Best Lokey Podcasts (2026)

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Ep. 107: Jonathan Drillings, Riverside Acceleration Capital | The Right Capital for Early Growth Stage 44:47

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12m ago44:47

44:47

Jonathan Drillings, Partner at Riverside Acceleration Capital, discusses how B2B software companies can bridge the gap between early traction and scalable growth. Jonathan explains RAC’s sister fund model—how growth lending and growth equity are deployed at different moments, what each is designed to achieve and how the two work together as compani…

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Episode 94 - Your next job could be in critical infrastructure (you just don’t know it yet) – with Kao Data 27:13

5d ago27:13

27:13

While critical infrastructure has always been the backbone of the digital landscape, the recent data center boom has caused more people than ever before to become aware of the industry and consider the career opportunities it might have to offer. However, like the tech industry writ large, there’s a perception amongst some outside of the critical i…

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Ep. 106: John Messer, Copilot Capital | Scaling Software Without Losing Focus 35:51

1h ago35:51

35:51

On this episode, John Messer, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Copilot Capital, breaks down how value is built in scaling European B2B software businesses—including how to professionalise go-to-market, sharpen customer segmentation and pricing and use M&A as a focused growth lever. Get practical guidance on sequencing international expansion, mai…

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Bonus episode - Going Nuclear - Can nuclear power the worlds AI ambitions? 47:18

8d ago47:18

47:18

DCD speaks to Dr. Tim Gregory, nuclear scientist at Sellafield, the UK's national nuclear laboratory, and author of the best-selling book Going Nuclear, about the history of nuclear power, how it actually works, and whether it can play a key role in powering the growth of AI both in the UK and further afield.…

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Bonus festive episode - 2025 in review with the DCD editorial team 40:11

19d ago40:11

40:11

This episode is a bit different. With the festive period officially peaking, DCD decided to change tack and instead give you a "year in review," where we talk about our favorite stories from 2025. Join Charlotte Trueman, Zachary Skidmore, Georgia Butler, and Paul Lipscombe as they cover their respective beats. We hope you enjoy it - and happy holid…

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Private Equity Operating Partners as Value Creation Translators with Mike Magliochetti 42:38

14d ago42:38

42:38

Mike Magliochetti, Operating Partner at Riverside Partners and former multi-time PE-backed CEO, explains how operating partners create real value by bridging deal teams and portfolio company leadership. Drawing from three decades as an operator and his book Dancing Between the Toes of Elephants, Mike shares how trust, pattern recognition, and execu…

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Bonus episode - The pathway to compute in space with Sophia Space's Cyrill Glockner 38:51

19d ago38:51

38:51

With data centers in space all the rage, we chat with Sophia Space's Cyrill Glockner about the company's step-by-step approach to putting compute in orbit.

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Episode 79 Michael Butler, Cascadia Capital 44:45

20d ago44:45

44:45

Michael Butler is Chairman and CEO of Cascadia Capital, the independent investment bank that has completed more than 550 deals since Michael co-founded it in 1999. Discussion begins with early stops in Michael’s journey – childhood and college in Washington state, then moving cross country to try his luck in Manhattan, a first job at Morgan Stanley…

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AI-First (Whatever That Means): Hiring Product & Engineering Leaders with Sean Lucq from SPMB 57:19

24d ago57:19

57:19

Jim sits down with Sean Luke (Partner at SPMB Executive Search) to talk about the art of hiring senior engineering and product leaders—especially now that every job description on Earth has "AI" duct-taped to it. We get into why sticking with one great search firm beats "random recruiter roulette," why tech interviewing is tough (spoiler: engineers…

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Episode 93 - Assessing the UK’s fiber landscape with Lee Myall, Neos Networks 29:33

1M ago29:33

29:33

The UK wants more data centers. The government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan, announced in January, is driving operators to look outside of Greater London. We talk to Lee Myall, CEO of Neos Networks – a B2B fiber provider in the UK – about the state of the UK’s connectivity infrastructure, what kind of delays are faced by data center operators in …

