Chris Smith is a Director at GTCR, a leading private equity firm based in Chicago focused on investing in growth companies. In this conversation, we discuss the firm’s investment philosophy and the Leaders Strategy in which GTCR finds and partners with management teams in core domains to identify, acquire, and build market leading companies. We then do a deep dive on the rise of value based care in the healthcare industry and the opportunities to invest in this revolutionary trend. Chris also walks us through the impact of healthcare regulation on deal dynamics as well as his personal decision to forgo business school after his first two years in private equity.

Thomas Franco is a veteran of the private equity industry and currently leads fundraising at Clayton, Dubilier, & Rice (CD&R), one of the largest and oldest private equity firms in the world. Tom provides incredible insight on his journey into the private equity world, the rise of CD&R in the early days of the industry, and lessons learned from leading fundraising for over 15 years. We also discuss CD&R’s investment strategy and focus on operational value-add, alongside the rise of specialization within the private equity space. We conclude with a conversation on the role his liberal arts education had on his successful career and advice for those interested in finance.

Mike LaSalle is a Partner of Shamrock Capital Advisors, a Los Angeles based investment firm with a rich history of investing in the media, entertainment and communications sectors. He has a wealth of experience in the industry and has served on the board of companies like FanDuel, Harlem Globetrotters International, and Excel Sports Management. On this episode, we discuss the key investment strategies of the firm and how investing in the entertainment and media space differs from other spaces like industrials or consumer. Mike provides amazing perspective from his time on the board of directors at FanDuel, including how they predicted growth in the market given regulation dynamics and what Mike sees as the biggest opportunities in sports going forward. Finally, we wrap up with a discussion on Shamrock Capital’s content fund, the rise of streaming, music as an alternative asset class, and the firm’s acquisition of rights to Taylor Swift’s music for $300 million.

Matthew Nash is a Senior Associate at Silversmith Capital Partners, a Boston-based growth equity firm with $2.0 billion of capital under management. During our conversation with Matt, we discuss his path from investment banking to growth equity and his transition from a largely prescriptive role to a more entrepreneurial one. We walk through a day in the life of a young professional at a growth equity firm, including sourcing and speaking with founders of transformational technology businesses. Matt also describes what he looks for in a potential investment, his interest in SaaS & Information services, and his thoughts on the strategies deployed by new entrants into the growth equity space.

Matt Roesch is a Vice President at HGGC, a leading middle market private equity firm. HGGC is based in the Bay Area, has $5.6 billion in cumulative capital commitments, and has completed over 300 portfolio investments. During our conversation, Matt discusses his motivation to pursue a career in private equity and perspective on his decision to forgo business school after his completing his associate stint. We also walk through the types of investments HGGC focuses on and the primary strategies the firm deploys to help its portfolio companies succeed. Finally, we do a deep dive on the private equity deal process, including sourcing, due diligence, investment proposals, offer letters, and post transaction dynamics.