Private Equity
International
International
Operating Partners Technology Forum San Francisco 2022
3 June 2022,
JW Marriott, Union Square, San Francisco
Unlocking the next frontier in digital value creation
For twelve years, Private Equity International has been the leading organizer of events dedicated to PE and VC value creators, with Forums across the globe gathering over 500 operating partners annually.
In an increasingly digital world, the Forum gathered an elite crowd of technology value creators in PE & VC portfolio operations. Our community of operating partners discussed and debated plans and actions at a rapidly evolving time in history to deliver growth through technology.
It was the place to meet and get a firm grasp on transformation and innovation initiatives with a concentration of tech and digital operating partners, C-level executives, suppliers & resources all in one setting to discuss the best digital strategies in impacting returns.
Carve your niche in technology operations
Hear first-hand perspectives on how to further develop your operational skill set.
Learn key technology strategies to create value
Find the right tools and knowledge to deliver successful cross-portfolio initiatives.
Network with top PE
and VC tech value creators
Meet with the largest community of technology operational experts all in one place.
2022 Agenda highlights
» One hour invitation-only think tanks led by operating partners and designed exclusively for operating partners in PE and VC
» Technology value creation roadmaps throughout the entire lifecycle
» Tech’s war for talent: lessons and opportunities for PE investors
» Doubling down on cybersecurity
» Uncovering cloud transformations success stories
» Technology M&A integration best practices: key steps for PE and their portfolio companies
» The next frontier in data science and advanced analytics in private equity
» The next level of implementing AI/ML for value creation
» Tech due diligence done right: critical elements in pre-deal assessments
» The future of technology and digital initiatives in working with your portfolio companies in the post COVID-19 world and beyond
» Women in PE and VC technology operations discussion (invitation-only)
» Workforce analytics: leveraging data science with talent/portfolio performance
» Digital transformation portfolio company case studies
» Profit driven digital marketing
» Leveraging technology for the finance function
» Operating partner-CIO/CTO dynamics
» Working with third party tech providers and resources
2022 Speakers include
2022 Attendees
The leading West Coast value creation event
Day 1 (June 2)
Unlocking the next frontier in digital value creation
Day 2 (June 3)
2022 Agenda
View agenda page
Agenda
Day 2 - Friday 3rd
07:30 - 09:00
Registration and breakfast
07:30 - 08:25
Think tanks for full-time operating partners — value creation war room (invitation-only)
Carsten Weber,
Richard Spencer
Invitation-only think tank for full-time PE and VC operating partners. This closed-door discussion will allow you to learn and share value creation practices of successful operating partners. The think tank will allow you to submit topics in advance to be covered in the room. Please select one of the two rooms:
Think Tank Room 1: The future of digital operating partner models: comparing models
Facilitator:
Carsten Weber, Technology Director, The Sterling Group
Think Tank Room 2: Uncovering tech solutions, consultants, and third parties for value creation
Facilitator:
Richard Spencer, Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, Operating Partner, Kamylon Holdings
08:25 - 08:30
Chairman’s welcome
Tim Sanders
Chairman:
Tim Sanders, Vice President, Client Strategy, Upwork
Plenary Sessions
08:30 - 09:00
Unlocking the cloud revolution for portfolio value creation
Nikhil Zaveri,
Prashanth (PV) Bóccasam ,
Steve Cochran,
Neil Roseman
- Cloud transformation – external and internal business aspects: how to handle it with your portcos
- Leverage the cloud for security, scalability, and reliability
- Create value through cost optimization and product modernization using Cloud
- Multi-cloud vs. single cloud vs. hybrid cloud
- Understanding the financial aspects of strategic cloud partnerships on revenue and costs
- Looking at the challenges of building and hiring cloud expertise in your companies: how are you dealing with it?
Moderator:
Nikhil Zaveri, Senior Director, Private Equity Oracle Corporation
Panelists:
Prashanth (PV) Bóccasam, Partner, Cota Capital
Steve Cochran, Operating Advisor, Thoma Bravo
Neil Roseman, Technologist-in-Residence, Summit Partners
09:00 - 09:40
Private equity-leadership team alignment in an increasingly digital world
Tim Ziemann,
Ben Johnson,
Lee McCabe
- How is the C-suite evolving? How will CEOs adapt and what does the next generation CEO look like in a more digital world?
