Eric Hartz

Too many small and mid-sized businesses struggle with capital constraints out of fear and misunderstanding. Sourcing the capital required to remove those constraints is key to unlocking the value creation potential of these companies. https://lnkd.in/gRYTKEmN #smallbusiness #businesstransformation

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Get ready for one of the biggest IPOs since COVID. Lineage is expected to raise $3.85 billion this month. As Bloomberg put it, "Aside from a handful in 2020 and 2021 when the pandemic disrupted travel, only three companies in the past decade raised more than $1 billion on US exchanges in July." This is big news for the largest and fastest-growing consolidator in cold chain logistics. Kudos to Greg Lehmkuhl, Kevin Marchetti, Adam Forste and all involved! #logistics #supplychain #coldchain #IPO https://lnkd.in/eKj3UjvY

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Boards of Directors – How Relevant To The Business Is The Board? In 2014, activist investor Starboard Value successfully replaced all 12 directors on the board of Darden Restaurants. The following shows the Darden incumbent board at the time of Starboard's proxy fight, Starboard’s value creation plan initiatives, the Starboard director nominees and the before and after performance (revenue, EBITDA, EBITDA margin and stock price). Note especially the direct relevance of each Starboard nominee to the industry or some aspect of the value creation plan. How often do you see this level of relevance on public company boards?

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We may be in a supply chain recession, but terrific companies are still growing, succeeding, and attracting capital. For an inside scoop, Cambridge Capital LLC is pleased to share the story of what excited us about STAT Recovery Services and led us to invest. In brief, we think STAT is the top team building the top solution to help retail suppliers optimize revenue by reducing improper deductions and compliance fines. We love their people, technology, and growth potential, and think they can continue to add tremendous value to brands. But there's a lot more to the story. Here's why we invested. With kudos to Casey Roberts, Steve Anderson, Richard Lawrence, John Gunther, Codie Threet, Jason Pluenneke, Kimberly Huntley, Brian Hughes, Steven Terry, Kamal Sundar, Kenneth Frieze, Chris O'Brien, Bill Mines, Matt Smalley, Rocco Scundi, and all involved. https://lnkd.in/exaCKgDc

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In the rapidly evolving landscape of private equity and consulting, one thing remains constant: the imperative for value creation. As a Managing Director at Catalyft LLC, I've witnessed firsthand the transformative power of effective value creation strategies. It's not just about improving operations or making strategic acquisitions; it's about reimagining what's possible for underperforming assets and unlocking their true potential. In my experience, the key to successful value creation lies in a combination of creativity and rigorous execution. It's about seeing beyond the numbers and understanding the human element that drives business success. Whether it's through leveraging AI to gain deeper insights or tapping into emerging markets, the opportunities for growth are endless. But it's not just about the bottom line. As someone who's created over $1 billion in value, I can attest that the real reward comes from the positive impact on the companies we work with, their employees, and the broader community. That's why I'm passionate about sharing my expertise in value creation, not just within the private equity space, but also in advising boards of directors and family offices. I'm always looking to connect with fellow professionals who share my commitment to driving growth and creating lasting value. If you're interested in discussing the future of value creation or exploring potential collaborations, I'd love to hear from you. Let's continue to push the boundaries of what's possible and create a brighter future for businesses and investors alike. Share your thoughts on value creation in the comments below, and if you found this post insightful, please feel free to repost. #ValueCreation #PrivateEquity #Consulting

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In other news, foxes think the henhouse doesn't need any guarding. The author's argument basically boils down to: 1) trust us and 2) merchant transmission development usually runs over budget or gets abandoned, resulting in higher costs to the customers. The first argument is categorically weak and problematic, but the second has some validity. There are a number of solutions to the second problem beyond right-of-first refusal, however, including higher security deposits (to prevent walking away) and various provisions that disallow cost escalation after bidding (or defined indexing provisions). I don't know how anyone can plausibly argue with a straight face that preventing competition is good for customers. https://lnkd.in/dZYExb26

