Private Equity Fast Pitch Russ Roenick - Transom Capital Group
Oct 9, 2025
Russ Roenick, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Transom Capital Group, shares his extensive experience from McKinsey to Microsoft. He delves into Transom's focus on corporate carve-outs and distressed assets, revealing their unique operational model. Russ highlights the importance of integrated deal execution and operational discipline over financial engineering. He also discusses the 'six levers of value creation' and emphasizes that preparation leads to success. Plus, hear his personal anecdote about acquiring a life-size Han Solo in Carbonite!
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Operations‑First Investment Model
- Transom focuses on off‑run businesses with operational complexity like carve‑outs and troubled lender assets.
- They pair a large operations team of ex‑CEOs/CFOs with the investment team to execute 3–5 year transformations.
Broad Funnel Builds Pattern Recognition
- Transom sees 2,000+ opportunities annually from banks, brokers, corporates, lenders and public‑market screens.
- They value wide dealflow to develop pattern recognition and find fits for their operational skillset.
Co‑Lead Deals With Ops And M&A
- In diligence, pair a senior M&A lead with a senior operating partner who co-lead the deal.
- Let operations quantify achievable EBITDA and feed those assumptions directly into underwriting.