Private Equity Fast Pitch

THE ADVICE THAT ACTUALLY HOLDS UP
 
There is no shortage of advice in this industry
 
Most of it sounds good...
 
Not all of it lasts
 
With graduation season here, I wanted to do something a little different on Private Equity Fast Pitch.
 
These clips come from guests who share a common university.  What they don't share is how they got there:
 
Different paths
Different careers
Different firms
 
What stood out to me was not where they went. It was how consistent the advice was
 
⚾️ Play the long game
Careers are built over decades, not quarters
 
⚾️ Protect your reputation
Your word and how you show up compound over time
 
⚾️ Do the hard things early
That's where real confidence and capability are built
 
⚾️ Be intentional
Who you work for and what you learn matters more than title
 
These are not theories.  They are patterns from people who have built across multiple cycles and environments.
 
The fundamentals are simple.
They're just not easy.
And they don't change.
 
If you're early in your career or even if you're not, this is a valuable episode to listen too. 
 
Featured Harvard Graduate Guests:
 
Adam Blumenthal - Blue Wolf Capital Partners
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000419683769
 
Bob Grady - Summit Partners
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000466305412
 
Nik Shah - Cohere Capital
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000492548668
 
Brandon Bethea - Aterian Investment Partners
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000512756706
 
Steve Lebowitz - Brand Velocity Group
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000544474759
 
Alex Western - Terminus Capital Partners
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000588352120
 
Arthur Hollingsworth - Lone Star Investment Advisors
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000606603038
 
Clay Hunter - Broadview Group
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000407597189
 
David Iverson - Iverson Consulting Services
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000409078405
 
Ralph Manning - Coltala Holdings
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000434156484
 
Jerry Johnson - Ariel Alternatives
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000455717611
 
Victor Vescovo - Caladan Capital
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000424858176
 
Brett Hickey - Star Mountain Capital
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000467637362
 
Brad Brennerman - Breck Partners
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000490948771
 
Brent Humphries - AB Private Credit Investors
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000506913145
 
Dr. Chris Kersey - Havencrest Capital Management
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000531859885
 
Scott Kolbrenner - GISI
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000533229587
 
Doug McCormick - Oridian Capital Partners
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000575024701
 
Tom O'Rourke - BayPine
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000590284296
 
Mark Sotir - Equity Group Investments
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000618757742
 
Pardis Nasseri - Palm Tree
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000630324818
 
Devon Kirk - Portage Capital Solutions
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000658066071
 
Bogdan Gogulan - NewSpace Capital
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000681019854
 
Erik Brooks - Ethos Capital
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000684256262

Ignacio Jayanti is the Chief Executive Officer of Corsair and serves as Chairman of the Buyouts Investment Committee and as a member of the Infrastructure Investment Committee. He joined Corsair in 1993 when the first Corsair fund was launched and is based in New York. Ignacio is a director of Corsair portfolio companies IDnow and ZEDRA.
 
Prior to spinning off Corsair as an independent business from J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. in 2006, Ignacio played a key role as a senior member of the investment team of the predecessor Corsair funds and also was responsible for managing the operations of the Corsair business from 1994 onwards. From 1994 to 1999, Ignacio was also a senior member of the Investment Banking Department of J.P. Morgan, where he headed the Emerging Markets Financial Institutions group. Prior to J.P. Morgan, Ignacio worked at Credit Suisse First Boston in the Financial Institutions group both in New York and London. His investment banking experience includes complex advisory assignments in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America.
 
Ignacio holds both a B.A. and an M.A. in Economics from Queens' College, Cambridge University. He is a Fellow of the inaugural class of the Finance Leaders Fellowship Program and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Ignacio is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hotchkiss School, a member of the RAND Global and Emerging Risks Advisory Board, and a member of the International Advisory Board of British American Business.

Omar Jaffrey has been involved in technology, media and telecommunications ("TMT") investments, mergers and acquisitions, strategic partnerships, public and private capital raises, restructuring and bankruptcies for over 30 years.
 
Mr. Jaffrey founded Palistar Capital (formerly, Melody Investment Advisers, "Palistar") in 2019 as a specialist digital infrastructure investor as his go-forward investment platform and created Symphony Wireless, an affiliated easements origination platform ("Symphony"). The team successfully raised a $2 billion dedicated digital infrastructure fund at the end of 2021, has built out a specialist team with deep investment and operating expertise and has invested in a number of macro tower investments including Harmoni Towers, Parallel Infrastructure, CTI Towers, and an easements and tower portfolio originated by Symphony.
 
