CFO
Network
Data and Technology Forum
8 - 9 October 2024,
Marriott San Jose, CA
Driving success through data and technology
The Private Funds CFO Network will gather the industry’s top finance and operations leaders at the Data and Technology Forum on October 8-9, 2024 in San Jose, California.
Build lasting relationships and discuss opportunities that will help take your firm to the next level. Benchmark with peers on key topics, such as:
- Maintaining LP relationships
- Assembling a robust technology infrastructure
- Building top tier finance teams
- Managing through growth & scaling firm operations
- And more …
With the SEC cracking down on private funds advisors and a macro environment consistently throwing curveballs at the best laid plans, there has never been a better time to join the Private Funds CFO Network at the Data and Technology Forum.
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.
2023 keynote speakers
Kesha Cash
General Partner
Impact America Fund
Keynote speaker Kesha Cash, discussed Impact America Fund’s investment strategy, historic fundraise, and vision for growth. She also discussed market trends, economic and political factors, and operating environment for private markets in the next 12 months.
Fred Ebrahemi
Chief Operating Officer, Partner, and General Counsel
Clearlake Capital Group
Day 2 keynote speaker, Fred Ebrahemi discussed his experiences as Clearlake grew from $1B vs. $70B AUM. He shared tips for managing through growth, where they struggled as they grew, what he wished he’d know while they were scaling, and what successes he was most proud of.
2023 Featured speakers
2023 agenda highlights
Agendas for the Private Funds CFO Network forums are built through consultation with influential leaders within the private equity CFO & COO community. The topics covered provide relevant information to impact processes and practices within firms, such as:
- Maintaining LP relationships: how to fundraise when you’re not fundraising
- Assembling a robust technology infrastructure
- The dynamic challenges of fund finance amidst bank turmoil and a high interest rate environment
- Building top tier finance teams: aligning skillsets and compensation in today’s labor market
- Managing through growth & scaling firm operations
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 2023 agenda to get a glimpse of what the Forum will look like. If you are interested in a speaking role for 2024, please contact Nikki Gale at Nikki.g@pei.group.
Agenda
Day One - Tuesday 8th
Registration – breakfast
PEI & chairperson’s welcome
PEI data presentation
Attendees will hear about insights found in PEI’s industry research.
Keynote interview
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
Networking Break
Enlisting 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?
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?
Track B Assisting CFOs with balancing fund and management company workloads
- 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
Networking Luncheon
Track A Compliance AUM <$4B 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?
Track B Compliance AUM >$4B Utilizing technology to assist with ongoing regulatory updates
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?
Portfolio company monitoring
Fund administration
Investor reporting
Networking break
Panel A Assembling a robust technology infrastructure for private equity firms
Workshop A:
During the workshop portion, the audience will be broken into small groups for peer-to-peer discussions lead 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 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?
Panel B Assembling a robust technology infrastructure for venture capital firms
Workshop B
During the workshop portion, the audience will be broken into small groups for peer-to-peer discussions lead 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?
Cocktail reception
Agenda
Day Two - Wednesday 9th
Breakfast
Private Funds CFO Network Membership Breakfast Circles Delegates will enjoy exclusive pre-conference breakfast meetings based on membership circle involvement.
Emerging Manager:
Women:
Venture Capital
CFOs & COOs GP Only
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.
Senior Finance & Operations Executives GP Only
Chairperson’s opening remarks
Keynote interview
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.
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.
Networking Break
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
Track B Carried interest complexities: employing technology to maintain and produce fair and equitable programs
- 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
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
Closing Remarks
Lunch
Pre-Event Resources
2023 Speakers
Contact Nikki Gale at Nikki.g@pei.group for speaking opportunities in 2024.
Michele Reing
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Compliance Officer, LongRange Capital
Paul Schoper
Managing Director, Head of Fund Finance Group, Wells Fargo Corporate & Investment Banking
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
Drive success through the Network
The Private Funds CFO Network provides senior finance, operations, and compliance professionals in private markets an exclusive hub to connect, learn, and grow year-round.
By joining the Network, you’ll gain access to a community of peers actively seeking solutions to shared challenges, along with our year-round series of networking events, regular peer meetups, and monthly meetings led by industry experts, providing opportunities to earn CPE credits.
Got questions? Our membership team is here to help!
Monthly meetings
From risk management to AI and automation, members can catch up on timely topics every month with peers.
Member Circles
Connect with like-minded peers in your field, such as Women, Emerging Managers, Venture Capital and more.
Executive Coaching
The Network offers five free hours of virtual executive coaching with our vetted coaches.
Think Tanks
Extend the in-depth discussion of monthly meetings, or ad-hoc topics need to be discussed.
In-person meetups
Local members gather regularly to catch up and connect.
Earn CPE credits
The Network offers 20+ CPE credits throughout the year.
Current members include:
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.