Local Voice of Customer research provider needed for acquisition evaluation
An IT staffing company came to us with a critical need for Voice of Customer research to be done on an add-on acquisition target they were evaluating. Looking to grow their company via this acquisition, they were interested in engaging a provider that could conduct interviews with 7 clients of the target add-on. The company needed a Voice of Customer provider that could work within their budget, complete the 7 interviews, and conduct the work in Toronto where the target add-on and their clients were located.
Client contacted BluWave to identify PE-grade provider
The client reached out to BluWave on a Wednesday morning and within several hours, we interviewed the company to understand the details & nuances of their need. BluWave utilizes technology, data, and human ingenuity to pre-map assess, monitor, and maintain deep pools of best-in-class Voice of Customer providers. Mapping the specifics of the company’s need to our marketplace of third-party resources, we identified 2 exact-fit Voice of Customer providers for the client.
Utilizing our extensive network, BluWave introduced two pre-vetted providers
On the same day that the company initially reached out, we introduced them to the two exact-fit, pre-vetted service providers that we had identified met their exacting criteria. The client selected their ideal choice and was able to quickly engage the provider to conduct the research they needed in order to determine whether or not to move forward with the add-on acquisition.
PE firm urgently needs to assess effectiveness of sales team at healthcare portco
A middle-market PE firm Partner came to us with a prompt need to assess the existing sales team and go-to-market strategy at one of their portfolio companies that provides medical equipment and asset management services to the healthcare industry. The founder-owned portco was struggling with a high turnover rate and urgently needed to examine how to get the right sales team members in place. They were also in need of a new GTM strategy that they could execute once they had the right team in place. Having previously completed Voice of Customer (VoC) work, portco leadership was ready to take the next step.
BluWave identifies PE-grade consulting firms specific to the firm’s needs
Leveraging our founder’s 20 years in private equity, we have extensive frameworks for assessing PE-grade sales effectiveness and GTM strategy needs. BluWave utilizes technology, data, and human ingenuity to pre-map, assess, monitor, and maintain deep pools of sales and GTM strategists that uniquely meet the private equity standard. We interviewed the PE firm to understand their specific key criteria, and then connected the client with the select pre-vetted consulting firms from our invitation-only Business Builder’s Network that fit their exacting needs.
Firm engages with presented provider and moves forward to improve portco strategy
Within the same day of reaching out, the PE firm was introduced to a specialized sales effectiveness & training firm with additional experience developing GTM strategies for PE-backed companies. The client immediately engaged with this group and was able to start the project within 24 hours. The service provider we connected them with began by assessing the current sales processes and team members within the portco’s two verticals and then worked with them on developing an improved strategy.
As part of an ongoing series, we’re sharing real-time trending topics we are hearing from our 500+ PE firm clients. In our most recent installment, we discuss why leading PE firms are choosing to engage specialized executive search firms over larger generalist recruiting firms.
Learn more by watching the video below.
Interested in connecting with a specialized recruiter or any other type of third party? Contact us here. You can also learn more about the specific ways we drive value for PE firms by connecting them to the exact-fit resources they need by reading our case studies.
As part of an ongoing series, we’re sharing real-time trending topics we are hearing from our 500+ PE firm clients. In our most recent installment, one of our Managing Consultants, Scott Bellinger, talks about how leading PE firms are utilizing third parties to manage procurement issues that have been brought on due to inflation and supply chain issues roaring out of control.
Learn more about the unique ways in which PE firms are utilizing third-party procurement groups by watching the video below.
Interested in connecting with a third-party procurement group or any other type of third party? Contact us here. You can also learn more about the specific ways we drive value for PE firms by connecting them to the exact-fit resources they need by reading our case studies.
Every quarter our team analyzes the projects we work on with our 500+ PE firm clients to get a birdseye view of the market. You can request your copy here to view all of the trends that we have seen over the past quarter.