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Ep. 105: Andrejka Bernatova, Dynamix | Public-Market Pathways and Investing in Energy 58:17

28d ago58:17

58:17

On this episode, Andrejka Bernatova, Founder and CEO of Dynamix Corporation, shares how investors can evaluate mission-critical energy and infrastructure businesses by focusing on fundamentals such as contract quality, customer durability and operating reality, rather than market sentiment or emerging-tech narratives. Learn about approaches to publ…

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Ep. 104: Dave Lambert, Right Side Capital | Navigating Pre-VC Growth and Funding Paths 38:57

1M ago38:57

38:57

On this episode, Dave Lambert of Right Side Capital Management shares what thousands of early-stage investments reveal about how pre-VC companies actually grow. Get clarity on how to evaluate early traction, set realistic fundraising paths and use capital efficiency to extend runway long enough for product-market fit to emerge. Tune in to hear how …

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Bonus episode - The world of data center funding with Brian Pryor, Houlihan Lokey 38:08

1M ago38:08

38:08

At DCD, we frequently cover stories about data centers getting funding, mergers and acquisitions, and investment in general. But we rarely get to talk to the investment bankers about it. In this episode, we discuss the current financial market in the data center industry - the trends Pryor is seeing, and the inevitability of the AI bubble. Tune it …

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Ep. 103: Giacomo Sonnino, Charlesbank | Driving Growth and Efficiency in Services Businesses 50:56

1M ago50:56

50:56

In this episode, Giacomo Sonnino, Advisory Director and Operating Partner at Charlesbank Capital Partners, shares how top PE firms connect diligence, underwriting and value creation to shape the first 12–24 months of an investment. This discussion highlights how to identify and prioritize the value levers that matter most in services businesses—fro…

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Episode 78 Tim Miner, By the People Technologies (BTP) 49:57

1M ago49:57

49:57

Tim is the CEO and Founder of BTP, an AI Strategy consulting firm devoted to helping private equity firms and other clients understand and develop a competitive advantage by leveraging artificial intelligence. Tim is a clear thinker on what AI is, and what it isn’t. Discussion begins with Tim’s well-traveled boyhood as the son of an oil executive, …

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Ep. 102: Caroline Tarpey, Lead Edge Capital | Moving Beyond AI Hype to Real Operational Impact 41:44

1M ago41:44

41:44

Caroline Tarpey, Managing Director at Lead Edge Capital, outlines a practical approach to AI adoption in PE-backed companies—grounded in trust, clear goals and disciplined execution. She explains why most AI initiatives fall short and where teams can quickly unlock better decision-making and operational efficiency. You’ll learn how AI is transformi…

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Episode 92 - Decarbonizing district heating through data center waste heat with Drew Turner, Danfoss 26:15

2M ago26:15

26:15

DCD speaks to Drew Turner, director of global decarbonization solutions at Danfoss, about how data center waste heat can be best utilized across district heating systems in Europe and further afield.

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Ep. 101: Vik Thapar, Cypress Growth Capital | Non-Dilutive Funding with Royalty-Based Capital 36:55

2M ago36:55

36:55

Shiv sits down with Vik Thapar, Managing Director at Cypress Growth Capital, to explore how royalty-based growth capital helps bootstrapped B2B companies scale without dilution. Vik breaks down when this structure works best, how repayment is designed to support continued growth and why many founders use it to double down on proven sales and market…

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Private Equity Career Lessons from 25 Years with Meranee Phing Naaman 59:32

2M ago59:32

59:32

Meranee Phing Naaman, a trailblazer with over 25 years in private equity and two decades as a senior investment partner at Riverside Company, shares hard-won lessons from building and scaling businesses in consumer markets. She explains why IQ alone isn't enough in PE—you need EQ to sell your vision and LQ (learning quotient) to keep pattern recogn…

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Bonus Episode - How AI changed the regional Edge game with Tesh Durvasula, AtlasEdge 36:06

