July 25, 2026
Why Do CEOs See AI Value but Can't Scale It?
Nearly nine in ten CEOs now see AI value, but only in targeted pockets. New BCG data points to the organization underneath the AI as the real blocker on scale.
Insights
Posts tagged PE Value Creation
Notes from inside PE-backed and founder-led software companies, tagged PE Value Creation.
July 22, 2026
How Much Does an AI Audit Cost?
The honest answer is that AI audit covers three different things at three very different price points, and the cost is set almost entirely by scope: how many AI systems you run, how ready your evidence is, and which standard you're measured against. Before you price an audit, the cheaper move is to find out whether you need one.
July 19, 2026
AI Governance Assessment vs. AI Audit: What a PE-Backed Company Actually Needs
Three different things get called an AI audit. A self-assessment tells you where you stand, a third-party audit gives an outsider's attestation, and a regulator-required conformity assessment is a legal obligation. A PE-backed company usually needs them in that order, and rarely needs the last one as early as it fears.
July 16, 2026
The Shadow AI Inventory Checklist
Most mid-market portfolio companies cannot list the AI systems running inside the business. Here is how to build that list.
July 13, 2026
The EU AI Act, in Plain English, for Mid-Market Portfolio Companies
The EU AI Act applies to US mid-market companies more often than founders assume, and buyers are starting to ask about it in diligence.
July 10, 2026
Sell-Side vs. Buy-Side Technology Diligence: What Changes?
Same estate, opposite job. Buy-side diligence protects a price you're paying; sell-side diligence protects a price you're asking, before a buyer's advisors set the terms of the conversation.
July 7, 2026
How Is PRISM Different from a Code-Review Tech DD?
A code-review tech DD tells you the code is messy. PRISM tells you what the mess costs, when it hits, and whether it changes the deal.
July 4, 2026
Fractional CTO or Full-Time Hire: How Should a Portco Decide?
The decision turns on certainty, not cost. Hire full-time when the role is defined and the runway is long; go fractional when you need senior judgment before you can commit.
July 1, 2026
The Hold Period Question Most Operating Partners Skip
Diligence asks what's broken. The hold period should ask what's worth fixing first, and that's a different question.
June 28, 2026
What a Technology Due Diligence Review Actually Finds
Most pre-close technology reviews answer 'is the code good.' The better question is what it costs to fix, and when.