Prior to Palistar, Mr. Jaffrey co-founded Melody Capital Partners ("Melody") in 2012 where he was also a Managing Partner. The team at Melody raised two fund families – a Structured Credit platform with $1 billion assets under management ("AUM") and a digital infrastructure platform with $700 million AUM ("Melody Wireless Infrastructure"). Mr. Jaffrey crafted the strategy, built Melody Wireless Infrastructure as its CEO and successfully exited Melody Wireless Infrastructure in 2021. Melody is now actively harvesting its remaining investments and is no longer making new investments or fundraising.
 
Prior to Melody, Mr. Jaffrey was a Managing Director of UBS Investment Bank, most recently serving as Americas Co-head of the Special Situations Group. Mr. Jaffrey was an advisor to some of the leading telecommunications and technology companies globally covering over 50 global clients in the TMT space for their strategic and financing needs. Mr. Jaffrey also helped build UBS's Telecommunications Media and Technology Investment Banking practice and was Global Head of Satellite Investment Banking while specializing in the convergence of TMT sectors between 2003 and 2009. Prior to joining UBS, Mr. Jaffrey was a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch where he built the Global Satellite Investment Banking practice. In the early 1990s, Mr. Jaffrey helped build Bear Stearns' Investment Bank in Asia, and was a founding member of Bear Stearns' Telecommunications sector Investment Banking practice.
 
Mr. Jaffrey holds a BS magna cum laude in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University and an MBA from Stanford University,  and is a member of Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu honor societies.

Daphne Dufresne is the Founder and Managing Partner of Awani Capital. She leads the firm's strategic direction, investment decisions, and value creation initiatives across the portfolio. With over 25 years of private equity experience, Daphne has a long-standing track record of building scalable businesses in the business and industrial services sectors. She plays an active role in all phases of the investment process—from deal sourcing and thesis development to portfolio company growth and exit strategy.
 
Before founding Awani, Daphne was a Managing Partner at GenNx360, a $2.2 billion middle-market private equity firm based in New York. She served on the investment, valuation, and exit committees, and led direct investments in GenServe, Precision Aviation Group, Aero 3, and Whitsons Culinary Group, completing 31 add-on acquisitions across these platforms.
 
Daphne was also a founding Managing Director at RLJ Equity Partners. Earlier in her career, she also held senior roles at Parish Capital Advisors, Weston Presidio, and the Bank of Scotland's Structured Finance group, and began her career at Accenture.
 
Daphne is on the board of directors of NYSE (UNFI) where she chairs the Compensation Committee.

Daphne earned a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

In recognition of International Women's Month, I'm releasing a montage of advice from some of the most accomplished women in our industry.
 
These remarkable leaders have navigated one of the most demanding and historically male-dominated corners of business and have done it with conviction, resilience, and extraordinary leadership.
 
If you're a young professional, a student considering this industry, or a leader developing the next generation of talent, this episode is worth your time.
 
Sunaina Sinha - Global Head, Private Capital Advisory, and Senior Managing Director, Raymond James
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000667167867
 
Shannon Zoller - Founder, Tephra Advisors
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000552841977
 
Neha Markle - Managing Director, Morgan Stanley
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000633494095
 
Caroline Stevens - Investor, MPK Equity Partners
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000597747344
 
Chrisanne Corbett - Managing Director, KPMG
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000432826264
 
Deborah Smith - Co-Founder and CEO, The CenterCap Group
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000557619821
 
Devon Kirk - General Partner, Portage Capital Solutions 
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000658066071
 
Franny Jones - Partner, Investor Relations, The Sterling Group
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000452341799
 
Gina Luna - Partner, GP Capital
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000555838972
 
Gretchen Perkins - Partner(Origination), Avance Investment Management
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000453890941
 
Kristin Johnson - Managing Director, Altamont Capital Partners
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000726285319
 
Lauren Moohalland - Waypoint Ridge Capital
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000468986627
 
Lucy Heintz - Partner, Head of Energy Infrastructure, Actis
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000701104377
 
Michelle Noon - Founder and Managing Partner, Clearhaven Partners
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000733152917
 
Neda Vakilian - Partner, Actis
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/private-equity-fast-pitch/id1359329939?i=1000713638680