Private Equity Value Creation Podcast

In this episode, Shiv Narayanan sits down with members of the How To SaaS client services team to talk about the most common marketing challenges inside PE-backed portfolio companies—and how to solve them. Chief Client Officer Farhad Chikhliwala, VP of Marketing Taylor Moore and Director of Marketing Tatiana Morand discuss why poor tracking and misaligned spend can drain ROI, how to prioritize the...

Shiv interviews Brian Boorstein, Co-Founder and Partner at Granite Creek Capital Partners.  On this episode, Brian shares how to leverage flexible investment structures to unlock growth in lower middle market companies. Learn about the importance of aligning capital, talent and opportunity, and hear about how rigid investment mandates can cause PE firms to miss out on high-potential businesses. 

Shiv interviews Garrett Marsilio, Partner at Delta-v Capital.  On this episode, Garrett dives deep into the evolving landscape of secondaries in private markets. Learn how secondary investments are creating new liquidity pathways for venture-backed companies and why this is becoming a preferred strategy. Hear about adding post-investment value through targeted operational support and Delta-v Capit...

Shiv interviews Kade Thomas, Founder & CEO of Emory Oak Partners. On this episode, Kade explains how his firm grows service businesses. Learn about a proven approach to building companies from the ground up, integrating acquisitions, using centralized teams to handle shared services and using data to guide marketing and cross-selling strategies.

Shiv interviews Amanda Good, Partner and Head of Value Creation at Searchlight Capital Partners.  In this episode, Amanda shares practical strategies to transform good companies into great ones through operational excellence, team enhancements, and a disciplined planning process. Learn how to balance quick-win initiatives with longer-term strategic plays, the importance of linking value creation p...

Shiv interviews Andrew Weinberg, Founder, CEO & Co-Chair at Brightstar Capital Partners. On this episode, Andrew talks about transforming traditional private equity through an “invest and operate” or ”us and us” model. Learn how AI is becoming an integral value creation lever alongside traditional strategies and about practical examples of applying this technology to industries like auto aucti...

Shiv interviews Bradford Pilcher, Partner at Bonaccord Capital Partners.   In this episode, Brad unpacks the GP stakes strategy – what it is, how it works, and why it’s more than just a passive investment. Learn how mid-market private equity firms can grow through capital formation, thoughtful product diversification, and talent strategy. Learn what LPs should look for, why marketing and positioni...

Shiv interviews Lloyd Metz, Managing Partner at ICV Partners.  In this episode, Shiv and Lloyd discuss investing in legacy or family-owned businesses in sectors like consumer goods (CPG), food and beverage (F&B), and business services. Learn how to drive transformation in these companies by modernizing operations, embracing digital, and scaling go-to-market strategies. Hear about using EQ to d...

Shiv interviews Jon Nuger, Managing Director at Berkshire Partners. Shiv and Jon discuss the importance Berkshire Partners places on culture within the firm and the impact this has on the way they invest and create value. Learn how a focus on culture can be a differentiating strategy, how it shapes your relationships and conversations (particularly in difficult circumstances), and how to avoid the...

Shiv interviews Hilary Gosher, Managing Director at Insight Partners. In this episode, Shiv and Hilary discuss how Insight’s 120-person Onsite team gives the firm a competitive edge across its portfolio. Learn how having an in-house operations team can be a force multiplier for portfolio companies by bringing deep functional expertise and strategic support at every stage from sourcing and due dili...

Shiv interviews Richard Erickson, Co-Founder and Managing Director, and Stan Bikulege, Principal, at Lightview Capital.  In this episode, Richard and Stan discuss how they invest in and scale founder-led B2B services-based businesses. Learn about the benefits of recurring and reoccurring revenue, their value creation strategy, and how to align with founders through collaborative planning. Hear abo...

Shiv interviews Raj Bakhru, CEO and Co-Founder at BlueFlame AI. In this episode, Shiv and Raj discuss how generative AI is transforming private equity operations. Learn how AI agents are already reshaping workflows across sourcing, diligence, and portfolio value creation. Hear how PE firms can leverage proprietary data and build internal AI committees to capture smarter, faster outcomes across the...