- Achieving alignment with leadership, strategy, IT teams, and tech capabilities
- Getting management teams up to speed with tech: how to educate and make them more comfortable with technologies and data to be adopted by their teams
- Technology playbooks and value creation roadmap execution throughout the entire lifecycle
- Understanding the future journey of digital value creation and what management teams need to do in the current environment and years to come
- How are digital operating partners engaging with deal teams and management teams on the value creation thesis and objectives
- Looking at why more firms are hiring Chief Product Officers, Chief Digital Officers, and Chief Data Officers
Moderator:
Tim Ziemann, Senior Manager, Transformation, Grant Thornton
Panelists:
Ben Johnson, Managing Director, Product Management, LLR Partners
Lee McCabe, Operating Partner, AEA Investor
09:40 - 10:20
Digital innovation initiatives in the fast lane: accelerating value creation through tech
Declan Morris,
Eli Potter ,
Neil Roseman,
Jeffrey Stone
- Value creation through technology modernization – what are the most impactful projects and top tech trends?
- Which emerging technologies for value creation have you most excited?
- First-hand examples of how the current environment has accelerated rapid innovation and digitalization (resulting in increased investment in tech) and what comes next?
Moderator:
Declan Morris, Private Equity Transformation Advisor, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Panelists:
Eli Potter, CIO as a Service, Insight Partners
Neil Roseman, Technologist-in-Residence, Summit Partners
Jeffrey Stone, Managing Director, Head of Growth Portfolio Operations, Sixth Street
10:20 - 11:00
Digital transformation portfolio company case studies across different industries
Sarah Walker ,
Anna Carlsmith,
Igor Cherny,
Anders Thulin
- Tech enablement and tech road mapping for mode traditional businesses vs. tech businesses
- Looking at capabilities in supporting portfolio company transformations versus mere optimization
- Operating partners share specific portfolio case studies and war stories in driving and executing digital transformation projects in different industries
- Uncovering use cases in accelerating rapid digital transformation and understanding what works best for your industry
Moderator:
Sarah Walker, AVP, Global Head of Private Equity Practice, Salesforce
Panelists:
Anna Carlsmith, Director, Digital Strategies, H.I.G. Growth Partners
Igor Cherny, Chief Technology Officer, Operating Partner, TSG Consumer Partners
Anders Thulin, Head of Digital and Technology Practice, Triton Partners
11:00 - 11:20
Networking break
Interactive Working Groups Series IV
11:20 - 12:00
Interactive Working Group 7 (for operating partners only) — Digital value creation dos and don’ts: operating partners share best practices
Daniel Boland,
Sanjay Verma
This deep dive discussion designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive roundtable discussion with designated facilitators:
- Use of digital to increase effectiveness and efficiency of portfolio company operations
- Using latest cloud and digital technologies and processes to massively increase your speed of innovation and market success
- Using modern predictive AI and ML approaches to transform operations
Facilitators:
Daniel Boland, Managing Director, AlixPartners
Sanjay Verma, Managing Director, AlixPartners
11:20 - 12:00
Interactive Working Group 8 (for operating partners only) | Winning the war for tech talent: operating partners share their thoughts
Tim Sanders
This deep dive discussion designed solely for operating partners will allow the audience to join an interactive roundtable discussion with designated facilitators:
- Overcoming the challenges associated with tech talent: attracting, retaining, and supporting tech talent in the current environment
- Where and how to find tech talent in a highly competitive environment? What strategies are leading PE portfolio companies utilizing to find great tech talent?
- Understanding what type of tech talent is needed in incorporating key levers such as AI and robotics
- What are challenges and benefits of hiring and onboarding tech talent remotely
- Leveraging tools and resources within the tech war for talent
Facilitator:
Tim Sanders, Vice President, Client Strategy, Upwork
Breakout Series IV
12:00 - 12:40
Track 7 | Tech due diligence and post close integration done right: aligning the digital imperative with your investment thesis
Lou Brothers,
Ori Ben-Moshe ,
Martin Mumford,
Carsten Weber
- Operating partner war stories in looking at successful tech due diligence and post close technology readiness in partnering with investment teams, providers, and target companies
- What is most critical to accurately understand about a company’s technology capabilities and infrastructure pre-deal?
- How to start with digital and tech value creation within your portfolio company: which digital and growth transformation strategies do you prioritize
- How to leverage IT diligence to position the business to scale and avoid post-deal technical integration challenges
- Data for due diligence: assessing the investment through data in looking at potential return
Moderator:
Lou Brothers, Principal, National Leader for Operations Due Diligence, RSM US
Panelists:
Ori Ben-Moshe, Director of Portfolio Operations, ORIX Capital Partners
Martin Mumford, Operating Partner, Angeles Equity Partners
Carsten Weber, Technology Director, The Sterling Group
Lou Brothers
Private Equity & Corporate M&A Diligence and Operations Transformation, RSM US
Read bio
12:00 - 12:40
Track 8 | Working with CIOs/CTOs: dos and don’ts
Rick Brown,
Igor Cherny,
Bobbi Kommineni,
Juliane Stephan
- Understanding how the office of the CIO/CTO is becoming more strategic and what to look for in a CIO/CTO?
