levers. They discuss why many B2B companies underinvest in marketing, how AI is changing buyer behavior, and why brand authority and content are becoming critical for growth. Timestamps 00:03 – Introduction to Shiv Narayanan and How to SaaS 01:55...

In this episode of the Raw Selection Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings speaks with Christina Haxton about the relationship between private equity firms and portfolio company leadership teams. They discuss how trust, communication, alignment, and culture impact execution during periods of rapid growth — and why many businesses struggle not because of strategy, but because of leadership friction...