Private Equity FunCast
Episodes
Social Media Strategies for Middle Market B2B Companies
19 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jim talks about all things social media with Cappy Popp and John Maver from Thought Labs -- a leading Digital Marketing Strategy company. We've worked...
Should you consider hiring graduates from a coding bootcamp
11 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Alan and Jim spend a fun hour talking with Zeke Nierenberg, Academic Director/Chicago from Fullstack Academy. Fullstack teaches qualified non-programm...
Out on the cutting edge with Go!
03 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Alan and Jim spend an hour talking with Ben Johnson, author of BoldDB and and freelance Go developer. The Go language is a relatively new open sourc...
ParkerGale Visits the "Journeys" Podcast
26 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Devin sits down with Jeremie Bacon, CEO and Founder of Synap, to discuss Private Equity, Managing People and Movie Quotes.
Influencer Marketing -- Does it add value for B2B companies?
21 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jim is back talking with Brian Walker, CEO of AE Marketing Group on the topic of Influencer Marketing. Does it work for B2B companies? Why or Why ...
If it isn't broken there's no need to upgrade it
15 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Alan and Jim spend a fast half hour talking when you should consider upgrading older pieces of custom (homegrown) software. You don't have to upgrade ...
A Brief History of Application Programming Interfaces -- and why you need them.
06 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Alan spend an hour arguing about whether you should consider bolting an application programming interface onto older applications as a path to...
A Founder's Guide to Brand Marketing -- It's Not About Advertising
23 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
The first of many conversations with Brian Walker CEO of AE Marketing Group. We've found that Marketing is often the third wheel at small companies...
How do PE firms differentiate themselves?
11 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We all know there are tons of Private Equity funds. So what are the ways they try to stand out from the crowd? We cover the four biggies: Focus, Size,...
Slowing Down Sales ... On Purpose!
05 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Alan, Jim and Kristina talk about a rare phenomenon in technology -- slowing down sales -- intentionally! Faced with the need to undertake some majo...
Migrating Legacy Applications with Amazon WorkSpaces
01 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
We recently had to find a home for a legacy client/server accounting application, running in a location that was far, far away. The software came to...
Surviving in the Valley of Anguish
26 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Alan talk in detail about the Valley of Anguish and how to survive it. All large projects (ERP implementations, software re-writes, data ce...
The Seven Deadly Sins of Private Equity
13 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim discuss the seven deadly sins of private equity -- sins that will turn a good deal into a bad deal. -- Pride: Don't admit what you don'...
Is Business School Worth It?
24 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Devin interviews podcast darling Kevin Fitzgerald on his return to private equity after two years at Harvard Business School. Kevin talks about why he...
Don't Make These Mistakes When Implementing NetSuite
16 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jim talks with our old friend and colleague, Dirk Shimpach about the most common mistakes we make when implementing NetSuite. We've done six impleme...
DevOps for Founders and CEOs
03 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Alan and Jim discuss DevOps -- the intersection of software development and managing the deployment and operations of software. We provide a simple ...
Debunking The Failure Mythology
19 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim spend some time talking about the "Failure Mythology" -- the idea that you need to fail in a big way on the path to building a great co...
Radio Killed the Podcast Star
13 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Small change of pace. Here's a replay of Kristina's WGN Business Lunch interview talking about private equity, being a mom and other fun stuff.
Bootstrapping & Selling Your Software Company
03 May 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Devin sits down with Dave Will, the founder of Peach New Media, a software company he founded, bootstrapped and recently sold to AccelKKR. Dave gets p...
Can Unicorns Hurt Buyouts?
26 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim talk about Unicorns -- not the mythical horse with a horn, but rather the club of billion-dollar-plus tech companies. How is this market...
Board Meetings -- The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
19 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim welcome their partner Kristina to her first podcast where they talk about how to run a good board meeting. Who to invite, what to cover,...
It's a LOG way to the top if you want to rock'n'roll
15 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Alan and Jim spend some time talking about tracking events and errors in application software logs. Most companies are at least monitoring their...
March Madness 2016 -- Elite Eight
04 Apr 2016
Contributed by Lukas
It's our annual March Madness show. Hosted by two guys that don't know a THING about college basketball -- so our March Madness is all about Private...