- How is the CIO and CTO role evolving? How are backgrounds/required skills changing?
- Does a typical CTO have the relevant expertise to manage a digital value creation plan?
- Sharing operating partner-CIO/CTO dynamics: what works and what doesn’t
- What are the challenges? How are operating partners influencing CTO decision making?
- Looking at best practices in working with different types of companies
- How is the engagement approach changing in a more remote setup?
Moderator:
Rick Brown, President, Emergys
Panelists:
Igor Cherny, Chief Technology Officer, Operating Partner, TSG Consumer Partners
Bobbi Kommineni, Operating Partner, Terminus Capital Partners
Juliane Stephan, Principal, Catalyst Group, Incline Equity Partners
12:40 - 13:40
Networking lunch
Breakout Series V
13:40 - 14:20
Track 9 | Digitizing the customer journey: keys to success
Venkat Sreenivasan,
Ben Cox,
Elizabeth Dresdale,
Margo Hays,
Andy Pickens
- Best practices in digitizing the end-to-end customer experience, process mapping the customer journey: understanding your client journey and driving efficiencies
- Tracking and grasping the level of engagement: how to transform how you interact with customers
- Sharing examples of how portfolio companies have accelerated digital at rapid speed to better center around the customer
- Looking at pricing and retention as a key piece of the puzzle in the digital customer journey
- Understanding how to digitize non digital businesses
- Leveraging data analytics and data for automation
- Applying AIML to optimize the customer experience
Moderator:
Venkat Sreenivasan, Director, AlixPartners
Panelists:
Ben Cox, Operating Director, Sumeru Equity Partners
Elizabeth Dresdale, Principal, The Catalyst Group, Incline Equity Partners
Margo Hays, Managing Director, Digital Strategy, TSG Consumer Partners
Andy Pickens, Managing Director, Data & Digital Transformation, APPS, Apollo Global Management
13:40 - 14:20
Track 10 | Accelerated and differentiated portco operational results through advanced analytics and machine learning
Sebastian de Meel ,
Mark Chamness,
Manek Kapur,
Karl Meyer,
Richard Spencer
The panel explores examples where algorithms and machine learning have been used to discover, validate, and quantify operational risk and capture value opportunities. It will provide insight into leading practices and learnings within the industry. We deep dive into:
- External analytics enabling operational risk analysis
- The deployment of algorithms and machine learning as part of a functional transformation
Moderator:
Sebastian de Meel, Principal, PwC
Panelists:
Mark Chamness, Head of Data Science, Invictus Growth Partners
Manek Kapur, Senior Vice President, Technology Private Equity, Partners Group
Karl Meyer, Managing Director and Head of Portfolio Operations, Digital Alpha
Richard Spencer, Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, Operating Partner, Kamylon Holdings
Breakout Series VI
14:20 - 15:00
Track 11 | Cybersecurity: raising your standards in the current cyber epidemic
Chris Hueneke ,
Brad Strahorn,
Andrew Vittetoe
- First-hand stories in dealing with cybersecurity breaches: what to do and what not to do
- Measures to ensure that no costly active cyber incidents impact the cost of the deal
- How do you define good cybersecurity? What is enough security? How prescriptive are you on cybersecurity? How do you engage with portfolio companies about cyber?
- How to allocate resources to it: how is security diligence changing?
- Cyber training and assessment best practices
- Cost effective portfolio security and risk management
- Addressing cyber liability insurance carrier requirements
Moderator:
Chris Hueneke, Chief Information Security Officer, RKON
Panelists:
Brad Strahorn, Director, Portfolio Support Group, Thompson Street Capital Partners
Andrew Vittetoe, Private Equity – Technology, Partners Group
14:20 - 15:00
Track 12 | Maximizing deal value and return through modern data architectures
Josh Beaver,
Tye Howell,
Gus Spanos ,
Menno Veeneklaas
- Acquisition: how long after closing does it take to begin receiving meaningful financial information? How long after close does it take to begin regularly tracking and acting upon KPIs and OKRs?
- Hold: How do you handle integrations for buy and build strategies? What are the common strategies employed today through modernization? What advantages does moving to a more modern data architecture and automation bring?
- Exit: How are exit timelines affected by the quality of financial reporting? How far in advance of a potential exit do your portcos begin the process of collecting, analyzing and preparing financial information and disclosures?
