The Private Equity Podcast, by Raw Selection

🕒 Episode Timestamps & Show Notes

00:00 – Introduction
Alex welcomes John Dwyer, Founder of The Institute of WOW, to explore how direct response marketing can drive real results for private equity firms and their portfolio companies.

00:53 – What is WOW Factor Marketing?
John explains his flipped model: get prospects to try your product so they fall in love with your brand—not the other way around. 

02:16 – The Power of...

Episode Summary:
In this insightful episode, Alex Rawlings is joined by Brett Hickey, the CEO and founder of Star Mountain Capital. Brett shares his unique journey from humble beginnings in Northwestern Canada to leading a multi-billion-dollar asset management firm in the U.S. With deep reflections on leadership, value-based investing, building collaborative ecosystems, and what truly drives sustainable success in private mark...

🧠 Episode Summary:
In this insightful episode, Alex Rawlings is joined by Brian Reavell, Founder of R-Squared Advisors and seasoned Private Equity Operating Partner, to dive deep into the world of go-to-market (GTM) strategies. Brian shares a comprehensive GTM playbook for PE-backed portfolio companies—spanning from due diligence and customer segmentation to talent evaluation and post-investment execution.

With over two decade...

Guest: David Rowley, Operating Partner at Diversis Capital
Host: Alex Rawlings
Topic: Product Strategy, Artificial Intelligence, and the Evolving Role of the Operating Partner

🔍 Episode Overview:

In this episode, Alex Rawlings is joined by David Rowley, Operating Partner at Diversis Capital, to explore how private equity can drive value creation through smarter product strategies and the integration of artificial intellige...

🎙️ The Private Equity Podcast — Episode with Graham Bachman, Hidden River Strategic Capital

Guest: Graham Bachman, Managing Director & Head of Business Development at Hidden River Strategic Capital
Host: Alex Rawlings

In this episode of The Private Equity Podcast, Alex Rawlings is joined by Graham Bachman, who shares how Hidden River Strategic Capital is reshaping lower middle-market investing with structured capital—a hybr...

The Private Equity Podcast – Show Notes

Guest: Otis Spencer
Host: Alex Rawlings
Episode Title: Lessons in Leadership: From Army Logistics to PE Operating Partner & CEO Success

🎙 Episode Overview:

In this episode, Otis Spencer, a former U.S. Army logistics officer turned private equity operating partner and CEO, shares a compelling journey of leadership, operations, and transformation. From managing global fuel inventori...

🎙️ The Private Equity Podcast – Essentials for Investors with Matthew Kearney

This episode is packed with pragmatic advice and “growth hacks for operators” – get your pen ready.

⏱️ Episode Highlights & Timestamps:

00:03 – Introduction
Meet Matthew Kearney: 35 years in private equity, from 3i to operating partner and PE-backed CEO.

01:07 – From 3i to New York CEO
Matthew’s early career, moving from UK PE investments into ...

Guest: Greg Nieuwenhuys – Private Equity Advisor, Chairman & AI Expert
Topic: Unlocking Generative AI for Private Equity & Portfolio Companies

🔹 Intro & Background (0:00 – 2:00)

• Greg shares his 20+ years in PE-backed consumer goods: Baver (Netherlands), Cotterdardoor (UK), Mammoth, Wattbike, and No-Door.
• Passion for AI began two years ago, driven by a belief that GenAI is a business and people challenge—not a tec...

In this insightful episode, Nate Edgerly, CEO of Enzo Group Inc., discusses his journey from CPA at PricewaterhouseCoopers to a seasoned private equity investor and executive leader in the hospitality industry. Nate shares valuable insights on leadership, long-term investing, and what makes hospitality businesses thrive or fail.

Key Takeaways:

• Nate’s journey from CPA to CEO, highlighting his pivotal experiences in private equity ...

In this episode, Alex speaks with Jeff Zwiefel, former President & COO of Life Time, about scaling the business from $139M to $2.3B in revenue and navigating multiple private equity exits and IPOs. Jeff shares how a people-first culture and rigorous training enabled long-term, sustainable growth in a competitive industry.

Jeff discusses why private equity firms often miss the mark by focusing only on KPIs and financials, instead...

In this episode, Alex Rawlings is joined by Henry Ward, CEO and Co-Founder of Carta, to explore the evolving landscape of private equity and venture capital through the lens of software, operations, and professionalization. Henry shares his journey building Carta into a multi-billion-dollar software business and how it’s transforming the infrastructure of private markets.

Henry dives into why private equity must evolve from its lega...

David Feingold, CEO of Broad Street Global, joins us on The Private Equity Podcast to share his 35+ year journey from law to leading one of the largest infrastructure-focused PE firms in the U.S. He unpacks lessons in leadership, hiring, culture, and why they’ve entered crypto mining. This episode is a masterclass in building high-performing teams and seizing unconventional opportunities.

[00:00] Welcome and intro to David Feingold ...

Fundraising in 2025 isn’t business as usual. James Varela, Partner at Rede Partners and Head of MENA, joins us to break down what it really takes to raise capital from LPs—especially in the Middle East. We talk DPI pressure, LP targeting, co-investments, how to build credibility in emerging markets, and the biggest mistake GPs still make when pitching. Whether you’re struggling or oversubscribed, this one’s for you.

[00:00] Intro to...

From Big Four to 19 Acquisitions: Sequoya Borgman on Building Borgman Capital
Sequoya Borgman, Founder of Borgman Capital, joins the show to discuss his leap from public accounting into private equity, building an independent sponsor model, and the real challenge behind every deal—people. He shares lessons from 19 acquisitions, why they prioritize cultural fit, and how they’re tapping into retail capital and AI to scale smarte...

Chris Rozell, Managing Partner at Cresta, joins us to discuss his journey from portfolio exec to founding a PE firm, scaling businesses to billions, and investing in decarbonization-focused infrastructure. He shares pragmatic insights on ESG, early-stage infra, and building trust with management teams—plus how Cresta bridges the gap between VC and large infra players. 

[00:00] Chris Rizel, Managing Partner at Cresta, on infra invest...

Sam Bendix, Partner at Chicago Pacific Founders, returns to share his framework for capital raising using motivational interviewing. He explains how it uncovers real motivations and qualifies prospects faster—without a hard sell. We cover how it applies to investor meetings, deal sourcing, hiring, and beyond. A practical framework for better conversations and better results. 

[00:00] Sam Bendix, Partner at Chicago Pacific Founders, ...

In today’s episode, Jared Weisel, SVP at Revenue Analytics, joins us to break down how PE-backed manufacturing and distribution businesses can use pricing to drive serious EBITDA gains. We dive into why most firms ignore pricing, how to avoid customer churn while raising prices, and why a 3–7% increase can deliver outsized impact. Jared shares the biggest mistakes PE firms make, how to build long-term pricing strategies, and why th...

In today's episode we have Steve Carroll, CEO and Co-Founder of Kelso Industries, join us to share his journey from a small-town construction background to leading a 25-acquisition HVAC roll-up. We dive into his Walmart days scaling EBITDA from $15M to $250M, his views on where PE firms get it wrong, and how Kelso’s long-term partnership model is flipping the script on traditional roll-ups.

[00:00] Steve Carroll joins to discus...

Welcome to another episode of the Private Equity Podcast. Today, I’m joined by Scott Cook, an experienced Chief HR Officer with over 100 add-on acquisitions under his belt. We dig into what really drives successful integration—nailing culture, managing change, aligning roles, and avoiding the classic post-acquisition mistakes. If you want a no-nonsense guide to people, process, and performance in PE-backed services businesses, this...