NextWave Private Equity

Pete Witte, EY Global Private Equity Lead Analyst, explores the key themes and market dynamics from 3Q 2022 that are top of mind for PE investors. PE Pulse is a quarterly report and corresponding podcast miniseries that provides analysis and insights on private equity market activity and trends. Visit https://www.ey.com/pepulse to view this quarter’s summary.  The PE sector continued to experience a number of cyclical headwinds in the third quarter, as rising interest rates, growing concerns of a recession, deteriorating macro sentiment and challenges in the financing markets all conspired to limit firms’ ability to execute new transactions. At the same time, however, firms continue to position themselves for long-term strategic growth, with new product launches and innovations, and by tapping new sources of capital that will allow the industry to continue to grow.

Greg Schooley, EY-Parthenon US Value Creation Leader, discusses how PE outsources tasks to create value. The podcast explores the shift in outsourcing deals and the role of CFOs. It also highlights the importance of choosing the right vendor, trends in outsourcing, and the significance of cybersecurity in PE portfolio companies.

Pam Jackson, CEO of Level20, joins Winna Brown to reveal how mentorship programs can help women build long-term careers in PE.  According to a report that EY teams recently published on diversity, equity and inclusiveness (DEI), the private equity industry’s ability to meet stakeholder demands, access capital, win deals and compete for talent is increasingly contingent on progress against DEI metrics. Talent management has become the number two strategic priority across PE firms of all sizes, second only to asset growth. DEI initiatives are now proliferating in private equity as the industry begins to address how its culture has historically impeded diversity. Level20 is a non-profit organization based in the UK that is dedicated to improving gender diversity in the European PE industry and specifically in senior leadership roles at PE firms.  Read “Can PE win deals if it doesn’t deal with DEI?”: https://www.ey.com/en_gl/private-equity/can-pe-win-deals-if-it-doesn-t-deal-with-dei Calculate how long it will take to achieve your diversity goals: https://kenaninstitute.unc.edu/diversity-integration-model/ Ten ways male PE leaders can support and mentor their female colleagues: Serve as role models and mentors Engage with colleagues who are different from yourself Encourage women to realize their value Promote stories of inspiring women Engage in small interventions Embody inclusive leadership Give cultural shifts time to come to fruition Build a diverse talent pipeline from the bottom over time Recognize that recruiting senior women is not a “quick win” Model how long it will take to achieve your diversity goals with the EY Diversity Integration Model

In this episode, Laura Grattan, Managing Director at Crosspoint Capital, and Jeff Vogel, Head of the Software Strategy Group at EY-Parthenon, join Winna Brown to explore how PE firms can position themselves to win tech deals in today’s highly competitive market. Contact Laura: lgrattan@crosspointcapital.com Contact Jeff: jeffrey.vogel@parthenon.ey.com According to the latest EY PE Pulse report, 2021 was the year of the tech deal: 30% of total capital deployed last year was allocated to technology companies. The technology sector, once just another industry vertical, now permeates every sector, claiming an ever-increasing share of deals as more companies differentiate themselves based on their technology regardless of the industry in which they sit or serve. Crosspoint Capital focuses on the cybersecurity, privacy and infrastructure software sectors. PE firms that choose a niche specialization in the tech sector can bring deep sector expertise that translates to value creation for their portfolio companies. In an increasingly competitive tech environment, PE firms that focus on a highly targeted category of assets can find themselves in a differentiated position. They are able to quickly discern where to spend time, recognize the opportunities and limitations of an asset, and identify patterns indicative of future success. Three characteristics of today’s tech deal environment include: Increasing presence of and need for club deals Increasing speed at which deals are clearing Developing deal theses early

To the NextWave Private Equity audience: Since February of 2020, just before the covid-19 pandemic uprooted all of our lives, the EY global private equity team has turned to this podcast series to discuss the topics and insights that are top-of-mind for our audience of PE executives and practitioners. From the bottom of my heart, thank you! For listening, for giving us your time and for trusting us to deliver best-in-class perspectives. Over the next couple of months, we will re-publish some of our most downloaded and talked-about episodes about tech deals, DEI and other timely topics. These are some of our best episodes, and when you listen, you will surely understand why. Thanks for tuning in! Winna Brown, EY Americas ESG Private Equity Leader winna.brown@ey.com 