Moderator:
Josh Beaver, Chief Operating Officer, Overlay
Panelists:
Tye Howell, Managing Director of Data and Digital, Blue Point Capital Partners
Gus Spanos, Co-Founder and Managing Director, SBJ Capital
Menno Veeneklaas, General Operating Partner, Allegro Funds
Plenary Sessions
15:00 - 15:40
The future of finance: 360º cash flow visibility and control — optimization via digitization
Matt Clark,
Larry Cook,
Frederick Shaw
- What finance organizations can do to optimize cash flows via digitization and automation
- Why payment users expect consumer-level speed and convenience – and how to meet those expectations
- Why engaging with the right external tech partner is key to achieving holistic cash forecasting
Moderator:
Matt Clark, President and Chief Operating Officer, Corcentric
Panelists:
Larry Cook, Head of Global Finance and Operations, Flourish Ventures
Frederick Shaw, Chief Risk Officer, Hamilton Lane
Plenary session
15:40 - 16:20
Value creation levers for enterprise software companies — war stories in working with tech portfolio companies
Punit Kulkarni,
Blake Adams,
Prital Kadakia,
Ravi Ravikumar,
Neal Sainani
Historically, PE firms have employed “Buy & Build” strategies with a philosophy of buying, restructuring, and holding assets — all with a plan to sell at the right time. Yet increasingly, enterprise software companies are creating value beyond quick fix initiatives to leverage multiple value creation levers and capitalize on digital transformation. These PEs are now expanding their focus to accelerate product modernization, invest in product line expansion, and explore innovation through ecosystem relationships for their portfolio companies.
Moderator:
Punit Kulkarni, Vice President, Private Equity, Persistent Systems
Panelists:
Blake Adams, Senior Vice President, Tech Opportunities, Bain Capital
Prital Kadakia, Partner, Serent Capital
Ravi Ravikumar, Operating Partner, Cota Capital
Neal Sainani, Practice Director, K1 Investment Management
Plenary Session
16:20 - 16:50
Uncovering tech playbooks and strategies in carveouts and M&As
Aswatha "Amar" Amarnath ,
Greg Caltabiano,
Drew Farris,
Bobbi Kommineni,
Lee McCabe
- Tech M&A integration best practices: key steps for PE and their portfolio companies
- How have you managed to overcome tech stack integration challenges to jump-start the transformation process
- Tech enablement and IT functions to drive value in carveouts
- What must be done swiftly in the first 30 to 60 days
- Getting your management team aligned on key initiatives
Moderator:
Aswatha “Amar” Amarnath, Senior Vice President and Head of Global Sales Operations, Wipro
Panelists:
Greg Caltabiano, Operating Partner, HGGC
Drew Farris, Operating Partner, Trive Capital
Bobbi Kommineni, Operating Partner, Terminus Capital Partners
Lee McCabe, Operating Partner, AEA Investors
16:50 - 17:00
Closing remarks and end of conference
2022 Sponsors
Sponsorship and Engagement Opportunities:
The Operating Partners forums and events are the most efficient and effective way to connect directly with private equity operating partners and value creation experts. To learn more about ways to create a customized program that maximizes your desired impact and to engage with PEI’s operating partners community, complete the inquiry form or contact Lawrence Dvorchik by email Lawrence.d@peimedia.com or call +1 646 545 4429.
Pre-Event Resources
pdf
Private Equity/Venture Capital Compensation Report - Executive Summary
By Private Equity International
2022 Speakers
Venue and hotel
JW Marriott
515 Mason St
San Francisco, CA 94102
Explore our exclusive operating partner only networking
Operating Partner exclusive networking events took place throughout the Forum. The Forum provided operating partners with opportunities each day to network and share thoughts with operating partners. Explore the various interactive working groups, think tanks, breakfast sessions and receptions.
Pre-event networking reception on June 1
5:30 – 8:00 pm: Operating Partners only welcome cocktail reception (invitation-only)
Dirty Habit, 12 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA
Join other operating partners attending the Operating Partners San Francisco and Technology Forum in a casual gathering to see old friends and meet new operating partners.
Pre-event Women in PE and VC Portfolio Operations Dinner (invitation-only) on June 1
8:00 pm: Women in PE and VC Portfolio Operations Dinner (invitation-only)
Dirty Habit, 12 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA
Join PEI and Simon-Kucher & Partners as we welcome the women in PE and VC portfolio operations attending the Operating Partners Technology Forum for a private sit-down dinner to facilitate networking before the conference.
Hosted by:
Featured networking opportunities
Think Tank sessions
Hosted by your fellow operating partner peers, these closed-door rooms will allow you to learn and share best practices of successful operating partners. The thinks tanks will allow you to submit topics to be covered in looking at best value creation practices and the toughest challenges operating partners face daily.
Interactive Working Groups
These exclusive deep dive discussions only available to operating partners allow you to participate in interactive roundtable discussions with designated facilitators.
Women’s networking lunch
This closed-door lunch discussion will explore what it’s like being a woman in PE and VC portfolio operations.
Breakfast Deep Dive discussion
Join fellow operating partners for a portfolio operations breakfast deep dive discussion (invitation-only).