Dry Powder: The Private Equity Podcast Finding a Needle in a Haystack w/ TA’s Hythem El-Nazer
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Dec 2, 2025 Haitham El-Nazer, co-managing partner of TA Associates, shares insights on sourcing private equity investments in the tech sector. He reveals how TA evaluates a staggering 40,000 companies annually through a dedicated data-driven approach. Haitham highlights the entrepreneurial culture that attracts founders seeking growth beyond just financial offers. Additionally, he discusses the rigorous diligence process and the meritocratic system that shapes future leaders at TA. This compelling conversation sheds light on the strategic minds behind successful investments.
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Needle In A Haystack Sourcing
- TA runs a "needle in a haystack" sourcing model, contacting ~40,000 companies and visiting ~4,000 annually to find growth‑profitable targets.
- That scale plus sector specialization lets them make ~17 investments from ~45 IC pitches each year.
Sector Focus And Institutional Memory
- TA assigns each hire to a single sector and builds a persistent database logging calls and meetings to maintain institutional knowledge.
- Their database covers over 600,000 companies and guides new associates with callback lists.
Sell Speed, Not Just Price
- Emphasize proprietary engagement: prioritize bilateral conversations with founders to be invited into deals.
- Sell acceleration: promise to compress a five‑to‑six year plan into half the time by turbocharging growth.