Instead of building a platform team of specialists, Eclipse operates like a small special forces unit. A lean team of senior partners, all ex-operators, handles everything from thesis creation to scaling companies. This ensures founders get direct support from proven builders, not junior staff.

Premira's value creation aims to produce 'better' companies, defined by higher quality revenue and faster growth rates at exit than at entry, even at a larger scale. This involves strategic shifts like moving to a cloud model or significant geographic expansion.

Permira differentiates in the crowded tech private equity space by targeting category-leading software companies. Their strategy focuses on doubling down on product investment to accelerate growth, rather than milking the business for short-term margin expansion.

Decentralized acquirer Amitech maintains a central team of "black belts," who are experts in operational excellence. These specialists are deployed to subsidiaries to run "Kaizen events," helping them eliminate waste and improve processes. This model combines the autonomy of decentralization with the benefits of centralized expertise.

Combining strategy, M&A, and integration under a single leader provides a full lifecycle, enterprise-wide view. This structure breaks down silos and creates a "closed-loop system" where post-deal integration performance and lessons learned directly feed back into future strategy and deal theses, refining success metrics beyond financials.

Centerbridge initially sought investors equally skilled in PE and credit, a "switch hitter" model they found unrealistic. They evolved to a "majors and minors" approach, allowing professionals to specialize in one area while gaining significant experience in the other. This fosters deep expertise without sacrificing the firm's integrated strategy.

Premira fosters an entrepreneurial culture where even junior employees are encouraged and supported to identify new investment themes, source potential deals, and see them through. This autonomy acts as a powerful retention tool, creating a path to career-defining wins.

To launch new products and compete with agile startups, embed a small "incubation seller" team directly within the technology organization. This model ensures tight alignment between product, engineering, and the first revenue-generating efforts, mirroring the cross-functional approach of an early-stage company.

Most VCs fail at talent support by simply matching logos on a resume to a portfolio company. A better model is to first embed operators (e.g., fractional sales leaders) into the startup. This provides the deep, nuanced context required to find candidates who fit the specific business and culture, leading to better hiring outcomes.