Driving success through data and technology
The Private Funds CFO Network’s re-imagined fall conference on the West Coast, the Data & Technology Forum, taking place in San Jose, CA on October 8-9.
Join Private Funds CFO Network members and industry experts to discuss implementing data and technology-focused strategies that elevate your firm’s capabilities. Key discussion topics include:
- How CFOs are maintaining normalcy while adjusting to technological advances
- Enlisting data for fundraising
- Creating a robust technology infrastructure
- The role of technology in managing ongoing regulatory updates
- Using data for developing strategic fund finance approaches in today’s market
- Scaling your firm in an evolving industry
Bring your team of senior executives and save | CPE credits available
I am a CFO, COO, and/or CCO of a private fund manager
As part of the Private Funds CFO Network, the Forum is built for you to connect in-person with an elite crowd of peers. Earn CPE credits while learning how to improve finance and operations efficiency at your firm.
I am a service provider to private funds managers
The Forum provides a select number of vetted vendors the opportunity for thought-leadership, branding, and access to an audience exclusively made up of the most influential finance and operations executives.
2024 Keynote speaker
Usama Fayyad
Executive Director, Institute for Experiential AI; Professor, Northeastern University; former Chief Data Officer of Yahoo
Usama was the first person to hold the Chief Data Officer title when Yahoo acquired his second startup in 2004. At Yahoo he built the Strategic Data Solutions group and founded Yahoo Research Labs. Much of his early Yahoo work on Big Data made it to open source and led to Hadoop and other open-source contributions.
He continues as Chairman of Open Insights, a company he founded as a technology and consulting firm in 2008 after leaving Yahoo to enable enterprises to get value out of their data assets and optimize or create new business models based on the evolving economy of interactions.
2024 Featured speakers
2023 attendees included:
What our attendees love about our Forum
Kristine O'Connor
Franklin Park
The Forum is consistently the best conference for finance professionals in the private equity industry! Meaningful content, knowledgeable speakers and ample net…
Joseph Riley
Psilos Group
This is the premier event for CFOs and COOs in private equity. I love the ability to see/hear peers and industry leaders in one event
Jesse M Burwell
RLJ Equity Partners LLC
The event is great for networking and discussing and discovering best practices for PE CFOs.
2024 agenda
Download the 2024 agenda to get a glimpse of what the Forum will look like. If you are interested in a speaking role, please contact Nikki Gale at Nikki.g@pei.group.
View agenda page
Agenda
Day One - Tuesday 8th
Welcome
08:00 - 09:00
Registration & breakfast
08:45 - 09:00
PEI & chairperson’s welcome
Rebecca Lucia, Operating Partner, CFO, Innovation Endeavors
Plenary
09:00 - 09:15
PEI data presentation
Attendees will learn about insights found in PEI’s industry research.
Chris Tamms, Head of Network, Private Funds CFO Network, PEI Group
09:15 - 09:55
Keynote presentation: AI Implementation: Understanding this buzz-worthy technology within the private markets industry
Usama Fayyad
Hear insights from Usama Fayyad about understanding the power of generative AI in the private markets industry, determining when to adopt this technology, the intersection between human relationships and artificial intelligence and more.
Presenter:
Usama Fayyad, Inaugural Director, Institute for Experiential AI and Professor of the Practice, Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University, & Chairman, Open Insights
Usama Fayyad
Inaugural Director, Institute for Experiential AI and Professor of the Practice, Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University, & Chairman, Open Insights
Read bio
09:55 - 10:45
Understanding today’s CFO: maintaining normalcy while adjusting to technological advances
- Balancing traditional finance activities with additional CFO-related responsibilities
- How are CFOs embracing technology to assist with their workload?
- Continuing to showcase the value of the CFO to other teams and leadership members
- De facto CTO: Uncovering challenges that CFOs face due to not having a technology background and how do they overcome that?
- Keeping up with technological evolution at an attainable pace
- Data deliberation
- How are CFOs playing a role in guiding the firm’s data collection and organization practices?
- Balancing the role and responsibilities of a CFO while simultaneously being a data resource
10:45 - 11:15
Networking Break
11:15 - 12:10
Leveraging technology and data for fundraising and LP relations
- Organizational obstacles
- How are you managing internal investment data?
- What should firms be doing with their general industry related deal or portfolio company data?
- How are firms adjusting to the current market?