2M ago36:06

36:06

AtlasEdge emerged in 2021 after Liberty Global and Digital Bridge combined their European assets to make an “Edge” data center player on the continent. Initially, the company targeted smaller data centers - previously positing 4-6MW as the largest it would deploy when talking to DCD, but things have changed. The world has changed. Durvasula was hir…

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Ep.100: Rafael Telahun, Altaline | Rerating Companies Through Hands-On Operational Strategy 40:54

2M ago40:54

40:54

On this episode, Shiv is joined by Rafael Telahun, Managing Director at Altaline Capital Management, to discuss value creation that is built on strategy, rather than just institutionalization. Rafael breaks down how to meaningfully rerate a business by getting hands-on to make improvements like increasing mission criticality, making strategic prici…

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Episode 77 Justin Abelow, Houlihan Lokey 1:00:08

2M ago1:00:08

1:00:08

An urban whirlwind blows through the MMM studios when Justin Abelow drops by. Justin is a long-tenured Managing Director in the financial sponsors group at Houlihan Lokey. He manages to be both a resolute Manhattanite and a global student of business, history and culture. Upper East Side boyhood steeped in the “Masters of the Universe” world of cor…

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Episode 91 - A fast lane for data center grid connection with Amit Narayan, GridCARE 37:13

2M ago37:13

37:13

GridCARE is utilizing AI to identify hidden capacity on the grid, enabling significantly faster connection times for data centers. We speak to its CEO - Amit Narayan - to find out how.

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Ep. 99: Josh Christensen, Mercato Partners | Building Billion-Dollar Ecosystems as a Minority Investor 36:03

2M ago36:03

36:03

Josh Christensen, Director at Mercato Partners, shares how minority growth investors can turn ecosystem-building into a true competitive advantage—without taking control or over-engineering outcomes. Drawing on his experience scaling Mercato’s playbook across non-coastal markets, Josh breaks down what it takes to embed sales, marketing, and human c…

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Private Equity Valuation: Academia vs. Reality 48:09

2M ago48:09

48:09

Sean Mooney, Doug McCormick, and Lloyd Metz dissect the gap between textbook valuation methods and what actually happens when private equity firms decide what to pay for a business. They compare DCF models to LBO models, debate the usefulness of terminal value assumptions, and explain why market-based approaches trump theoretical frameworks. The co…

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Ep. 98: Riccardo Basile, Permira | How to Focus Your Operating Team for Real Impact 39:38

2M ago39:38

39:38

Riccardo Basile, Operating Partner, Head of Value Creation at Permira, shares how firms can turn value creation into a true competitive advantage—without overcomplicating the model. Drawing on his experience building and scaling Permira’s 24-person value creation team, Riccardo breaks down what it takes to embed operating excellence from diligence …

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Episode 76 Jack Markell, Former Governor of Delaware and M&A professional 57:38

2M ago57:38

57:38

Jack Markell – elected five times (without a loss) to state-wide office in Delaware, veteran of more than 200 deals in the telecom industry, home from two ambassadorial postings in Europe – finds himself on the biggest stage yet. Jack more than meets the moment in this MMM episode. Discussion begins with a life-changing trip to India before Jack he…

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Episode 90 - The financial side of data centers, with Julie Brewer, EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure 30:40

3M ago30:40

30:40

There is plenty of talk about power and land availability, but another hurdle to data center growth and development is capital. In this episode, we talk to Julie Brewer, EdgeCore’s EVP of finance, about the different ways data center developers and operators can secure funding - be it through equity or debt. In addition, we discuss how Brewer’s exp…

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Ep. 97: Rita Ferrandino, Arc Capital Development | The Downturn Playbook: How to Thrive When Growth Stalls and Disruption Accelerates 39:53

2M ago39:53

39:53

On this episode Shiv interviews Rita Fiorentino, Co-Founder of Arc Capital Development, to unpack a battle-tested playbook for steering portfolio companies through economic downturns—especially when AI disruption, political volatility, and geopolitical shocks are compressing growth. Rita lays out a disciplined sequence that starts with risk assessm…

