The Private Equity Podcast, by Raw Selection
Hosted by Alex Rawlings, Managing Partner of Raw Selection, a specialist executive search firm. Join us as we interview the leading experts in Private Equity, unlocking their secrets of success to share with you.
Discover how some of the top Private Equity professionals got into Private Equity, how they rose to success and learn about some of the mistakes they made along the way.
Alex has strong connections to the Private Equity industry through his executive search firm, Raw Selection, which specialises in working with Private Equity firms and their portfolio companies across Europe and North America. Alex is straight talking and to the point and aims to unlock real gold you can build into your firm or portfolio companies. Find out more at www.raw-selection.com
Episodes
183 episodes
How Private Equity Can Win With AI-Driven Hiring | Greg Nieuwenhuys
Guest: Greg Nieuwenhuys – PE Operator & Founder, Generative AI Strategy Host: Alex Rawlings – CEO, Raw Selection🔍 Episode Summary:Greg Nieuwenhuys returns to share a practical, step-by-step AI Play...
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33:09
Inside Alpine Investors: How Mark Strauch Scales Leadership to Drive 1,000+ Deals
🎙️ The Private Equity Podcast – Mark Strauch, Founding Partner & President, Alpine Investors⏱️ Key Takeaways & Timestamps:00:00 – Intro Alex welcomes Mark Strauch to discuss Alpine’s unique ...
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40:45
How Amias Gerety Wins in Venture When Others Chase Hype
In this episode, Alex Rawlings speaks with Amias Gerety, Partner at QED Investors, a leading fintech-focused VC firm managing nearly $1B in assets. Amias shares insights on venture capital strategy, staying disciplin...
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32:23
Why Outsourcing Fund Admin Is the Smartest Move PE Leaders Can Make in 2025 With Michael Von Bevern
Episode OverviewIn this episode, Alex Rawlings welcomes Michael Von Bevern, Co-Managing Director for Sunterra Fund Services, to discuss the evolving landscape of fund administration in private equity. Michael shares nearly two dec...
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20:25
Inside the LP Mindset & Mastering Co-Investments | Joe Basrawy, Partners Capital
In this episode, host Alex Rawlings is joined by Joe Basrawy, Managing Director at Partners Capital, a global multi-asset investment firm serving some of the world's most sophisticated investors — including private equity f...
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26:29
Operating Partners Are the Future of Private Equity | Jeremiah Wanzell on Consumer Brand Growth
In this episode, Alex Rawlings is joined by Jeremiah Wanzell, a seasoned consumer brand executive with leadership roles at Hugo Boss and Calvin Klein, and now an operating partner working with private equity firms to drive growth in the consume...
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20:56
How Top Talent & Consumer Trends Drive $1.3B Growth With William Quartner
🔹 Episode Overview: In this episode, we’re joined by William Quartner, Partner at Prelude Growth Partners, a New York-based private equity firm dedicated to the high-growth consumer space. William shares insights from his impressive ...
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22:20
Inside the Psychology of Elite Founders (What 9-Figure Exits All Share) with Greg Moran
Guest: Greg Moran – Multi-exit founder, investor, and Managing Partner at Evergreen Mountain Equity Partners Host: Alex Rawlings, Founder of Raw Selection⏱️ Timestamps & Topics00:00 – Introduction t...
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34:13
Marketing That Delivers: Direct Response Tactics for Private Equity with John Dwyer
🕒 Episode Timestamps & Show Notes00:00 – Introduction Alex welcomes John Dwyer, Founder of The Institute of WOW, to explore how direct response marketing can drive real results for private equity firms and ...
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29:17
How Brett Hickey Built a $Billion Firm From Nothing | Leadership & PE Lessons Every CEO Must Hear
Episode Summary: In this insightful episode, Alex Rawlings is joined by Brett Hickey, the CEO and founder of Star Mountain Capital. Brett shares his unique journey from humble beginnings in Northwestern Canada to leading a multi-bill...
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43:16
Private Equity’s GTM Wake-Up Call: Talent, Segmentation & the $500M Mistake
🧠 Episode Summary: In this insightful episode, Alex Rawlings is joined by Brian Reavell, Founder of R-Squared Advisors and seasoned Private Equity Operating Partner, to dive deep into the world of go-to-market (GTM) strategi...