- Utilizing external and internal resources
- Demonstrating firm-wide operational excellence to both new and existing investors (i.e., investor onboarding, data repositories, reporting methods, templates, due diligence, etc.)
- Approaching operational complexities of working with different types of investors (institutional investors, high-net-worth investors, family offices, etc.) and international investors as a whole
- How can technology help GPs respond to their investor’s requests at a faster pace?
Panelist:
Robert Severo, Partner & Chief Compliance Officer, Sapphire Ventures
Breakout Panel Discussions
12:15 - 13:05
Track A: Moving away from Excel: methods and resources for performing valuations while appeasing to external parties
- Steps firms should take in order to eliminate the use Excel
- What valuable programs and software exist to assist with calculations?
- Cost/benefit to keeping valuations in house vs. outside the firm?
- Building trust: how much manual work will continue to be done once a technological process for conducing valuations is in place?
- How are firms adjusting their valuation policies and methods to meet regulatory and LP concerns?
12:15 - 13:05
Track B: Assisting CFOs with balancing fund and management company workloads
Jackie Dao,
David Mackey
- How does technology help firms circulate capital from the management company to the fund?
- Utilizing expense allocation software across the firm and between funds
- Data collection and analysis
- Using and synthesizing data to make informed decisions, set goals and track performance across the firm, funds and portfolio companies?
- Challenges with gathering portfolio company financial metrics and data
- Understanding technological capabilities and limitations when involving fund administration software or third parties to the mix
- Developing fund mechanics that align with the regulatory, tax and economic environments
- Calculating costs
Panelists:
Jackie Dao, Chief Financial Officer, Reach Capital
David Mackey, CFO, Catalyst Health Ventures
Networking Luncheon
13:05 - 14:05
Networking Luncheon
Breakout Panel Discussions
14:10 - 15:00
Track A: Compliance <$4B AUM: Utilizing technology to assist with ongoing regulatory updates
- Must have resources for managing compliance for firms <$4B
- How do firms enhance their programs?
- Building risk awareness around technology utilization (i.e., confidentiality, conflicts of interest, etc.)
- Making sure technology policies are up to date
- Private Funds Rule preparation
- Approaches to new reporting cycles (45, 60, 90 day) and the role technology can play to assist
- The race against time to adopt applications and templates that help firms meet requirements
- Getting ahold of and protecting any external firm property, knowledge and information
- Managing third parties and external software
- Vendor compliance policies
- Preparing for the inevitable: getting a grasp of the SEC’s stance on technology implementation and use of third-party providers
- What role does your firm play in overseeing portfolio company technology implementation?
- What’s next on the SEC’s agenda and how to stay ahead?
14:10 - 15:00
Track B: Compliance >$4B AUM: Utilizing technology to assist with ongoing regulatory updates
- Must have resources for managing compliance for firms >$4B
- How do firms enhance their programs?
- Building risk awareness around technology utilization (i.e., confidentiality, conflicts of interest, etc.)
- Making sure technology policies are up to date
- Private Funds Rule preparation
- Approaches to new reporting cycles (45, 60, 90 day) and the role technology can play to assist
- The race against time to adopt applications and templates that help firms meet requirements
- Getting ahold of and protecting any external firm property, knowledge and information
- Managing third parties and external software
- Vendor compliance policies
- Preparing for the inevitable: getting a grasp of the SEC’s stance on technology implementation and use of third-party providers
- What role does your firm play in overseeing portfolio company technology implementation?
- What’s next on the SEC’s agenda and how to stay ahead?
GP-only Peer-lead presentations
15:05 - 15:35
Portfolio company monitoring
Adrienne Mangual
Tools of the trade: unearthing the biggest operational challenges and resources to assist (GP-only)
GP attendees will have the opportunity to gather for peer-led presentations addressing some of the industry’s greatest challenges while utilizing various tools and approaches to achieve operational efficiency.
Presenter:
Adrienne Mangual, VP Finance & Operations, The Artemis Fund
15:05 - 15:35
Fund administration
Tools of the trade: unearthing the biggest operational challenges and resources to assist (GP-only)
GP attendees will have the opportunity to gather for peer-led presentations addressing some of the industry’s greatest challenges while utilizing various tools and approaches to achieve operational efficiency.
15:05 - 15:35
Investor reporting
Tools of the trade: unearthing the biggest operational challenges and resources to assist (GP-only)
GP attendees will have the opportunity to gather for peer-led presentations addressing some of the industry’s greatest challenges while utilizing various tools and approaches to achieve operational efficiency.
