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 Capital’s unique ‘flight plan’ approach.
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 plans directly to EBITDA impact, and how to overcome resource constraints through talent planning and external partnerships. Plus, find out why smaller, highly experienced value creation teams can often outperform larger ones by staying close to the investment thesis and company leadership.
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 auctions and roofing. Hear about the importance of preserving institutional memory, empowering teams, and balancing growth with operational discipline.
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 positioning matter, and what makes a PE firm truly stand out.
Shiv interviews Lloyd Metz, Managing Director 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 drive leadership support and the importance of preserving founder legacies.
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 challenges of over-indexing on culture.
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 diligence to scaling and exits. Hear about how AI and operational innovation are reshaping PE as well as Hilary’s approach to AI transformation and embedding AI workflows for portcos.
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 about the firm’s operating advisor model and the areas where there is the most opportunity for growth.
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 firm.
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 optimizing manufacturing companies in the current landscape and how this can translate into quick returns for the fund and LPs.
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/or operational expertise to make you stand out from other PE firms.
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 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. Hear about how Pacific Avenue Capital leverages their internal ops team during diligence and how they execute value creation plans post-close, as well as the balancing act of deploying more capital in order to generate higher returns from 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 positive social mission can be a value-add rather than a cost, why it’s vital to find a competitive edge in the current investment market, how to build a supportive and productive community, and the advantages of having a diverse investment team.
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 the right software and building the team, before they can begin to see the value creation payoff.
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, and how they interface with each other during diligence and beyond. Plus, hear about how specializing in one vertical impacts the investment approach.
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 customers, generate more leads, and improve their product overall.
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.
