Private Equity Fast Pitch

Ganesh Rao, Head of Financial Technology & Services at Thomas H. Lee Partners, discusses mentorship, THL's focus on FinTech, and partnering with industry experts. They explore focus areas in FinTech and services, investment strategy, and founder partnerships. The importance of dedicated teams and vertical specialization is highlighted, along with their journey to joining THL and the significance of specialization and value-added partners.

Stephen is a Managing Director and Head of Private Equity. In his role, he focuses on forming long-term partnerships with leading private equity managers, including buyouts, growth equity and venture. Stephen serves on the Investment Committee, which is directly responsible for the firm’s asset allocation strategies and the selection of investment managers for client portfolios. Stephen has over 15 years of industry experience, most recently at the University of Pennsylvania’s Office of Investments, where he focused for eight years on growing the private equity investment program for the University’s $13 billion endowment and $2 billion pension fund. As a senior team member, Stephen played an active role in investment committee discussions across public equity, private equity, real assets, and absolute return strategies. Prior to joining Penn, Stephen was a Senior Associate at Princeton University’s endowment. At Princeton, he worked in private investments across buyouts, venture capital, natural resources, and real estate. Before Princeton, Stephen was a Principal with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where he led a wide range of projects in the firm’s Corporate Finance, Technology & Telecom, and Healthcare practice areas. Stephen began his career in telecommunications software for Nortel Networks. Stephen holds a B.A. from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A. from Yale University. He is a CFA® charterholder. In addition, he is an Investment Committee member for a global non-profit.  

Caroline Stevens, an Investor with MPK Equity Partners based in Dallas, Texas. Caroline is a franchise expert, having been a part of 14 franchisor investments across the home services, health, beauty and wellness, and family entertainment spaces. Prior to working in private equity, Caroline was a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group. She shares how the strategic toolkit acquired while at BCG helps her in her investing career.  Caroline currently serves on the board of the Human Trafficking Institute, an organization working to stop human trafficking at its source around the globe. She formerly served on the advisory board of the Canfield Business Honors Program at The University of Texas at Austin – her alma matter.  While a Texan through-and-through, Caroline and her husband, Logan, are avid travelers. Caroline visited her 30th country, Egypt, in 2022.  Caroline prioritizes and enjoys time with family and friends, traveling, playing tennis and watching the Longhorns or Cowboys on a fall Sunday. 

Jeffrey Armbrister, Managing Director at Hamilton Lane, discusses the power of resilience and personal growth, the value of commitment and longevity in a job, the reasons for increased deal flow in private equity, and the benefits of partnering with Hamilton Lane for co-investments.

We are excited to present a montage of quotes and mottos from prior guests that have inspired them throughout the years in both their careers and personal lives. As we begin a new year, we hope this special episode sets the stage and provides you with a new mindset for conquering the challenges & opportunities that lie ahead.

Tom O'Rourke, Partner at BayPine, discusses the impact of interest rates on debt finance deals, the importance of a growth mindset in investing, and BayPine's focus on digital transformation. He shares lessons learned from the 2008 financial crisis, the value of mentorship and personal attributes in career development, and the differentiating factors for choosing a private equity firm.

Alex Western is the Founder and Managing Director of Terminus Capital Partners (“TCP”), an Atlanta-based private equity firm focused on majority recapitalizations of $10-$50m business software companies who want a growth-oriented and operationally-oriented partner to reach their potential.  Previously, Alex was a managing director at Trilogy, a hold-co. of more than 100 enterprise software companies.  Before Trilogy, Alex was an investment analyst at GMT Capital, a $5B value-oriented hedge fund.  Alex began his career as a consultant at McKinsey & Company and as a private equity associate at Audax Group.  Alex received his AB from Harvard College and his MBA from Harvard Business School.  He lives in Atlanta, GA with his wife and two daughters.

Paul is a founding partner of Genesis Park and GP Capital. He has extensive M&A experience, decades of diverse public company board service, and proven management ability. Mr. Hobby’s sector expertise ranges from network infrastructure to downstream energy (both renewable and traditional gas fired) to media and telecom. His executive roles over time include Columbine JDS Systems, which became the world’s largest provider of back-office media software, CEO of Alpheus Communications, which built out the largest alternative fiber optic network in Texas, and CEO of Texas Monthly, expanding the print media brand to include podcasts, social media, a national alliance with Creative Artists Agency, and syndicating content through new channels that include Apple News, Flipboard, Pocket, Random House, Google News, Audm and Trip Advisor. Paul has served as the Chairman of the Texas Ethics Commission, the Greater Houston Partnership, the Houston Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the Texas General Services Commission and the Texas Business Hall of Fame. Paul holds a BA in History from the University of Virginia and a JD from the University of Texas Law School. Paul serves on the Management and Investment Committee of GP Capital.

Vikram Agrawal is a mission-driven, operationally-focused investment and management professional who believes that everyone deserves an opportunity to be successful, however they define success. Vikram is currently collaborating with Texan businessman and environmentalist Trammell S. Crow with a dual mandate focused on leading investments and catalyzing impact in environmental sustainability and resilience. He is the Co-Founder and CEO of American Resilience Partners (a Texas-based, entrepreneurial private investment firm) and supports the international non-profit EarthX as the Director of EarthxCapital (EarthX's team that has a mission to help raise awareness, educate, convene, and catalyze impact related to sustainability investment and business innovation). Vikram has 15 years of investment and management experience across several industry sectors in the United States and the emerging markets (Latin America & the Caribbean and Europe, Middle East, & Africa) through his prior roles with Citigroup (a global investment bank), International Finance Corporation (private sector arm of the World Bank Group focused on sustainable development), Patriarch Partners (a multi-billion dollar turnaround-focused private investment firm dedicated to saving American jobs by saving iconic American companies), and Prophet Equity (a middle-market private equity firm that makes control investments in strategically viable & underperforming companies). Vikram received his MBA from Yale School of Management, where he was a recipient of the Award for Excellence in Ethics and Leadership. He received his Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he studied International Political Economy, and is currently a member of the Board of Governors for the Georgetown University Alumni Association.

Connor joined Solomon after 11 years at FocalPoint Partners, where he was a Managing Director in their Business Services practice. During his tenure, he co-founded and expanded FocalPoint’s Chicago office. Over the course of his 15-year career, Connor has advised clients across the most active Human Capital and Professional Services sub-sectors, including Professional Staffing, Healthcare Staffing, Consulting and Business Process Outsourcing. Select recent transactions include: The sale of 8020 Consulting to ShoreView Industries The Planet Group’s (a portfolio company of Odyssey Investment Partners) acquisition of Strive Consulting The sale of The Planet Group to Odyssey Investment Partners The sale of ADI Strategies to Huron Consulting (Nasdaq: HURN) The sale of Rightpoint Consulting to Stella Point Capital The sale of The Planet Group to MidOcean Partners The Recapitalization of Amerit Fleet Solutions by Elm Park Capital (aka Atalaya Capital Management) and Seacoast Capital The sale of BrandRep to Millpond Equity Partners The sale of Heartland Automotive, a portfolio company of Sun Capital Partners, to Wynnchurch Capital The sale of Easy Ice to Freeman Spogli