What We've Learned about People Ops and Culture

Jim sits down with Sean Luke (Partner at SPMB Executive Search) to talk about the art of hiring senior engineering and product leaders—especially now that every job description on Earth has "AI" duct-taped to it. We get into why sticking with one great search firm beats "random recruiter roulette," why tech interviewing is tough (spoiler: engineers aren't always born interviewers), and the eternal tension between the two key roles - CTO (big brain science/vision) and VP Engineering (keep the trains running, preferably on the tracks). Then it's on to the AI gold rush: what a normal Head of Engineering should actually be doing with AI (hint: practical stuff like code review, QA, automation), why "Head of AI" is usually a totally separate job, and why "10 years of LLM experience" belongs in the same bin as Web3 buzzword soup. We also cover who's moving jobs right now, why PE can feel like a saner bet than venture (less "moonshot," more "actual exit"), and what candidates must be able to explain: what you did, and how it moved the business—numbers included. Plus: a few recruiting war stories, including the kind you can't make up and the kind that makes you grateful for a boring Tuesday.

In this episode of The Private Equity Funcast, Jim Milbery sits down with Jennifer Nelson (CEO of Izzy Software), Richard Malone, Rob Swanson (co-founders of CNX Corporation), and Iwona Montgomery to talk about CNX's nearly 30-year glow-up — from green screens to the cloud. After almost three decades in the biz, CNX just joined forces with Izzy Software, and the result? Legacy systems that finally got the spa day they deserved. We dive into how moving to the cloud has made life easier for developers and why low-code tools are giving old-school software a serious second act.

Jim and Leah dive headfirst into a whirlwind chat that covers everything from the fine distinctions between puppets and marionettes to the equally delicate art of building great user experiences. Leah shares her fascinating journey from a Medieval French literature course at Berkeley to leading UX research at companies like Slack, Spotify, Instagram, and Mozilla. Along the way, they tackle why users often don't honestly know what they want, how to avoid building a product no one asked for (looking at you, Juicero), and why good design begins with understanding both people and teams. It's a conversation about people problems disguised as tech problems—with a few detours into bad movie references, car oil changes, and the mythical Trojan horse. Grab your headphones, settle in, and prepare to laugh, learn, and maybe rethink what "user experience" really means.

Paul Stansik sits down with Shiv Narayanan—founder of How to SaaS and author of Exit-Ready Marketing—to break down what most private equity firms and portfolio companies get wrong about marketing. They explore how to make marketing a measurable, scalable lever for value creation, from diligence to exit. Shiv shares the frameworks he's used across countless engagements to tie marketing strategy, budget, and team structure to real business outcomes. If you're tired of vague brand goals and unaccountable spend—or you're just trying to figure out what "good marketing" looks like in a PE context—this episode gives you the language, metrics, and mindset to make marketing work like a growth function.

Devin sits down with Sameer Shamsi, Co-Head of Houlihan Lokey's GP Led Secondaries group. We cover everything you want to know about continuation vehicles, but were afraid to ask (or too dumb to ask?). What is the difference between LP-led and GP-led? How should GPs talk to their LPs about it? What assets are best suited for CVs? How does company management get treated in a CV? Plus so much more you didn't even pay for.

In this episode of the Private Equity Funcast, host Ryan Milligan speaks with OpenBrand CEO Greg Munves and Chief Economist Ralph McLaughlin about their innovative approach to tracking inflation through the OpenBrand Consumer Price Index for Durable and Personal Goods (CPI-DPG). The CPI-DPG is updated weekly, providing a third independent data point for measuring inflation. Its accuracy has been validated with a mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) as low as 1.6% in specific categories. Additionally, OpenBrand offers scenario-based inflation forecasts, enabling companies and investors to tailor predictions to their expectations and market views. Munves and McLaughlin also outline practical use cases: • Manufacturers and retailers optimizing their pricing and promotional strategies. • Investors seeking early insights on market inflation trends to refine financial models. • Policymakers evaluating the effects of economic policies. Video Version here>

In this episode, Chris Taylor, CEO and Co-Founder of Fractional AI, joins the show to discuss how his company helps traditional businesses adopt and implement generative AI (GenAI) to improve operations and product offerings. Fractional AI focuses on transforming workflows with GenAI through practical, production-ready solutions, especially for companies lacking deep AI expertise.

In this episode of the Private Equity Funcast, Greg Munves (CEO) and Kristopher Kubicki (CTO) join Partner Ryan Milligan to discuss the rapid growth and transformation of Open Brand, a company formed through the combination of four market intelligence companies. They share insights on leveraging AI for real-time data analytics, scaling through strategic acquisitions, and modernizing technology infrastructure. The conversation explores how Open Brand is revolutionizing market intelligence, competitive analysis, and business decision-making across industries.

Join host Jim Milbery along with guests Alan Williamson (CTO of HiBid) and Kristopher Kubicki (CTO of OpenBrand) as we react to the recent DeepSeek AI announcement, its implications for the AI industry, private equity, and technology companies.  We discuss the shock and awe response from the VC and tech communities, debating whether it signals a true paradigm shift or an overreaction. The conversation underscores how AI, particularly LLMs, is reshaping software development, cybersecurity, and investment strategies. While DeepSeek has fueled fears and recalibrations in the market, the real challenge is keeping up with the constant AI evolution—where new models and frameworks emerge at a staggering pace. Companies must remain agile, strategic, and realistic in their AI adoption to truly capitalize on this technological shift.

Jim and Paul kick off the 2025 podcast year. We discuss economic uncertainties, private equity challenges, and evolving market strategies. We explore AI's role in portfolio management, cybersecurity concerns, and operational improvements, emphasizing practical efficiency over drastic changes. The conversation also touches on AI adoption within organizations, avoiding vendor lock-in and training teams to leverage new tools. Wrapping up, we invite listener engagement while reaffirming their commitment to authentic, ad-free content.