Critical Technologies Investor: AE Industrial Partners’ Kirk Konert

In this episode, we speak with Kirk Konert, Managing Partner at AE Industrial Partners—a private investment firm with $7.2 billion in assets under management, focused on specialized sectors including national security, aerospace, and industrial services. Since its founding in 1998, AEI has completed more than 140 investments in market-leading companies, leveraging deep industry expertise, operational experience, and a broad network across its core sectors. Kirk joined AEI in 2014 and is primarily responsible for sourcing, executing, and managing the firm’s portfolio investments. Prior to AEI, he held roles at Sun Capital Partners and was a member of Wells Fargo Securities’ Industrials Group.  AE Industrial Partners was recently recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Private Equity Firm of 2025. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Randall Eason and Keoni Schwartz, Co-Founders and Managing Directors at Altamont Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on transforming and scaling lower-middle market companies through deep operational expertise and value-creation capabilities. Since its founding, Altamont has invested in over 45 companies across the industrials, business services, financial services, and franchising & multi-unit sectors, with more than $4 billion in capital under management. Randall leads investments in the industrials and franchising & multi-unit sectors. Previously, he was a Principal at Golden Gate Capital, and held roles at Bain & Company and Williams-Sonoma. He holds an MA in sociology and a BA in economics, Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford. Keoni leads investments in the financial and business services sectors. He was formerly a Principal at Golden Gate Capital and began his career as a consultant at Bain & Company and The Bridgespan Group. He holds a BA in history with honors from Princeton. Altamont was recently recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Private Equity Firm of 2025. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Bob Morse, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Strattam Capital, a private equity firm with over $1B in AUM, partnering with founder-led B2B software and technology companies positioned to become vertical market leaders. Since its founding in 2014, Strattam has completed more than 50 partnerships—helping founders scale their teams, expand market reach, and adopt transformative technologies—including AI—to solve the customer problems they understand so well. Prior to co-founding Strattam, Bob was a Partner and Investment Committee member at Oak Hill Capital Partners and held roles at GCC Investments and Morgan Stanley. He graduated summa cum laude from Princeton and earned his MBA from Stanford, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. Bob was recently named a Top Software Investor of 2025 by GrowthCap. Strattam was also recognized as a Top Private Equity Firm of 2025. Bob supports USRowing Foundation. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Marco Ferrari and Tom Reardon, Managing Directors and Co-Heads of North America at PSG, a growth equity firm that partners with software and technology-enabled services companies to navigate transformational growth, capitalize on strategic opportunities, and build strong teams. Since its founding in 2014, PSG has backed more than 150 companies and facilitated over 520 add-on acquisitions, bringing deep expertise in software and technology and a commitment to collaborating with management teams. Marco has been with PSG since 2014 and was previously a principal at BV Investment Partners and investment partner at Siemens Venture Capital.  He received an MBA and BA from Harvard.   Tom has been with the firm since 2015 and was previously a general partner at WestView Capital Partners and director at CIBC Capital Partners.  He received his MBA and BA from Harvard.   Marco and Tom were recently recognized by GrowthCap as Top Software Investors of 2025. Marco and Tom supports Glen Doherty Memorial Foundation. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Jeff Chapman, Head of Growth Lending at Wellington Management, a global investment firm with over $1.2 trillion in assets under management. Founded in 1928 and headquartered in Boston, Wellington offers a broad platform spanning public equities, fixed income, private credit, alternatives, and multi-asset solutions. Within that, the firm manages more than $400 billion in fixed income and credit strategies, making it one of the world’s largest investors in the space. Jeff leads Wellington’s growth lending strategy, partnering with portfolio managers, venture capital investors, and the firm’s global research platform to back innovative companies. He also plays a key role in developing investment talent and shaping the next generation of leaders within the firm. I am your host, RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode, click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Mark Haller, Managing Director and Founding Principal of Sumeru Equity Partners, a technology-focused growth equity firm investing in leading enterprise software companies. Sumeru has invested more than $3 billion across more than 50 platform and add-on investments spanning enterprise and vertical SaaS, data analytics, education technology, infrastructure software, and cybersecurity.  Mark has been with the firm since 2012 and leads investments in human capital management, supply chain, and eCommerce software. He brings extensive experience in technology and growth investing, having started his career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs.  Mark supports National Brain Tumor Society and CASA. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Russ Roenick, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Transom Capital Group, an operationally focused private equity firm known for thriving in complexity and unlocking value in the middle market. Based in Los Angeles, Transom specializes in corporate carve-outs and lender-owned businesses. Supported by an in-house operations team with deep functional expertise, the firm partners with management teams to transform and grow companies across business services, industrials, consumer, and specialty distribution. Transom was most recently recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Private Equity Firm of 2025. Russ supports Young Presidents Organization. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Matt Amico, Partner at Turn/River Capital, a lower middle market private equity firm redefining growth with its proprietary growth engineering strategy—built to accelerate revenue and create lasting value. Matt’s career path has taken him from Tufts University to Goldman Sachs and SkyBridge before joining Turn/River in 2018.  Throughout his career, Matt has shown a unique ability to identify and partner with exceptional software businesses and support their growth both organically and inorganically alongside his colleagues at the firm. Turn/River was most recently recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Private Equity Firm of 2025, as well as a Top Growth Equity Firm of 2024. Matt supports Bessie Carmichael School. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Kevin Bhatt, Managing Partner at Long Ridge Equity Partners, a specialist growth equity firm focused on the financial and business technology sectors.  Kevin joined Long Ridge in 2010 and serves as a Managing Partner and member of the firm’s Investment Committee. He leads the overall strategic direction of the firm and oversees deal teams responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and managing portfolio companies.  Throughout his investing career, Kevin has served on the boards of numerous public and private financial and business services companies, working closely with visionary leadership teams to build category-defining businesses. Long Ridge was recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Growth Equity Firm of 2024. Kevin supports Memorial Sloan Kettering. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.

In this episode, we speak with Snehal Antani, Co-Founder and CEO of Horizon3.ai, a cybersecurity company that delivers autonomous penetration testing through its flagship platform, NodeZero. Designed to run real attacks in live environments, the platform helps organizations proactively find, fix, and verify exploitable vulnerabilities before malicious actors can strike. The company recently raised $100 million in Series D funding, led by NEA with participation from SignalFire, Craft Ventures, and 9Yards Capital. The funding will support global expansion, enhance product innovation across autonomous security operations, and scale the company’s presence in critical infrastructure and federal markets. Snehal supports Spookstock. To learn more about this organization click here. I am your host RJ Lumba. We hope you enjoy the show. If you like the episode click to follow.