Kelly Azevedo Dent’s Post

It's a wrap at PEI's Operating Partners Forum Europe in London. It was fantastic to reconnect with old friends and meet new faces in the European private equity ecosystem. I gained valuable insights into the latest trends in value creation and participated in engaging debates. I also had the privilege of speaking on two panels. In my first panel, "Pulling SaaS Commercial Levers to Scale Up Post a Period of Depressed Growth," with Michael Belkin and Tom van Dael, we explored the future of SaaS pricing models for AI-powered solutions. My second panel, "Navigating the Commercial Private Equity Value Creation Journey: Strategies for Success," hosted by OC&C Strategy Consultants Tom Gladstone with Philip Carrivick and Lewis Bantin, focused on growth strategies, stakeholders' early alignment, and the crucial role of operating partners. One highlight was the session "From Boom to Bust: Transforming Your Business and Creating Value Across Functions While Being Cash Restrained" with Nick Eichorn, Paul-Louis Andres, Leo Scanavino, Peter Roos, and Jamal Ismayilov. Key takeaway: when the tide goes down, you see who’s naked, and tough times require bold risks. I enjoyed conversations with Christian Trümpler, Dr. Marc P. Bielitza, Brendan Tobin, Jennifer Fountain, Louis Saund, Ralph Friedwagner, Clive De Silva, Lise Ferrier, Streisan Bevan, Jan-Paul Boos, Mark D. Spiteri, Claudio Crivelli, Anastasya Molodykh, Greg Harwood, and Catherine Brien. Thanks to the teams from Zuora (John Phillips), OC&C Strategy Consultants (Tom Gladstone), and PEI (Tim Sanders, Lawrence Dvorchik, Charles Gould, Marc Mele, Caitriona O'Connor and Kitty Watson). And thanks to Avalon Lee-Bacon Dawn Capital. #privateequity, #operatingpartner, #valuecreation, #pei, #PEIOperatingPartnersForum #knowledgesharing, #Gotomarket #CRO #SalesTransformation #dawncapital #SaaS #GrowthStrategies

We are so proud to be named to Inc. Magazine’s Founder-Friendly Investors list for the fourth consecutive year! 🤩   For over 25 years, our focus has been on being a collaborative, strategic partner to founders and entrepreneurs, offering not just flexible capital but the expertise, connections and resources necessary to achieve their business objectives.   In a strong year for FTV, including … + Over $900 million in realizations + More than $650 million deployed across the enterprise and financial technology sectors + Being recognized as the no. 6 top growth equity firm globally in the HEC Paris-Dow Jones Growth Capital Performance Ranking + Expanding internationally with the opening of our London office … this award underscores the value and efficacy of our distinctive approach to supporting innovative companies and accelerating their success.   We thank Inc. for highlighting the centrality of investor-founder relationships, our team for prioritizing long-term partnerships rooted in trust and transparency and, most importantly, the 140+ founders and management teams who have chosen FTV on their growth journeys. 🙏 📰 https://lnkd.in/gQgFBwGN #IncFounderFriendlyInvestors #PoweringGrowthTogether #FTVForward #growthinvesting 

[SAVE THE DATE] The 23rd edition of the Private Equity Exchange will take place on November 13 and 14th at the Pavillon d’Armenonville in Paris! The only major annual event that brings together all Private Equity players (LPs, GPs, CEOs, entrepreneurs, experts and advisors), the PEX will bring together over 1,200 dealmakers, set on exchanging best practices, network, gain feedback and celebrate the industry. 👉 Register now to guarantee your spot in this year’s edition: https://lnkd.in/dNAxuqu2 In the course of 2 unique days, the PEX will feature over 30 conferences with leaders and experts on the field, as well as unique networking moments designed to connect you with those who matter the most to your business. Through its Awards Ceremonies, the PEX will also celebrate the best performances of the past year, awarding over 30 categories for LPs, GPs and Management Teams. Discover more: https://lnkd.in/eGS5gS2 --- About Décideurs Corporate Finance As a reference media for corporate finance, Décideurs Corporate Finance supports professionals in all their strategic decisions. Through its annual publication of rankings, Décideurs teams have been identifying the leading operators in mergers &acquisitions, private equity, restructuring operations and more generally on all financial challenges that companies can face for more than 15 years. Each year, Décideurs organizes major events that bring the finance community together such as the Private Equity Exchange & Awards, the Sommet Restructuration & Transformation, the Sommet des Leaders de la Finance and M&A Stories. #PEX #PEX2024 #privateequity #capitalinvestissement #investmentfunds

