Podcast
Private Equity FunCast
Hosted by Jim Milbery and Devin Mathews · EN
Your favorite GP's favorite podcast. Occasionally insightful, always entertaining. Deep dives into how private equity works, what happens after the deal closes, how money gets raised, and how companies get bought and sold. And everything in between with healthy doses of pop culture and humor. Straight from the team at ParkerGale Capital.
For educational and entertainment purposes only. Not investment advice. Additional disclosures at www.parkergale.com.
25episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Secret Formula to Drive Your Company's Growth
1w ago00:58:35Tap to summarizeMost B2B software companies have more growth left in what they already sell. This framework shows exactly where to find it — and where to stop looking. Jim Milbery and Paul Stansik walk through the Ansoff Matrix, a simple four-quadrant tool for organizing every growth conversation a software company will ever have. New market or existing market? New product or current product? Sounds obvious, but it's an argument that can derail board meetings, kill roadmaps, and send sales teams down blind alleys. What if chasing new markets and new products is actually the thing slowing you down? Jim and Paul make the case for staying in the green box.
Transcribe →The Right Way to Hire Salespeople
2w ago01:00:24Tap to summarizeMost B2B sales reps are professionally trained to make you like them in 30 minutes. But when you're recruiting salespeople, likability doesn't guarantee success. Make the wrong hire and you can lose two years and a chunk of your growth plan. In this episode, Devin and Paul walk through the five qualities ParkerGale tests for (customer focus, structure, accountability, problem-solving, drive), the specific questions we ask in a panel interview, and the trick question that breaks through every rapport-building defense salespeople can muster.
Transcribe →How Operating Partners Create Value in Private Equity
3w ago00:46:00Tap to summarizeMost private equity firms claim to use a leather-bound "value creation" bible nobody's allowed to touch. The truth? It's more of a Cheesecake Factory menu. In this episode, Paul and Jim break down what operating partners actually do once the deal closes — the three buckets that matter (revenue, cost, risk), why many software companies leave revenue on the table with their existing customers, and what "don't buy a company you can't sell" looks like in practice.
Transcribe →The Evolution of PE Ops
4w ago01:00:25Tap to summarizeIn 1995, the typical "PE operating team" was a few old-timer ex-CEOs. Today there are 20,000 of them. Cass and Paul from ParkerGale's ops team sit down with Devin to walk through how private equity operations actually evolved — from the "I got a guy" Rolodex era, to the captive consulting model, to today's proliferation of professional operators. Plus hot takes on the AI-specialist hiring boom, why a lot of operating teams will get skinnier, and how to know if you're helping or propping up a company.
Transcribe →10 Lessons From 10 Years Running Our Own Private Equity Firm
Apr 2201:02:15Tap to summarizeDo operating teams matter? Why is sourcing broken? Are add-ons a strategy or a crutch? What firms have actually "stayed small?" In this episode, Devin and Jim get introspective, reflecting on their biggest lessons to mark the 10-year anniversary of the final close of ParkerGale's first fund. Tell us what you've seen change over the past ten years, and what has stood the test of time.
Transcribe →The Private Equity Glossary - 50(ish) Terms You Should Know
Apr 1501:12:49Tap to summarizeLPs. GPs. Carry. Waterfalls. Pari passu. The unlock. Quantum. De-Risk. Niko originally thought one of these was a French dish. Liz wants to ban another from all future meetings. In their PE Funcast debut, ParkerGale Associates Liz & Niko join Devin to demystify the private equity alphabet soup, breaking down everything from formal vocabulary to finance bro speak. Whether you're a first year Associate or a founder looking to sell, this is the lingo you should know.
Transcribe →The Ghost of Software Future
Apr 801:30:49Tap to summarizeIn February of this year, an obscure research report triggered a $1 trillion wipeout in software stocks in seven days. In this episode we decipher what actually happened — and why AI is more likely to be a gift to enterprise software than a death sentence. Devin and Jim have invested through every major tech transition: PCs, client-server, the browser, mobile, the cloud. This time, they're breaking down the four bear cases for enterprise software (private credit, seat licensing, vibe coding, the AI bubble) and sharing what's actually happening inside their portfolio. The ghost shows up every decade. Here's how not to get spooked. READ: "The Ghost of Software Future" on Substack
Transcribe →When And How To Sell Your Company
Apr 100:58:37Tap to summarizeSelling a company isn't just about price - it's about timing, preparation and process. In this episode, Devin sits down with Ryan Milligan to break down how to sell a company - from timing the exit to running a competitive process and getting a deal across the finish line. They walk through the full private equity playbook including when to sell, whether or not to hire a banker and how deals move from early conversations to signed LOIs and closing. If you've ever wondered how exits happen behind the scenes, this episode illustrates how it really goes down.
Transcribe →You Just Bought A Company. Now What?
Mar 2500:52:35Tap to summarizeEveryone loves the chase but what happens when the ink dries on the deal and you actually own a company? In this episode, Jim sits down with Paul Stansik to pull back the curtain on how the combined deal, ops, and management teams come together in the first few weeks and months post-close. They break down what life looks like immediately after an acquisition, including setting up governance, identifying talent gaps and figuring out where the real opportunities (and risks) are hiding. Jim and Paul also hit on the softer side of what happens during the early-hold period, and the importance of curiosity, connection, and trust-building inside ParkerGale's approach to value-creation. Ever wonder what your investors are thinking about during the first few months of a new investment? Curious about what happens when diligence is over and things get real? This is the episode for you.
Transcribe →How Private Equity ACTUALLY Buys Companies
Mar 1801:23:49Tap to summarizeIt all starts with an acquisition, but most people don't understand how private equity firms actually find and buy companies. Devin sits down with Ryan Milligan to break down the mechanics of deal sourcing, banker-led processes and direct founder relationships. From the early days of rotary phones ringing with deals to today's hyper-competitive sourcing environment, we discuss how firms build pipelines, win founders over, and decide which companies to buy. If you've ever wondered how private equity truly functions behind the scenes, this is your go-to guide for the entire process.
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