Most Common Technology Challenges that we find when we acquire a founder-owned technology company
24 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Alan spend some quality time talking about the most common technology challenges that we uncover when we acquire a founder owned technology co...
How PE Hires Management Teams
18 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Devin sits down with Chris Morgan, the founder of Lantern Partners, an executive search firm focused on hiring C-Suite executives at PE-backed compani...
Shiny New Toy Syndrome -- And what the Founder can do about it.
11 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Alan and Jim spend some quality time talking about the Shiny New Toy problem (SNTS) in software development. The tendency for software teams to pin...
Everything a CEO Wants to Know About Technical Debt
04 Mar 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Alan spend a fast hour talking about technical debt. It's everything that a CEO/CFO/COO or Founder needs to know about technical debt -- an...
Hey, You, Get Onto My Cloud
23 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Alan talk about the Cloud. Private clouds versus public clouds. Should you ditch your own server room and move everything to the Cloud? ...
Exchanging Data 101 -- Email, FTP, SFTP, DropBox, Box, S3 and More!
12 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Alan discuss the history and details of exchanging data between companies and applications. Email might be the easiest and quickest techniqu...
The Myth of the Full Stack Developer
29 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jim talks with Alan, Simon and Tiago about the myth of the full stack developer. Alan plays the role of the database and webservices architect. Sim...
Technology Trends for 2016 -- What's Hot and What's Not?
21 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Alan talk about the technology trends for 2016. What's on the rise? What technology is falling out of favor? What will be the most hype...
Native Mobile Applications vs. HTML5 Apps with the Developertown Crew
14 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Jim spends a fast hour talking with the Developertown crew about all things mobile. Should you develop native iOS and Android applications? Is it...
The Associate Role in Private Equity
06 Jan 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Description: Cass Gunderson recently joined ParkerGale as an Associate so we check in with her about how she landed the job, what she did before she...
Working with Portfolio Companies as an Operating Partner
23 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Second part of our two-episode series on the Operating Partner role in private equity. In this second episode Devin and Jim talk about engaging wit...
Working as an Operating Partner in a Private Equity Group
10 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
First part of a two-part episode focused on the vaunted "Operating Partner" role in private equity. In the first part, Devin talks to Jim about his ...
Top Ten Common Mistakes When Implementing Salesforce.com
30 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The last of a four-part series. Jim talks with Kamela Arya about the most common mistakes that companies make when implementing Salesforce.com. ...
Salesforce.com Part III -- The dreaded implementation plan
18 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
The third segment in our four-part series on Salesforce.com for the middle market. In this episode Jim and Kamela talk about the implementation pro...
Implementing Salesforce.com Part II -- Licensing and Implementation Costs
04 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Part two of our implementing Salesforce.com series. This time around we talk with Kamela Arya about which modules to license, how much they cost to l...
The Ruby on Rails Episode with Developertown
23 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim spends an hour with Developertown's Michael Kelly and Aaron Lerch talking about Ruby on Rails -- why Jim hates it and why they love it.
All Things Salesforce.com With Kamela Arya
15 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Part one of a three-part series on Salesforce.com. Jim talks with longtime SFDC collaborator and implementer, Kamela Arya about everything you need...
The Deal Flow Episode
01 Oct 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim finally cover the most important thing a PE fund can do -- find deals. They cover how they source deals, the banks and brokers they targ...
A founder-level discussion of the perfect technology stack with Alan Williamson
24 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A lengthy discussion with Alan Williamson on the "perfect technology stack". In today's environment do you HAVE to be running on Linux, or is Windo...
Vertical Scaling vs. Horizontal Scaling for the Non-technical listener
11 Sep 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Alan and Jim talk about the ins and outs of making applications run faster and scale to handle lots of users. We compare the two choices for scaling...
ParkerGale's Updated Technology Stack
31 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim catalog all of the software that the ParkerGale team has been using on a daily basis over the past year. We discuss the pros and cons ...
Lessons from Amazon's Culture Clash
21 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim discuss the New York Times Amazon article. Is driving your people into the ground the only way to build successful technology companie...