Shiv interviews John Stewart, Founder and Managing Partner at MiddleGround Capital. In this episode, John shares his expertise in investing in the industrial B2B manufacturing space — from his two decades at Toyota, to moving to the investment side of the equation. Learn about underwriting the value creation plan and creating enterprise value for industrial portcos, as well as investing in and opt...

Shiv interviews Alex Russ, Senior Managing Director & Head of North America at Evercore’s Private Funds Group.  In this episode, Alex shares his experience helping private equity GPs raise funds from LPs. Learn how to approach fundraising in the current market, the characteristics that successful fundraisers have in common, and the importance of a strong narrative, sector specialization, and/o...

Shiv interviews Chris Sznewajs, Founder and Managing Partner at Pacific Avenue Capital. In this episode, Chris and Shiv discuss carve-outs, buyouts, and the non-traditional types of investment deals available for “unnatural” owners – founders and investors who are ready for a transition. Learn how to underwrite these types of deals, and what benchmarks Chris’s team looks for in potential portcos....

On this episode of the Private Equity Value Creation podcast, Shiv speaks with Amanda Kim, Principal at Avante Capital Partners. As a majority women- and minority-owned private credit and structured equity fund, the team at Avante Capital Partners uses their unique insights and network to win deals, generate better returns and help women advance in the private equity world. Learn how focusing on a...

Shiv interviews Mason Myers, Founder and CEO at Greybull Stewardship.  In this episode, Mason explains why Greybull Stewardship focuses on pre-middle-market companies and the steps they take to set these companies up to be true middle-market companies primed for PE backing. Learn how they take companies under $5M in EBITDA and grow them organically, first by building foundational work, like adding...

Shiv interviews Devon Kirk, General Partner, and Jonathan Metrick, Chief Growth Officer at Portage.  Devon and Jonathan share their perspectives from different sides of the investment table – Devon is on the investing team while Jonathan is on the internal ops team. Learn about their experiences investing in global FinTech and financial services, when in the deal cycle to bring in the ops team, an...

Shiv interviews Joseph Hanna, Founding Partner at Pivoting Model Partners. In this episode, Joseph talks about differentiating between your product’s feature set and the customer’s perceived value in that feature set. Learn why companies should consider pivoting to AI to grow and sustain their business, and how companies can deploy and leverage AI agents to be more efficient, capture more customer...

Shiv interviews Jim Sharpe, Partner and Head of Propel at Unity Partners. In this episode, Jim talks about how to truly action a company’s values and incorporate them into your growth plans while ensuring alignment with founders. Learn about building a culture of ownership, how to use employee equity as a growth strategy, and why clear and transparent communication makes a big impact.

Shiv Narayanan, Founder and CEO of How To SaaS, explains how AI can be leveraged by the private equity world. Learn about the differences between general and verticalized (or specialized) AI and how data is the product. Listen to how PE firms can use AI in the diligence phase, and the business strategy for companies to build their own vertical AI tool using proprietary data.

Shiv interviews Josh Schwartz, Operating Principal at Growth Factors.   In this episode, Josh talks about the unique operating partner model between Growth Factors and Bregal Sagemount. Learn his approach to value creation from the GTM side, how to look for growth levers during diligence, and how to navigate the political dynamics between operating partners and a portco’s leadership team.

Shiv interviews Todd Morrissey, Partner at Hidden River Strategic Capital.  In this episode, Todd shares alternative avenues for founders and entrepreneurs other than a growth equity buyout and private credit deals. Learn how they help companies determine how much capital they need to scale, the opportunities for combining debt and equity as an investment avenue, and why some types of companies ar...

Shiv interviews Brad Armstrong, Partner at Lovell Minnick Partners (LMP).  In this episode, Shiv and Brad talk about LMP’s approach to supporting their portfolio companies with a robust operating partner bench, as well as how to prioritize where to allocate budget, resources, and advisors when making value creation plans. Learn about weaponizing the value creation team and other benefits outside o...

Shiv interviews Stephen Marks, Managing Director, Emmersion Capital. In this episode, Shiv and Stephen discuss the benefits and challenges of nearshoring, including the economies of scaling your workforce in Latin America, onboarding and company culture, as well as macroeconomic risks and political challenges. Learn about labor arbitrage opportunities, the complexities of dealing with foreign taxe...