In the third episode of the PE Insight Series, Todd Taskey interviews eight private equity executives about the behavioral signs that reveal a founder’s commitment to post-close growth beyond financial rollover.

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

• [1:50] How focusing on post-close decision rights demonstrates commitment to the next phase of growth
• [5:15] Why Lee Minkoff asks founders directly whether they want to stay in the business or transition out
• [8:08] How Larry Shagrin evaluates transition risk, key-person dependency, and team strength
• [11:08] Founder curiosity, openness to process, and team involvement as green flags during due diligence
• [12:58] How collaborative founders show ambition, independence, and interest in a long-term investor partnership
• [15:43] Why Jamie Kennedy prioritizes a clear growth roadmap, second-bite enthusiasm, and a willingness to professionalize the business
• [18:29] The value of building relationships before a process
• [20:50] How team exposure, value creation planning, and alignment around future growth signal founder commitment

In this episode…

Rollover equity may align incentives, but it doesn’t always reveal whether a founder is truly ready for the next chapter. What signals do private equity investors look for when deciding if a founder is genuinely committed to building long-term value?

Chad Scripps, Lee Minkoff, Larry Shagrin, Thomas Cooperrider, Stuart Coleman, Jamie Kennedy, Brian Shmidt, and Bill Sommerschield discuss founder commitment beyond financial rollover. With host Todd Taskey, they explain how founders signal real alignment, the importance of team exposure and succession planning, and how curiosity, candor, and growth planning shape investor confidence.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Todd Taskey on LinkedIn 
• Tower Partners
• Brian Schmidt on LinkedIn
• Court Square
• Bill Sommerschield on LinkedIn
• Keystone Capital 
• Chad Scripps on LinkedIn
• Black Lake Capital
• Lee Minkoff on LinkedIn
• Renovus Capital
• Lawrence Shagrin on LinkedIn
• Millpond Equity Partners
• Jamie Kennedy on LinkedIn
• Griffin’s Wharf Partners
• Thomas Cooperrider on LinkedIn
• Dynamic Core Capital
• Stuart Coleman on LinkedIn
• Superstep Capital

Sponsor for this episode…

This episode is brought to you by Tower Partners, a private investment bank and advisory firm providing premier service to the lower middle market.

We are a national firm with a global reach, supporting clients throughout the United States with headquarters in Columbia, MD, and an office in New York, NY.

Our team of industry veterans has advised sell-side and buy-side engagements with over $20+ billion in value for entrepreneurs, family-run businesses, and financial sponsors.

To connect with Tower Partners, visit https://www.towerpartners.com/ or email info@towerpartners.com.

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Brian Schmidt is a Vice President at Court Square Capital Partners, a middle-market private equity fund. In his role, Brian is responsible for deal sourcing, growing existing investments, and overseeing the development and implementation of growth strategy. He serves as a board member for Power Digital, Connatix, and Health Union and is a Dynata board observer.

Bill Sommerschield is the Managing Director at Keystone Capital, which invests in high-quality, market-leading businesses. He is responsible for evaluating investments, structuring and negotiating transactions, and managing portfolio companies. Before Keystone Capital, Bill worked in the investment banking divisions of Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, where he was involved in M&A and debt and equity financings in the business services, industrial, and education industries.

Chad Scripps is the Managing Partner of Black Lake Capital, a private equity firm that invests in technology and innovation-enabled businesses. With two decades of experience investing in private and public businesses, Chad held prior roles at HIG Capital, AEA Investors, SAC Capital, Fox Point Capital, and McKinsey & Company.

Lee Minkoff is the Managing Director of Renovus Capital, a Philadelphia-area private equity firm focused on lower-middle-market companies in knowledge and talent industries. He serves on Renovus’ Investment Team, where he oversees the firm’s Professional Services vertical. Before joining Renovus, Lee worked at Lovell Minnick Partners, UBS’s financial institutions investment banking group, and J.P. Morgan Asset Management.

Lawrence Shagrin is the Managing Partner at Millpond Equity Partners, a lower-middle-market private equity firm focused on investing in education, training, and outsourced services companies. He has more than 25 years of private equity experience sourcing, executing, and managing growth-oriented investments across business services, education and training, healthcare, and other industries. Before Millpond, Lawrence was a Partner at Brockway Moran & Partners.

Jamie Kennedy, CFA, is the Co-founder and Partner at Griffin’s Wharf Partners, an operationally focused private equity firm that pursues control buyout transactions in the lower-middle-market. He has more than 20 years of experience investing in private equity opportunities, having served as a Managing Director at Landon Capital Partners, the Head of Research at Madava Asset Management, and an investor at Longroad Asset Management.

Thomas Cooperrider is the Principal of Dynamic Core Capital Partners, a private equity firm that partners with industry experts and experienced executives to transform niche market leaders. In his role, he focuses on business development, deal execution, and portfolio company monitoring and support. Thomas also serves as Vice Chairman on the boards of Atomic Data and Level Agency and as a Director on the boards of ToyTec Lifts, CustomDrive, SmartSource, and Ecosystems.

Stuart Coleman is the Managing Partner of Superstep Capital, a private equity firm focused exclusively on digital services companies. Previously, he led M&A and corporate development at public and private companies, including Hero Digital and MDC Partners. Stuart has acquired more than 20 companies at MDC Partners and helped Hero Digital complete four acquisitions, grow significantly, and sell to AEA Investors in 2021.