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36:56
How AI and Product Strategy Are Reshaping Value Creation
🔍 Episode Overview:In this episode, Alex Rawlings is joined by David Rowley, Operating Partner at Diversis Capital, to explore how private equity can drive value creation through smarter product strategies and the in...
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26:43
Why Founders Are Saying No to Buyouts — Hidden River’s Game-Changing Capital Strategy
🎙️ The Private Equity Podcast — Episode with Graham Bachman, Hidden River Strategic CapitalGuest: Graham Bachman, Managing Director & Head of Business Development at Hidden River Strategic Capital Host: Alex ...
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18:40
From Army Officer to PE CEO: 4 Mistakes Killing Portfolio Performance (Otis Spencer)
The Private Equity Podcast – Show NotesGuest: Otis Spencer Host: Alex Rawlings Episode Title: Lessons in Leadership: From Army Logistics to PE Operating Partner & CEO Success🎙 Episode Overvi...
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31:09
From Investor to Operator: Hard Truths from 35 Years in Private Equity with Matthew Kearney
This episode is packed with pragmatic advice and “growth hacks for operators” – get your pen ready.⏱️ Episode Highlights & Timestamps:00:03 – Introduction Meet Matthew Kearney: 35 years in private equity, fro...
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32:41
How your competitors are using AI in the Private Equity industry with Greg Nieuwenhuys
Guest: Greg Nieuwenhuys – Private Equity Advisor, Chairman & AI Expert Topic: Unlocking Generative AI for Private Equity & Portfolio Companies🔹 Intro & Background (0:00 – 2:00)Greg shares ...
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31:21
Investing in the hospitality industry with Nate Edgerly
In this insightful episode, Nate Edgerly, CEO of Enzo Group Inc., discusses his journey from CPA at PricewaterhouseCoopers to a seasoned private equity investor and executive leader in the hospitality industry. Nate shares valuable insights on ...
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29:49
Building a $2.3 billion-dollar business from the ground up with Jeff Zwiefel
In this episode, Alex speaks with Jeff Zwiefel, former President & COO of Life Time, about scaling the business from $139M to $2.3B in revenue and navigating multiple private equity exits and IPOs. Jeff shares how a people-first culture and...
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49:04
The professionalisation of Private Equity with Henry Ward
In this episode, Alex Rawlings is joined by Henry Ward, CEO and Co-Founder of Carta, to explore the evolving landscape of private equity and venture capital through the lens of software, operations, and professionalization. Henry shares his jou...
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28:00
The most important factor of business with David Feingold
David Feingold, CEO of Broad Street Global, joins us on The Private Equity Podcast to share his 35+ year journey from law to leading one of the largest infrastructure-focused PE firms in the U.S. He unpacks lessons in leadership, hiring, cultur...
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20:40
Raising capital in 2025 with James Varela
Fundraising in 2025 isn’t business as usual. James Varela, Partner at Rede Partners and Head of MENA, joins us to break down what it really takes to raise capital from LPs—especially in the Middle East. We talk DPI pressure, LP targeti...
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29:38
The Lessons Learned from a Private Equity Founder from 19 Acquisitions with Sequoya Borgman
From Big Four to 19 Acquisitions: Sequoya Borgman on Building Borgman Capital Sequoya Borgman, Founder of Borgman Capital, joins the show to discuss his leap from public accounting into private equity, building an independent sponsor...
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20:00
Billion-dollar portfolio executive to infrastructure private equity investor with Chris Rozzell
Chris Rozell, Managing Partner at Cresta, joins us to discuss his journey from portfolio exec to founding a PE firm, scaling businesses to billions, and investing in decarbonization-focused infrastructure. He shares pragmatic insights on ESG, e...
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30:56
The Framework Every Private Equity Investor and Operator Needs in the Tool-Kit with Sam Bendix
Sam Bendix, Partner at Chicago Pacific Founders, returns to share his framework for capital raising using motivational interviewing. He explains how it uncovers real motivations and qualifies prospects faster—without a hard sell. We cover how i...
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52:07
The Pricing Advantage Easy EBITDA Wins with Jared Weisel
In today’s episode, Jared Weisel, SVP at Revenue Analytics, joins us to break down how PE-backed manufacturing and distribution businesses can use pricing to drive serious EBITDA gains. We dive into why most firms ignore pricing, how to avoid c...
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21:03