15:35 - 16:05
Networking break
Breakout Panels with Peer-to-Peer Workshops
16:15 - 16:35
Panel A: Assembling a robust technology infrastructure for private equity firms
These sessions will be more interactive than a traditional breakout panel discussion. The sessions start with a 20-minute panel discussion and will be followed by a 30-minute interactive peer-to-peer workshop. At the end of the workshop, group leaders will come back to the panel table to present key takeaways from each small group.
During this portion, our expert speakers will share their backgrounds and tips and tricks they learned while scaling their own firms
16:35 - 17:15
Workshop A
Jessica Duran,
Ivor van Esch
During the workshop portion, the audience will be broken into small groups for peer-to-peer discussions led by the panelists. Topics for discussion in small groups include:
- What are the key drivers for technology adoption at your firm?
- Investor expectations, response to new regulatory requirements, market volatility, the need for more data, etc.
- Implementing AI
- How are firms utilizing or thinking about applying artificial intelligence amongst finance and operations teams?
- Where is human intervention needed in PE?
- What is the process for getting new technologies approved at firms?
- What types of technologies offer the most ROI for PE?
- Vendor verification: how are you sourcing and reference checking your vendors?
- What are typical budgets for new technologies at firms at various stages and with various AUMs?
- What types of technologies do you prioritize when you have a limited budget?
Panelists:
Jessica Duran, Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer, TSG Consumer Partners
Ivor van Esch, Chief Financial and Compliance Officer, Knox Lane
16:15 - 16:35
Panel B: Assembling a robust technology infrastructure for venture capital firms
These sessions will be more interactive than a traditional breakout panel discussion. The sessions start with a 20-minute panel discussion and will be followed by a 30-minute interactive peer-to-peer workshop. At the end of the workshop, group leaders will come back to the panel table to present key takeaways from each small group.
During this portion, our expert speakers will share their backgrounds and tips and tricks they learned while scaling their own firms
16:35 - 17:15
Workshop B
Peter Keenan
During the workshop portion, the audience will be broken into small groups for peer-to-peer discussions led by the panelists. Topics for discussion in small groups include:
- What are the key drivers for technology adoption at your firm?
- Investor expectations, response to new regulatory requirements, market volatility, the need for more data, etc.
- Implementing AI
- How are firms utilizing or thinking about applying artificial intelligence amongst finance and operations teams?
- Where is human intervention needed in VC?
- What is the process for getting new technologies approved at firms?
- What types of technologies offer the most ROI for VC?
- Vendor verification: how are you sourcing and reference checking your vendors?
- What are typical budgets for new technologies at firms at various stages and with various AUMs?
- What types of technologies do you prioritize when you have a limited budget?
Panelist:
Pete Keenan, VP of Finance, 645 Ventures
End of day one
17:15 - 19:00
Cocktail reception
Agenda
Day Two - Wednesday 9th
08:00 - 09:15
Registration & Breakfast
Private Funds CFO Network Membership Breakfast Circles
08:00 - 08:40
Emerging Manager
Delegates will enjoy exclusive pre-conference breakfast meetings based on membership circle involvement.
08:00 - 08:40
Women
Delegates will enjoy exclusive pre-conference breakfast meetings based on membership circle involvement.
08:00 - 08:40
Venture Capital
Delegates will enjoy exclusive pre-conference breakfast meetings based on membership circle involvement.
GP-Only Think Tanks
08:45 - 09:25
CFOs & COOs GP Only
Rufina Adams,
Greg Lyon
Designed to facilitate candid discussion, this closed-door session for CFOs and COOs only targets the issues and challenges impacting your firm. Attendees can benchmark ideas and share best practices to help you gain solutions for common concerns facing your office. Entry to these sessions will be verified upon scanning badges at the session room.
Facilitators:
Rufina Adams, Chief Financial Officer, True Wind Capital
Greg Lyon, Partner & CFO, Eclipse Ventures
08:45 - 09:25
Senior Finance & Operations Executives GP Only
Designed to facilitate candid discussion, this closed-door session for all other senior professionals targets the issues and challenges impacting your firm. Attendees can benchmark ideas and share best practices to help you gain solutions for common concerns facing your office. Entry to these sessions will be verified upon scanning badges at the session room.
