We Just Made Our AI & Data Capabilities Bigger, Better, and Faster
Performance Improvement Partners has acquired AlphaAdvisors, a leading AI and Data advisory and implementation firm. AI and Data have been part of how PIP delivers value for a long time. We have integrated AI capabilities across our diligence work, application modernization, security detection, and data analytics. The AlphaAdvisors team deepens all of that, and adds […]
Does My Company Really Need A Data Strategy?
If you’ve been in the position of advocating for a data overhaul at your organization, you’ve probably heard any number of the following statements from colleagues in leadership: “We’ve always done it this way” – clinging to comfort zones due to a lack of maturity or education, specifically in data and emerging technologies, blocking new paths […]
Designing for Generative AI
Adding generative AI to a product is a little like buying a fancy new microwave with 20 modes, then still only using “30 seconds” button because no one redesigned how you actually heat food. Most teams treat AI like a feature. Something you add to a screen. Something you demo. Something you label “AI” in […]
AI Rush: Ready or Regret
Visionaries, you’ve heard the buzz – AI is the golden ticket, the magic wand, the secret sauce. It’s the future, and everyone’s itching to jump on the bandwagon. But hang on – before you dive headfirst into the AI abyss, let’s chat about the reality check you might be missing. The Tease – Unveiling the […]
Web3 for Beginners: Leverage the Future of the Internet
There is no option today but to ride the rapidly advancing technology wave to remain competitive in business. The implications and potential benefits of Web3, the next generation of the internet, go way beyond cryptocurrencies and cover a range of underlying technologies. This blog series, “Web3 for Beginners: How Businesses Can Leverage the Future of the […]
Beyond Finance Integration: Why Platform & Add-On Integration Has Become Private Equity’s Most Consequential Operational Variable
The Integration Gap: Where Deal Value Erodes Most PE-backed platforms eventually hit the same wall. Revenue has grown — sometimes substantially — but EBITDA hasn’t kept pace, the management team is stretched thin, and the business that shows up to an exit process looks a lot more complicated than the one the deal thesis described. The culprit, more often than […]
Integration & Operational Readiness Checklist for PE Firms
The period between sign and close, and the first 100 days after acquisition, often determines the trajectory of a private equity investment. Despite that, integration planning remains one of the most underfunded disciplines in the deal lifecycle. When operational readiness is treated as an afterthought, value erodes quickly; missed synergies, leadership attrition, customer churn, and stalled initiatives compound faster than most deal […]
Why IT Integration Is Quietly Killing Your Buy-and-Build Returns
Build-and-buy is one of the most powerful strategies in private equity. Done well, serial add-on acquisitions can achieve returns that organic growth alone can’t match. By the third add-on, most platforms aren’t scaling. They’re surviving. Reporting fractures. Security exposure grows with every deal. IT goes from strategic to reactive. Technology shifts from an enabler to a drag on every transaction. The problem usually isn’t the team; it’s that the operating model was not built for six integrations. […]
The Bottom Line on IT Integration: Why EBITDA Depends on Business Integration
IT integration protects your EBITDA. Business integration scales it. Most sponsors conflate the two, and pay for it at exit. Here’s what actually happens post-close on buy-and-build platforms: One ERP. Inconsistent pricing discipline. Centralized reporting. Decentralized decision rights. “Standardized” processes that behave differently by business unit. These aren’t system problems. They’re operating model gaps that technology makes visible but […]
The Synergy Gap: Why PE Firms Miss Value Targets and How to Prevent It
Most PE firms enter a deal with a clear value creation thesis. The problem is what happens after close. For lower-middle-market firms, those investing in companies with enterprise values between $25 million and $500 million, the gap between planned and realized synergies is one of the most common and most expensive issues we see. […]