Key findings from Q1 included value creation at a historical high, deal flow reflecting 2019 versus 2021, & inflationary pressures impacting how firms thought about everything from pricing to talent.
Learn more about the insights we gleaned from the report by watching the video below.
BluWave has a unique vantage in the private equity industry, working with more than 500 of the world’s top private equity firms across thousands of projects in due diligence, value creation, and preparing for sale. From this activity, we’re able to discern unique insights regarding how and why the world works. The top insight of the first quarter of 2022 relates to value creation. A staggering all-time high record 78% of initiatives tracked in the BluWave Activity Index related to value creation. Here are a few other trends that you might find helpful. Human capital is becoming increasingly important in private equity. With the fallout from The Great Resignation still alive and well, firms are struggling to fill key roles, which has resulted in an increase in time and resources invested in human capital. Across the BluWave Activity Index, 42% is related to human capital, which is up from 36% in the previous quarter. Firms have been utilizing specialized HR resources to recruit A-level talent, retain key players, and bring in critical interim skill sets. One of the biggest trends we’re seeing in private equity and the broader global economy is inflation. We’re seeing PE take proactive measures using specialized third-parties to help them pass through rising input costs, defend against price increases, and hone the operational efficiency of their portfolio companies. For more unique private equity insights, request the BluWave Q1 Insights Report today by following the link below or by contacting us at info@BluWave.net.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated our world’s digital transformation and has made businesses increasingly more virtual. In a tech-driven world, cybersecurity is vital to a business’ success, and it’s an area that is constantly evolving as the tech landscape shifts with new advancements. In fact, in 2021, we saw IT strategy land the number 6 spot in the BluWave Value Creation Index, signifying that cybersecurity was a top area of focus for PE firms, their portfolio companies, and proactive companies.
Staying up to date with the latest and greatest in cybersecurity is a full-time job that most companies don’t account for, causing many to fall short in digitally protecting their business. Thankfully, there are service providers out there that can take on this vital job for you and take care of your cybersecurity needs.
Curious what you may not be doing that you need to be? Trying to determine whether or not third-party cybersecurity expertise is something you need? Check out the PDF below to discover the 10 most common cybersecurity gaps companies face and how to avoid them.
If any of these gaps resonate with you, it may be time to connect with a third-party provider. We have a deep bench of PE-grade, pre-vetted service providers with specializations across various industries that we would be happy to connect you with – contact us here or use the “Start a Project Button” in the top banner.
Interested in learning more about how we can help with firms’ and companies’ digital and IT-related needs? Check out the below case studies:
As part of an ongoing series, we’re sharing real-time trending topics we are hearing from our 500+ PE firm clients. In our most recent installment, one of our Private Equity Consultants, Ryan Perkins, talks about the significant upswing COVID caused in the price of inputs. He shares two approaches companies can take in order to solve for this challenge, the negative impacts of each approach, and how BluWave can help in these scenarios.
Ryan gives an example of how we recently helped a high volume CPG business update their pricing across their product set, stay competitive with their eCommerce counterparts, and grow margins across their portfolio.
You can read another example of how we’ve helped a client with pricing strategy in this case study.
Learn more in the below video.
Do you need to get connected to a pricing analysis consultant or any other third-party resource? Be sure to click the “Start a Project” button above, or contact us here and we would be happy to get started in assisting you.
As part of an ongoing series, we’re sharing real-time trending topics we are hearing from our 500+ PE fund clients. In our most recent installment, our consulting manager, Scott Bellinger, talks about why we have seen an increase in go-to-market & growth strategy needs and how we are supporting clients with those. He shares that growth strategy is continuously increasing, with GTM being the third most used Value Creation use case in 2021, according to the BluWave Value Creation Index.
One of the most common ways we are helping clients with growth strategy needs is by connecting PE funds and their portfolio companies to senior advisors and consultants that can help them expand their reach outside of their current established market.
You can read another example of how we’ve helped a client with a go-to-market need in this case study.