Plenary
09:30 - 09:35
Chairperson’s opening remarks
Rebecca Lucia, Operating Partner, CFO, Innovation Endeavors
09:35 - 10:15
Keynote interview
Breakout Presentations with Collaborative Case Studies
10:25 - 11:25
Session A: Cybersecurity AUM <$4B
These workshop style sessions provide attendees with the opportunity to problem solve realistic industry crises. These sessions will begin with a 10-minute presentation on a hypothetical scenario and will be followed by small group conversations to develop a course of action step-by-step planning.
The session’s hypothetical scenario will be presented during the session.
10:25 - 11:25
Session B: Cybersecurity AUM >$4B
These workshop style sessions provide attendees with the opportunity to problem solve realistic industry crises. These sessions will begin with a 10-minute presentation on a hypothetical scenario and will be followed by small group conversations to develop a course of action step-by-step planning.
The session’s hypothetical scenario will be presented during the session.
11:25 - 11:55
Networking Break
Breakout Panel Discussions
11:55 - 12:45
Track A: Enlisting data for developing strategic fund finance approaches in today’s market
- Having the proper resources to manage and track liquidity (internal and external)
- Factors to consider when determining the best cash sources for your firm (economic, LP, fund type, etc.)
- When is it the right time to add a new cash vehicle or fund type?
- The increasing popularity of the credit market
- Evaluating risks and rewards when utilizing credit sources (subscription lines, NAV loans, secondaries, GP led funds, etc.)
- Concerns from investors about acquiring non-traditional funds
11:55 - 12:45
Track B: Carried interest complexities: employing technology to maintain and produce fair and equitable programs
Brandy Morris
- Tools of the trade
- What is available to assist with establishing appropriate carried interest percentages and calculations?
- Showcasing individual and firm-wide carry results/breakdowns
- Managing tax, regulatory, economic and LP concerns
- Steps GPs are taking to mitigate clawback risks
- When to use U.S. or European waterfall calculations?
- Other benefits and incentives that can be offered outside of carry
Panelist:
Brandy Morris, Principal, Chief Financial Officer, AB CarVal
Plenary
12:45 - 13:35
Strategically scaling while keeping up with industry innovation
- Aligning the firm’s growth plan with technological advancement
- What does growth look like for various strategies and AUMs?
- How can technology help leaders shift their focus to spend time on more strategic initiatives?
- Getting a hold of the trials and tribulations of talent management as functions are evolving in today’s market (recruitment, retention, cultural shifts amidst a newer working generation, succession planning, etc.)
- The intersection between talent, technology and resourcing
- When to grow internally, scale back or enlist outside assistance?
- Deciding when it’s time to improve upon a process/system or implement new ones to increase productivity
- Demonstrating growth plans effectively to both new and existing LPs
13:35 - 13:40
Closing Remarks
Rebecca Lucia, Operating Partner, CFO, Innovation Endeavors
End of conference
13:35 - 15:00
Lunch
Pre-Event Resources
2024 Speakers
Contact Nikki Gale at Nikki.g@pei.group for speaking opportunities in 2024.
Usama Fayyad
Inaugural Director, Institute for Experiential AI and Professor of the Practice, Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University, & Chairman, Open Insights
Connect with CFOs, COOs and their teams
The Private Funds CFO conferences enable providers to highlight their unique expertise to private equity’s most influential network of c-suite decision-makers. Sponsorship gives you:
- VIP access
- Thought-leadership opportunities
- High-profile branding
- And much more …
For more information on available sponsorship opportunities please contact Josh Stoller at joshua.s@pei.group.
Where CFOs, COOs and CCOs connect, learn and grow
Succeed through the Network
Expand your network, build lasting relationships and discuss opportunities that will help take your firm to the next level with the Private Funds CFO Network.
The Network’s dedicated membership team will ensure your experience at the Data and Technology Forum is first class with personalized introductions and timely roundtable discussions.
Unlock your firm’s potential at the Forum and beyond when you join the Private Funds CFO Network.
Got questions? Our membership team is here to help!
Our network makes decisions that shape markets
We are a professional peer-to-peer membership offering a wide range of resources, thought leadership and networking opportunities. The Network provides members with essential information on market trends, compliance topics, regulatory insights, useful tools, online and in-person events and a comprehensive resource library. Members have access to behind-the-scenes, closed-door conversations among a community of peers who share their knowledge and expertise within our trusted Network.
Marriott Union Square
480 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA, 94108
All conference sessions will take place at the Marriott Union Square. We are offering hotel rooms with a discount.