

Private Equity Podcast: Karma School of Business
BluWave
Private equity insights for and with top business builders, including investors, operators, executives and industry thought leaders. The Karma School of Business Podcast goes behind the scenes of PE, talking about business best practices and real-time industry trends. You'll learn from leading professionals and visionary business executives who will help you take action and enhance your life, whether you’re at a PE firm, a portco or a private or public company.
BluWave Founder & CEO Sean Mooney hosts the Private Equity Karma School of Business Podcast. BluWave is the business builders’ network for private equity grade due diligence and value creation needs.
To learn more, visit: https://bit.ly/3oPBjs8
BluWave Founder & CEO Sean Mooney hosts the Private Equity Karma School of Business Podcast. BluWave is the business builders’ network for private equity grade due diligence and value creation needs.
To learn more, visit: https://bit.ly/3oPBjs8
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 18, 2023 • 47min
Andrew Greenberg, GVC | Evolution of the M&A Market: A Journey from Information Asymmetry to Al-Enhanced Efficiency
In this engaging episode, Sean and Andy Greenberg explore their career paths and the transformation of the M&A market. From Andy's shift from politics to investment banking, to the evolution of M&A from a manual process to a tech-driven one, they highlight the increasing need for specialization. Looking ahead, they predict a future where AI significantly enhances industry efficiency. 1:31 - Andy's origin story and his path to M&A 7:10 - What did M&A look like in the mid-90s 12:58 - How has the M&A business evolved to what it looks like today 22:14 - The era of industry expertise 29:44 - Where is the M&A market going 36:18 - Andy's advice to his younger self To learn more about Andy and Greenberg Variations Capital, go to www.greenbergvariations.com To listen to Middle Market Musings, go to www.middlemarketmusings.com To learn more about BluWave and this podcast, go to www.bluwave.net/podcast

Oct 4, 2023 • 32min
Joe DeLuca, NewSpring Capital | Reassess and Adapt: A Conversation on Pivoting Business Models and Organizational Structures
Joe DeLuca, Operating Partner at NewSpring Capital, joins the Karma School of Business to share insight into NewSpring Capital's organizational structure, his experience pivoting a portco's business model (twice) and more in this week's conversation: 1:17 - The type of thinking that led Joe to enter the world of private equity 4:08 - Sean and Joe share their personal interests related to his bookshelf and the shore 8:12 - What do you do in March 2020 with an institutional pharmacy portco in NYC without a CEO and chairman? 15:47 - NewSpring's strategy-by-strategy structure 21:10 - The big themes in adding value to a company 27:32 - Takeaways from Joe's favorite book For more information on NewSpring Capital, go to https://newspringcapital.com. For more information on BluWave and this podcast, got to www.bluwave.net/podcast.

Sep 27, 2023 • 41min
A Wave of Deals is Coming: Commercial Due Diligence for When the Tide Rolls In
In this special episode, we have exclusive audio from our recent webinar: A Wave of Deals is Coming: Commercial Due Diligence for When the Tide Rolls In. The panel of experts from this webinar includes: Andrew Joy, Partner, Hidden Harbor Capital Partners Sean Mooney, Karma School of Business Host and Founder & CEO of BluWave The panel, moderated by BluWave Managing Director, Houston Slatton, includes the following topics: 3:48 - How to think about a target's end markets and why it matters when considering an investment 8:13 - How to assess market conditions when looking at a deal 13:03 - The true definition of commercial due diligence and why you use it 19:52 - How the result of a commercial due diligence engagement should inform the competitiveness of your bid strategy 24:58 - Pros and cons of big box firms versus more specialized service providers 32:40 - Final thoughts To learn more about Andrew and Hidden Harbor Capital Parts, go to www.hh-cp.com. To learn more about BluWave and this podcast, go to www.bluwave.net/podcast.

Sep 20, 2023 • 31min
Ed Hine, Cold Bore Capital | Breaking the Speed of Sound: Strategic Private Equity Buy and Builds
Ed Hine, an Operating Partner at Cold Bore Capital, shares his perspectives on building great companies in private equity, learned through the lens of a US Navy veteran. Tune in for a great conversation where we discuss: 1:20 - Ed's path to private equity 6:32 - Persevering through challenges in PE 11:31 - Evaluating potential through a value creation lens 16:22 - Lessons learned about integrating companies 20:21 - Common traits of great businesses: talent and culture 23:13 - Essential professional imperatives to keep in mind 26:04 - Ed's advice to his younger self For more information on Cold Bore Capital, go to www.coldborecapital.com. For more information on BluWave and this podcast, go to www.bluwave.net/podcast.

