Engaging Investment Bankers for PE Outreach
One of the biggest mistakes founders make when exploring a sale to private equity is assuming outreach is simple. They think it’s just a matter of calling a few PE firms, sharing financials, and seeing …
What to Share (and Not Share) During Early PE Talks
Early conversations with private equity firms are delicate. You want to build interest. You want to demonstrate strength. You want to signal scale and potential. But you also want to protect leverage. After nearly three …
Why Your Exit Strategy Deserves More Than “Hope and Luck”
I’ve lost count of how many founders I’ve met who say some version of this: “We’ll figure it out when the time comes.” Or worse: “If someone makes the right offer, we’ll take it.” Hope …
Why Communication Style Matters With PE Investors
When founders think about working with private equity investors, they usually focus on structure. Valuation.Board seats.Equity rollover.Earnouts. But there’s another variable that often determines whether the partnership thrives or deteriorates. Communication style. After nearly three …
How to Handle Ongoing Reporting After a PE Deal
The deal closes. You celebrate. You breathe. And then the real work begins. If you’ve sold to a private equity firm and stayed on, your world changes in one immediate way: reporting becomes institutional. That …
Maintaining Transparency With Financial Sponsors
If you decide to partner with a private equity firm or growth equity investor, your relationship doesn’t end at closing. It begins. And the single most important variable in that relationship is transparency. I’ve seen …
Pitching to Private Equity: What Matters Most
When founders hear the word “pitch,” they often default to venture capital thinking. Vision decks. Massive TAM slides. Bold projections. Private equity is different. You’re not pitching potential. You’re presenting proof. Private equity firms are …
How to Build Relationships With PE Firms Early
Most founders only start talking to private equity firms when they’re ready to sell. That’s a mistake. The strongest exits I’ve seen didn’t begin with a banker launching a process. They began years earlier—with conversations, …