Maha Eltobgy, Chief Sustainability Officer and Managing Director at Brightstar Capital Partners, joins Winna Brown to explore how operating executives can effectively communicate the value prop of ESG at the portco level. ESG is top of mind for PE executives right now. According to the 2022 EY Global Private Equity survey, ESG is one of the top four strategic priorities listed by PE firms. 42% of the largest fund managers seriously consider ESG in their decision-making process, while a further 39% say they consider ESG issues seriously in certain risk areas. ESG is a top priority for firms, but effectively implementing ESG strategy and principles across the portfolio remains challenging. Five ways PE can navigate the implementation of ESG strategy and principles across the portfolio include: Win trust of management teams Start with employee retention and engagement Meet the portfolio company where they are in their journey Demonstrate how ESG values translate to business value Translate ESG principles into tangible, actionable initiatives

Pete Witte, EY Global Private Equity Lead Analyst, explores the key themes and market dynamics from 2Q 2022 that are top of mind for PE investors. PE Pulse is a quarterly report and corresponding podcast miniseries that provides analysis and insights on private equity market activity and trends. Visit https://www.ey.com/pepulse to view this quarter’s summary.  PE firms will continue to remain active as they seek to continue to deploy more than US$1.4t in dry powder available for new deals. While market volatility, inflationary pressures and rising interest rates are combining to make the investment landscape far more challenging than a year ago, in many instances, PE firms will look to new strategies and investment themes that provide increased resilience against a macro backdrop for which few modern playbooks exist.   

Famke Krumbmüller from EY discusses the emerging power blocs resulting from the war in Ukraine. Companies need to understand the allies of their markets. Some sectors like farming and medical equipment are under focus due to geostrategic competition. Cross-border deals have decreased in favor of more regional and intra-area deals. Companies will see increased government intervention and greater regulatory scrutiny in their supply chains. Private equity should consider ESG commitments and navigate geopolitical shifts.

Elizabeth Seeger, Managing Director of Sustainable Investing at KKR, joins Winna Brown to discuss why KKR views ESG as a business opportunity that both creates and protects value over time. ESG has skyrocketed to the top of many PE firms’ list of strategic priorities in the past couple of years. PE firms that may have historically viewed ESG as a “nice to have” or a “check the box” exercise, are now increasingly considering ESG to be a business issue that is embedded in the business, not peripheral to it. PE firms such as KKR that were early adopters of and believers in ESG are now in a position not only to lead the charge to net zero, but to share their learnings with other firms that may be earlier on their ESG journey. At KKR, ESG is viewed as a way to both protect and enhance value over time and is managed alongside other business issues. KKR is focused on climate change, data and integrating ESG issues and subject matter expertise into the investment process. The firm views ESG data not as a way to score potential targets, but to identify a pathway to managing ESG-related risk sover the duration of the hold period. Lastly, KKR has identified three measurable ESG pillars across the portfolio regardless of industry: climate, human capital and data responsibility (cybersecurity and data privacy). PE has an interesting role to play in the transition to net zero, and firms are likely to focus on 6 key areas: Creating and protecting value through ESG Building and deploying teams of resources and expertise Integrating climate and ESG considerations into investment processes Launching standalone ESG or impact funds Spotlighting portfolio companies that are addressing critical environmental and social challenges Collaborating and knowledge sharing to share solutions and best practices

Karim Anani, EY Americas Financial Accounting and Advisory Services Transactions Leader, and Mark Schwartz, Head of IPO and SPAC Capital Markets Advisory, join Winna Brown to explore why SPACs remain highly relevant despite market volatility and regulatory headwinds. Contact Karim: karim.anani@ey.com  Contact Mark: mark.schwartz1@ey.com  In 2021, more than 40% of new public companies listed through mergers with SPACs. While SPACs have been around for decades, the boom of the last few years has dominated its narrative in the marketplace. Today, there are hundreds of SPACs seeking “transactable” targets that face potential liquidation in the next year or so if deals aren’t made.  Against this backdrop, SPAC sponsors are operating in an extremely choppy market environment for SPACs and other new issues, and recently proposed SEC regulation has increased uncertainty in an already uneasy deal-making environment. Today’s episode explores why SPACs remain highly relevant in EY dialogue with operating companies and their backers despite the market and regulatory headwinds. What is in store for SPACs over the next one to two years and beyond? Recent innovation and complexity in SPAC mergers Evolving negotiation dynamics in recent dealmaking processes Ongoing evolution of what makes an attractive operating company for a SPAC merger Transforming and adapting of SPACs in the face of the current challenges