Sep 13, 2023 • 29min
Matt Cole, SBJ Capital | No One Gets Through Life Unscathed: A Guide to Private Equity Problem Solving
Matt Cole, a Managing Director at SBJ Capital joins the Karma School of Business podcast to discuss a variety of topics, including: 1:20 - Matt's journey to private equity 7:58 - Overcoming challenging situations 11:34 - "Professionalization" and acceleration 16:13 - Becoming scalable with clean data, AI and key KPIs 23:25 - Matt's advice to his younger self To learn more about SBJ Capital, go to www.sbjcapital.com. To learn more about BluWave and this podcast, go to www.bluwave.net/podcast.

Sep 6, 2023 • 51min
Scott Becker, McGuireWoods | The Window of Opportunity: Healthcare and PE Insights
The Karma School of Business is joined by a recognizable name in both the private equity and healthcare communities. Scott Becker, founder of Becker's Healthcare and Partner at McGuireWoods shares valuable insight to business owners and PE professionals: 2:09 - Scott's background in PE and founding Becker's Healthcare 6:14 - The origin story of Becker's Healthcare and the window of opportunity 13:29 - Top healthcare trends for PE and business executives 19:27 - How machine learning and AI factor into the healthcare ecosystem 22:26 - Governmental regulations around investing in healthcare for PE 29:30 - Private equity bringing healthcare to underserved populations 32:09 - Experience with getting investment from a PE firm 41:33 - Scott's book recommendations To learn more about Becker's Healthcare, go to https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/ To learn more about McGuireWoods, go to https://www.mcguirewoods.com/ To learn more about BluWave and this podcast, go to https://www.bluwave.net/podcast/

Aug 31, 2023 • 43min
Gabe Mesanza, Huron Capital | An Expert Perspective on Culture, Growth and Cash Flow in Private Equity
A Partner and Resource Group Lead from Huron Capital, Gabe Mesanza, joins the Karma School of Business to discuss a wide variety of tactics for business leaders and private equity professionals. In this episode, we discuss: 1:20 - Gabe's path to private equity and engineering mindset 9:58 - The traits of a great business: people and culture 17:27 - Perspective into the evolution of value creation in the PE industry 25:42 - Growing through uncertain economies 33:10 - Gabe's advice to his younger self 38:58 - A life hack for handwritten note takers For more information on Huron Capital, go to https://www.huroncapital.com/ For more information on BluWave and this podcast, go to https://www.bluwave.net/podcast

Aug 24, 2023 • 39min
John Kirk, Tuckerman Capital | The Key to Modern Private Equity and Business Growth: People
The Karma School of Business is joined by John Kirk, a Deal Partner and Operating Advisor at Tuckerman Capital. John shares his unique perspective on people, business growth, and perseverance. We discuss: 1:20 - John's path to private equity 6:04 - Hiking the Appalachian Trail and a lesson in perseverance 11:32 - Finding a great business: growth mindset 13:31 - Finding a great business: alignment to secular trends 14:30 - Finding a great business: identifiable differentiation 18:18 - The modern private equity process: managing the motion offense 25:28 - The differentiators between businesses that are successful and those that aren't 29:55 - How the best business builders in the world act in times of uncertainty 34:01 - John's book recommendation For more information on Tuckerman Capital, go to www.tuckermancapital.com For more information on BluWave and this podcast, go to www.bluwave.net/podcast

Aug 17, 2023 • 32min
Scott Phillips, Orix Capital Partners | How to Focus on the Things That Matter in Private Equity
Scott Phillips, a Managing Director at Orix Capital Partners, joins the Karma School of Business podcast to discuss key data monitoring and choosing the key KPIs that really help companies grow. In this episode we discuss: 0:53 - Scott's path to private equity (including a background in industrial modeling) 6:22 - Identifying businesses that could or will be great 14:01 - The trend towards value creation and a unique approach 22:38 - Working with portfolio companies to find opportunities in uncertain times 27:58 - Scott's advice to his younger self: resilience For more information on Orix Capital Partners, go to www.orixcapitalpartners.com For more information on BluWave and this podcast, go to www.bluwave.net/podcast

Aug 8, 2023 • 48min
Paul Stansik, ParkerGale Capital | The Sales Metric Playbook: A Private Equity Guide to Measuring Sales Growth
The Karma School of Business podcast is joined by Paul Stansik, an Operating Partner at ParkerGale Capital, to discuss his Sales Metric Playbook and overall approach to growth within portfolio companies. In the episode, we discuss: 2:06 - Paul's origin story and path to private equity 8:01 - The Sales Metrics Playbook and the importance of clean data 15:42 - What to do after you've got clean data 20:08 - Analyzing specific cohorts of revenue 30:04 - Managing long-term revenue goals versus short-term 36:42 - What benefits the key questions in the Sales Metric Playbook have in portcos 40:17 - Prioritizing sales opportunities 44:20 - The importance of marketing To get in touch with Paul and ParkerGale, go to parkergale.com. To get on the list for the weekly Sales Metric Playbook, go to parkergale.com/weekly-sales-metrics. For more information on BluWave and this podcast, go to bluwave.net/podcast.