Talking about governance and scale-up founders: the good, the bad and the ugly! Yesterday, I had the pleasure to attend the Nordic Buy Out Forum and to listen to the keynote from our The Visionary Company, Board & VC CEO Raja Skogland talking about her key lessons from investing into over 100 start/scale-ups and 🦄 across Europe. My key insights and take-aways mainly were: ❇️ creating hype and glamour around fund-raising can divert energy towards unhealthy focus. Instead of "chasing investors money, they should be chasing the client's money in the first place". ❇️ investors have a responsibility: chasing quick wins over long-term sustainability failure to provide adequate guidance also because they lack understanding of their early stage companies' challenges, can deteriorate its success. ❇️ good boards and good governance are critical: quality board members, with the right skill and network to provide sufficient support for the founders to grow and scale can be a game changer. Bad boards can also be a game changer 📉 and is a red flag to watch for. Thank you Wiersholm for having invited us, and created a space for many interesting conversations. #CorporateGovernance #BoardOfDirectors #Governance #investing #NordicBuyOutForum

Join us on November 13th at 9h45 for the panel "The secrets of buy-side success" with the participation of Olivier Dardel (Natixis Partners), Jacques Ittah (Wil Partners), Lionel Gouget (VALTUS - European Leader of Interim Management), Patrick Mousset (Gowling WLG) and Céline VALENSI (Leaders League/GROUPE FICADE), at the 23rd Edition of the Private Equity Exchange, November 13th and 14th at the Pavillon d’Armenonville in Paris. How can we identify the best opportunities in a market that is slow to open up? What are the determining factors in ensuring the success of a buy-side transaction? How can a deal be structured to maximize value creation yet minimizing risk? Employing practical case-studies to illustrate their points of view, our panel of private equity experts share key strategies on due diligence, synergy assessment and post-acquisition management. 👉 Register now: https://lnkd.in/dNAxuqu2 📑 See the day's full program: https://lnkd.in/gvfe4ncp --   The Private Equity Exchange is an event of Décideurs Corporate Finance, part of GROUPE FICADE, which brings together the whole Private Equity ecosystem for a unique 2 days of conferences, networking and awards, connecting over 1200 GPs, LPs, Entrepreneurs, Managers and Advisors.   #privateequity #restructuring #PEX #PEX2024

Calling All Scaleups!    The ScaleUp Survey 2024 is now live, and we need your input! Scaleups are essential to the UK economy, and the ScaleUp Institute invites all leaders of scaling businesses to take part in this year’s survey.   Your insights can help shape the future of the UK business landscape. Previous surveys have influenced both public and private sectors to better support scaleups and break down barriers to growth.   Share your thoughts and help make UK the best place to scale a business: https://bit.ly/3ATm9Lq #scaletogether

Meet me at UK's largest Private Equity Conference #PEInsightsLondon to discuss Operational Value Creation and Transformation for superior returns and how to navigate PE Portfolio Companies through turbulent times.

On my way to London to work with a portfolio company at their QBR and annual planning process. Another example where having investors on your cap table that understand how to build companies vs just show up and pontificate at your board meetings will help you to build world class outcomes. Remember why we do this - build world class organizations that drive meaningful economic outcomes for employees, customers, shareholders, and investors. Lead from the Front!!! #vc #growth #venturecapital

"They're all just falling off the cliff, one after the other." According to James Marciano, founder and CEO of Tuck Advisors, this is the current state of the education sector. Increasingly challenging market conditions and an oversaturation of products with similar goals are pushing the sector towards a wave of consolidations—a development that has kept Marciano busy. While there is still a significant amount of capital that investors are looking to deploy across the K-12 industry, the constrained total addressable market might obstruct growth for these companies. So, what’s next for the education market? As an experienced entrepreneur turned investment banker, Marciano shares his insights on how private equity and strategic acquisitions are shaping the future of education companies. Dive into Michelle Caffrey's latest story in EdWeek Market Brief to get the full scoop! 💡📈 #Edtech #Education #M&A #TuckAdvisors #IndustryInsights https://lnkd.in/eJGcWPXy

Callum Burns, portfolio manager ICE Investors, spoke with Ausbiz last week 'if small caps are set to outperform large caps'. He provided some insight into current market trends, focusing on small-cap companies and their potential to surpass large-cap companies. Callum also shared his belief in the significant opportunities present among quality small-cap businesses despite their underperformance compared with large caps over the past two years. Head here for more information on the interview 🔗 https://bit.ly/4ajn0Bp #highconvictionstrategies #australianequities #iceinvestors #ASX #smallcompanies