After the Letter of Intent: Everything that a Founder Needs to Know
13 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim talks with Ryan Milligan about all the different steps in closing a deal after the Letter of Intent gets signed. Everything that a Founder need...
Dominate a Niche or Build a Better Mousetrap
06 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Devin discuss the two types of companies that we see in the middle market. You can either dominate a niche market (such as software targete...
Public Investors vs. Private Investors -- Who is Smarter?
30 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Ryan Milligan joins Jim and Devin to talk about Unicorns and argue about whether the public markets are smarter than the private markets. For the fo...
More Product Management Fun with Grant Hunter
24 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim talks in detail with Grant Hunter about the Product Manager role in middle market companies.
Introduction to Product Management with Grant Hunter
16 Jul 2015
Contributed by Lukas
A gentle introduction to product management with Grant Hunter.
Innovator's Dilemma Meets the Blue Ocean
30 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Devin discuss the Innovator's Dilemma and Blue Ocean Strategy as it relates to middle market portfolio companies.
Apple's 2015 WWDC Summary
22 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim talks with Evan Delaney about his trip to Apple's World Wide Developer Conference in SF.
A Micro Discussion About Microservices
12 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim talk about the role of leveraging microservices development in middle market companies, mixing classic development with microservices --...
What Private Equity Can Learn From Venture Capital (Episode 61)
04 Jun 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim discuss the corollary to Fred Wilson's "What VC can learn from Private Equity".
The role of the outside board member with Glenn Winokur (Episode 60)
29 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim talks about the role of the outside board member with Syapse CEO/Co-Founder and Emerson Street Partners founder Glenn Winokur.
Our "Should we be Agile" Manifesto Episode (Episode 59)
15 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Devin talk about Agile, SCRUM and our experiences with various engineering project management schemes.
Finding Value in Tech Buyouts.
07 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim talk about applying Howard Marks' principles of value investing in technology buyouts.
It's time for us to talk about the Apple Watch
28 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim chats with Evan Delaney about the out-of-the-box experience with the Apple Watch as the first batch gets delivered.
The Quinn Mathews Interview Episode
16 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Quinn grills Devin and Jim on everything from their backgrounds to which kinds of potatoes that they prefer.
PE FunCast Final Four 2015
10 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim, Devin and the Commissioner For Life, Ryan Milligan run down our 2015 Final Four results.
March Madness Private Equity Bracketology 2015 Discussion
02 Apr 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim interviews FunCast Bracketology Commish, Ryan Milligan in preparation for next week's "Final Four".
Are Technical Bootcamps Worth the Money?
27 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Devin discuss the pros and cons of technical bootcamps.
Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose - Part two of our "Drive" discussion
16 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Devin talk in detail about Daniel Pink's autonomy, mastery and purpose with a sidebar into "fairness".
ParkerGale's Tech Stack
05 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Devin discuss the technology stack that we use to run our business.
Everything that you need to know about eLearning with Joe Gorup
27 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim talks to Joe Gorup about using eLearning in the middle market.
Motivating Management Teams the "Pink" Way
20 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim discuss Daniel Pink's "Drive" as it relates to their portfolio companies.
We're Not Fooled By Randomness Anymore
13 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim talk about Nassim Nicholas Taleb's gem, "Fooled by Randomness"
Crossing the Chasm and the Middle Market
05 Feb 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim talk discuss Geoffrey Moore's groundbreaking book "Crossing the Chasm" as it applies to the middle market.
NetSuite Implementation Part Deux -- The CFO Interview
29 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Jim talks to portfolio company CFO, Mike Welch about his initial experiences with our ongoing NetSuite implementation.
Our Annual Prediction Show 2015
31 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Devin, Ryan Harris, Ian Larkin and Brad Simmons make their predictions for 2015 ... and BEYOND!
Xmas Eve Spectacular with Chicago Chef John Caputo
24 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Devin talk restaurants and cuisine with Chicago's own Chef John Caputo.
Our NetSuite "Serial" - Part I
19 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Dirk Shimpach talk through a complete NetSuite implementation at one of our portfolio companies, "serial podcast" style.
TechStars Chicago
11 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Devin talk shop with Troy Henikoff from TechStars Chicago.