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Modernizing Legacy Systems: The CNX Journey from Green Screens to Great Screens 53:13

2M ago53:13

53:13

In this episode of The Private Equity Funcast, Jim Milbery sits down with Jennifer Nelson (CEO of Izzy Software), Richard Malone, Rob Swanson (co-founders of CNX Corporation), and Iwona Montgomery to talk about CNX's nearly 30-year glow-up — from green screens to the cloud. After almost three decades in the biz, CNX just joined forces with Izzy Sof…

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Ep. 96: Jeremy Schein, Corsair Capital | Driving Enterprise Value in Financial Services with Strategic Collaboration 39:53

3M ago39:53

39:53

On this episode Shiv interviews Jeremy Schein, Partner and Member of the Buyouts Investment Committee at Corsair Capital, to discuss how private equity firms can drive enterprise value in financial services through collaborative operating expertise. Jeremy shares Corsair’s approach to partnering with management teams in fintech, payments, and adjac…

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Bonus episode - Forming a cryptomining venture with Donald Trump's sons while pivoting to AI data centers with Asher Genoot, Hut8 43:33

3M ago43:33

43:33

The price of Bitcoin might be higher than ever, but that isn’t stopping companies from pivoting to hosting AI and HPC infrastructure as well as cryptomining rigs. In this episode of DCD>Zero Downtime, Hut 8 CEO Asher Genoot talks about the company’s pivot away from mining cryptocurrencies to become a data center provider for both the crypto and AI …

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Ep. 95: Ed Byrne, Scaleworks | Scaling SaaS with Sustainable Growth through Venture Equity 40:16

3M ago40:16

40:16

On this episode Shiv Narayanan interviews Ed Byrne, co-founder of Scaleworks, a venture equity firm based in San Antonio. Ed shares his background as a software entrepreneur and the lessons learned from his experiences that led to founding Scaleworks ten years ago with partner Lou Moorman. The discussion explores the concept of "venture equity" as …

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Episode 89 - Can we power data centers behind the meter via clean power? With Alex Goodall, Xela Energy 33:51

3M ago33:51

33:51

DCD sits down with Alex Goodall, CEO of Xela Energy, to discuss the company’s rebrand from Clean Energy Capital, and how it aims to deliver behind-the-meter renewable power to the UK’s data center market.

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Episode 75 Kip Wallen, SRS Acquiom 37:43

3M ago37:43

37:43

SRS Acquiom is known to many for shareholder representation, paying agent, escrow agent and other services that help the parties on both sides complete an M&A transaction. They’re also known for the annual Deal Terms Study and other analysis extracted from their data and experience. It turns out there’s a guy for that! Kip Wallen is SRS Acquiom’s S…

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When Things Go Wrong, Part II: Taking Action When Performance Slips 45:44

3M ago45:44

45:44

In this continuation of their conversation on portfolio performance, co-hosts Lloyd Metz (ICV Partners), Doug McCormick (HCI Equity Partners), and Sean Mooney (BluWave) move from diagnosis to action: what to actually do once you know a business isn’t performing to plan. They cover how to tell a temporary headwind from a structural problem, where to…

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Ep. 94: Lindsey Gray, Pacific Lake | Thesis-Driven Search and the Playbook for Scaling CEOs 48:28

3M ago48:28

48:28

On this episode Shiv interviews Lindsay Gray, Partner at Pacific Lake, to explore how the firm backs entrepreneurs through the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) or search fund model—an approach that turns traditional private equity on its head by starting with the entrepreneur before the company. Lindsay walks through Pacific Lake’s indust…

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Episode 88 - Building a fiber network for AI with Bill Long, Zayo Group 32:11

3M ago32:11

32:11

In this episode, DCD catches up with Bill Long, CPO at Zayo Group, to discuss the company’s long-haul fiber build across the US to support the growing demands of AI workloads. Long also discusses Zayo’s acquisition of Crown Castle’s fiber assets and why the Macro Edge provides a worthwhile opportunity.…