Learn more in the below video.
Do you need to get connected to a GTM or growth strategy resource? Be sure to click the “Start a Project” button above, or contact us here and we would be happy to get started in assisting you.
Lean Six Sigma consultant need to improve operational efficiencies
A proactive manufacturing company came to us with a critical need for an operational performance and improvement consultant that could evaluate and redesign the existing layout of their warehouses. There was a lack of logistical reasoning that went into the original design and the company had recently discovered that the inefficiencies this caused were leading to foregone profits. The company immediately needed a Lean Six Sigma type consultant to come in and optimize the warehouse’s layout, process, and flow to increase operational efficiencies.
BluWave identified in network provider to meet niche needs
Leveraging our experience working with thousands of proactive companies, we have extensive frameworks for assessing operational performance and improvement needs. BluWave utilizes technology, data, and human ingenuity to pre-map, assess, monitor, and maintain deep pools of ops performance and improvement groups and independents that uniquely meet the highest standard. We interviewed the company to understand its specific vital criteria. We then connected them with two select, exact-fit, pre-vetted operational performance and improvement consultants from our invitation-only Intelligent Network.
The company engaged consultants to drive operational improvements
Within 24 hours of the initial scoping call, the company was introduced to two PE-grade ops performance and improvement consultants that specialized in optimizing efficiencies in small assembly-oriented manufacturing companies. The client selected their ideal choice and was able to confidently drive operational performance and improvement by increasing warehouse efficiency.
Cost-Reduction Group Needed for Leading Plastics Company
A leading plastics company that designed and manufactured innovative plastic-injection molded products was looking for opportunities to reduce their costs and believed potential opportunities lay within their legacy supply contracts. Given the nature of the company’s products and its specific resin grades, the company needed a group with deep expertise in this area to help them identify if this was a true area with room for improvement. The company asked us to connect them with a best-in-class cost-reduction group that has deep expertise in this industry with this specific need.
BluWave Assessed Company Needs To Identify Exact-Fit Provider
We first interviewed the company to understand the nuances of their needs and the unique challenges involved with post-transaction efforts to reduce costs. We then quickly matched these criteria to the pre-vetted candidates from our invitation-only marketplace, rooted in our experience working with thousands of proactive companies. Based on our proprietary approach, the company hired a group of resources with the exact plastics market experience they needed.
Client Engages Provider to Drive Success within Company
Thanks to the deep industry experience that the vetted group had as well as the key relationships that they had with needed manufacturers, the group of resources identified more than $10 million in annual savings for the client and created more than $80 million of pro forma enterprise value for the company.
Company needs specialized food and beverage executive recruiter
A proactive food & beverage company came to us with a vital need for a new VP of Operations after recently executing an add-on acquisition. They urgently needed an experienced food and beverage professional that could step in, take the reigns, and keep operations running smoothly while also implementing minor process changes that would be necessary while the two companies adjusted to the merger. In order to quickly fill this position with an exact-fit individual, the company was looking for a specialized food & beverage recruiting firm that had experience recruiting operations individuals for bakeries in the local area.
BluWave identifies niche recruiting firm with industry knowledge
Leveraging our experience working with thousands of proactive companies, we have extensive frameworks for assessing recruiting needs. BluWave utilizes technology, data, and human ingenuity to pre-map, assess, monitor, and maintain deep pools of recruiting firms that uniquely meet the highest standard. We interviewed the company to understand their specific key criteria, and then connected the client with the select pre-vetted recruiting firm from our invitation-only Intelligent Network that fit their exact needs.
Client engaged with pre-vetted firm to quickly begin hiring search
Within 48 hours of the initial scoping call, the PE firm and portfolio company were introduced to a PE-grade recruiting firm that specialized in recruiting executives for the food and beverage industry. The PE firm engaged with them and was able to confidently and quickly begin their VP of Operations search. The fund liked the recruiter so much that they also engaged them for their R&D Chef search.