Thanksgiving 2014 Extravaganza
27 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim give thanks for all of our listeners, colleagues and friends.
Exit Events for Private Equity Tech Companies
20 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Devin talk about the various exit strategies for private equity-backed tech companies.
The Founder's role in making an entreprenurial organization
12 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim talk with Tim Kelly on his research what makes a company "entreprenurial".
ParkerGale Capital
20 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim introduce their new firm, Parker Gale Capital
Founder Transitions. Don't be a Larry!
02 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim discuss succcession planning for founders.
It's our one year anniversary -- and you get the gift!
10 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Milbery's Mazlow's Hierarchy of Software Needs. We are officially a year old today and have we got a gift for you. Jim and Devin spend an hour dis...
Getting Sideways with Management
02 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when your relationship with management goes south? This episode is by request How do relationships between the private equity guys and...
Private Equity Lingo: The Podcast
20 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
As a follow-up to Devin's (surprisingly) popular PEHUB column from early August, Devin and Jim expound on the lingo inside a PE firm. This isn't spo...
Nadella's Public Strategy Letter
23 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim talk about Satya Nadella's public strategy letter on the future of Microsoft aka "Bold Ambition & Our Core". How does this apply to...
Apple's Swift programming language
09 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jim sits down with Evan Delaney to talk about Apple's new Swift programming language, the pros the cons -- and whether companies should be jumping int...
Building your iOS application
30 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jim sits down with Evan Delaney to talk about approaches you can use for building your mobile applications on the Apple platform. Although we do get...
Roadside MBA : Hiring your team
17 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim sit down with Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Professor Michael Mazzeo to discuss his upcoming book: Roadside MBA: Back Road L...
The Haiku Episode
12 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
A Series of PE Haikus for the sophisticated listener. A light-hearted conversation with Matthew Craig-Greene of Pivot Partners Ltd -- our Thursday g...
Roadside MBA : Product Differentiation and Price
10 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim sit down with Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Professor Michael Mazzeo to discuss his upcoming book: Roadside MBA: Back Road L...
Roadside MBA - Introduction
03 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim sit down with Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Professor Michael Mazzeo to discuss his upcoming book: Roadside MBA: Back Road L...
The Mind of the CEO
29 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Uber-Associate Kevin Fitzgerald sit down with Steve Julius, PhD aka "Dr. J" to talk about organizational behavior and team dynamics. Dr. ...
Life and Times of a Private Equity Associate
10 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
We sit down with a real life Associate from a real life private equity fund. Removed from his natural habitat and placed in captivity in Chicago, Kevi...
The Must React System
09 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The FunCast spends an hour with "Must React" sales system founder Kraig Kleeman. Everything that you need to know about persuasion, sales transform...
The Mid Roll Chat
02 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The FunCast spends an hour with Macworld writer and podcast impresario Lex Friedman from The Midroll -- home of 130+ podcasts. Everything that you ...
The Art (and Science?) of the LOI
24 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The FunCast spends another hour with McDermott Will & Emery LLP Partner Ryan Harris breaking down an actual private equity letter of intent. We go t...
Game of Pivots
14 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jim and Devin discuss the vaunted venture "pivot" and its applicability, or lack there-of in the private equity business.
Forty Minutes With The Mad Scotsman
04 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jim trades programming barbs, tips and opinions with the guru of application development, Alan Williamson.
Madness Márta
27 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Devin and Jim don't follow college basketball, but they have cooked up their own version of March Madness.
Parfait Sundae: Lending to Middle Market Companies
17 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Bring out your debt! We've talked a lot about funding options for owners of mid sized companies but we haven't covered debt yet. Well, here you go...
Implementing NetSuite
10 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Interview with Dirk Shimpach, President of goVirtualOffice -- a "NetSuite Solution provider and cloud technology advisor that helps companies find the...
A Parade of Terribles: Founder Legal Traps to Avoid
03 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
The FunCast spends an hour with McDermott Will & Emery LLP Partner Ryan Harris talking about the legal traps founders fall into when setting up their ...
Whaaaaaazup Microsoft
27 Feb 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Microsoft isn't going away soon as an enterprise server and platform vendor. So there's little risk in building your server platform on Microsoft in...