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Ep. 93: Kelly Ford Buckley, Edison Partners | Driving Enterprise Value Through Execution-Focused Growth Strategies 45:04

3M ago45:04

45:04

On this episode, Shiv interviews Kelly Ford Buckley, General Partner at Edison Partners, a growth equity firm with over 39 years of experience investing in high-growth software companies in secondary markets. Kelly dives into Edison's hands-on approach to value creation, emphasizing their preference for taking on execution risk over product or mark…

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Episode 74 Steve Tipler, Piper Sandler 50:35

3M ago50:35

50:35

Middle Market Musings kicks off its fifth season with a true survivor. Steve Tipler is managing director in the Financial Sponsors group at Piper Sandler Companies. He has survived a lifetime of Minnesota winters, a long-tenured friendship with Charlie Gifford, 20 years in the investment banking business and becoming a parent in the 1990s and in th…

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Marionettes, Metrics, and Medieval French Lit: A Conversation on UX and Life with Leah Reich 1:56:57

4M ago1:56:57

1:56:57

Jim and Leah dive headfirst into a whirlwind chat that covers everything from the fine distinctions between puppets and marionettes to the equally delicate art of building great user experiences. Leah shares her fascinating journey from a Medieval French literature course at Berkeley to leading UX research at companies like Slack, Spotify, Instagra…

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Bonus episode - An energy OS for data centers with Drew Barrett, Zendo Energy 29:25

4M ago29:25

29:25

Earlier this year, Zendo Energy emerged from stealth and launched an "Energy OS" to enhance energy procurement for the data center industry. DCD speaks to Drew Barrett, COO at Zendo, about the launch and the broader energy market.

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Ep. 92: Drive Pipeline & Revenue Amid Market Uncertainty | Shiv Narayanan, How To SaaS 41:30

4M ago41:30

41:30

In this solo episode of the Private Equity Value Creation Podcast, Shiv Narayanan breaks down the challenges facing portfolio companies in today’s market—and shares a clear roadmap for investors, CEOs, and revenue leaders to drive growth. From slowing sales pipelines to rising competitive pressures and the impact of AI, many companies are underperf…

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When Things Go Wrong: Diagnosing and Fixing Portfolio Problems 39:37

4M ago39:37

39:37

Private equity is messy in real time. In this episode, co-hosts Lloyd Metz (ICV Partners), Doug McCormick (HCI Equity Partners), and Sean Mooney (BluWave) lay out practical ways to spot trouble early, separate market shifts from operator errors, and use forward indicators, not just rear-view financials, to steer. They cover KPI design by business m…

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Episode 87 - The rise of hollow core fiber with Jason Eichenholz, Relativity Networks 41:32

4M ago41:32

41:32

In this episode, DCD chats with Jason Eichenholz, CEO of Relativity Networks, about hollow core fiber (HCF). Eichenholz details the latest developments of the technology, plus its potential to support the AI data center boom, and whether HCF can have an impact on the telecoms sector.

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Ep. 91: Craig Jones, TPE Boulder | Scaling Value in the Lower Middle Market through Strategic Growth 37:48

4M ago37:48

37:48

On this episode Shiv Narayanan interviews Craig Jones of TPE Boulder to discuss value creation in lower middle market private equity, focusing on smaller companies with $2-5 million in EBITDA. Craig shares TPE Boulder’s approach to scaling businesses through organic growth, emphasizing diversification by location and provider, strengthening managem…

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Ep. 90: Gus Araya, Cordillera Investment Partners | Finding Value in Alternative Assets 42:32

4M ago42:32

42:32

On this episode Shiv interviews Gus Araya, Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner of Cordillera Investment Partners, to discuss how PE firms can generate alpha by investing in alternative assets like marinas, music royalties, and spirits. Gus shares Cordillera’s approach to targeting niche, less correlated markets, using a repeatable process to source,…