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An Entrepreneurial Board of Directors A Value Maximization Model For Public Companies #corporategovernance #governance #boardsofdirectors #shareholdervalue #performance #capitalism #institutionalinvestors

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Darden Restaurants recently reported its quarterly results, showcasing resilience amidst a challenging environment. While Olive Garden faced a decline in same-store sales for the second consecutive quarter, Darden's overall performance remained steady, with earnings per share surpassing expectations at $2.65 and revenue reaching $2.96 billion. Looking forward to fiscal 2025, Darden projects a promising outlook with expected earnings per share between $9.40 and $9.60 and anticipated net sales of $11.8 billion to $11.9 billion. The company's LongHorn Steakhouse segment notably reported a 4% increase in same-store sales, underscoring Darden's effective management and operational strength. With plans to invest $550 million to $600 million in capital expenditures, Darden is poised to enhance its offerings and maintain its competitive edge in the market. Read More Here: https://lnkd.in/eFgDC97p #hospitality #restaurants #technology #innovation Branded Hospitality Ventures Angelo Fama Jr. John Espy Dave George Daryl L. Cunningham Lisa McDowell Robert Anderson Ali Charri

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Join us tomorrow for a panel discussion on the complex relationship many FirstGens have to money and how that affects founders, investors, operators and others. See you tomorrow! https://lu.ma/9rixyzgs

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I love this! Thank you to Rachel Brown from Beauty Independent to kick-off this exchange with Andrew Ross' provocative thesis and have us all react to it. I truly enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts on the topic of the shortening lifecycle of beauty brands. Here is a snippet of mine: "Because beauty brand lifespans are shortening, it is important that we are able to differentiate brands with staying power from brands that will end up being a flash in the pan. There are much more of the latter than the former in the market right now, and if a brand is not well-positioned, it will be challenging for that brand to survive over the long-term. That’s why we focus on understanding each brand’s differentiators and long-term relevance." See more here: https://lnkd.in/esVbwnu2 and you will discover what Kevin Murphy, Odile Roujol, Rich Gersten, Tina Henry Bou-Saba, Oliver Nordlinger, Claire Chang, Manica Blain, Sonya Brown, George Birman had to say. #beautyindustry #beautyinvesting Stride Consumer Partners

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We are living in a world that embodies our Industrial Transformation & Supply Chain Technology investment thesis at REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund: Escalating Geopolitical Tensions & Great Power Competition; The Climate Crisis & Severe Weather; Consumer Behavior & Demographics. Join us. #IndustrialTransformation #SupplyChain #Innovation #Technology #Startups #VentureCapital

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Throw back Thursday! 😊Excited to look back at 2023 through the publication of our Catalyst Fund Impact Report! The report spotlights the hard work of our portfolio companies after a year of work with them, as they continue to build game-changing solutions from precision agriculture technologies to water access solutions or waste management tools. 👉 Dive into our portfolio companies' impact to date, our theory of change, and how we empower bold founders to build a climate-resilient future for millions of Africans. 👉 Learn about our gender lens investing approach, sustainability focus, and how our startups are driving green growth and positioning Africa as a leader in climate action. 👉 Explore spotlights on select portfolio companies and discover how Catalyst Fund's hands-on venture building accelerates the path to scale for early-stage climate tech in Africa 👉 See the recognition our fund has earned to date and join us in investing for a climate-resilient future on the continent. Sand to Green, Bekia inc, Visual and AI Solutions (VAIS), Assuraf | Insurance, Simply, Eight Medical | Techstars ‘23, Farmz2U, Farm to Feed, Octavia Carbon, PaddyCover, Agro Supply, NoorNation, Scrapays, THOLA, Earthbond, Zebra CropBank, Medikea, Keep IT Cool, Tolbi Link to download the report: https://lnkd.in/ejJjH6aD

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Reflecting on my conversation with Denny Chared, CEO of DC Finance, really highlights the art of building influential networks and leading high-stakes financial conferences worldwide. Denny's approach to connecting people and capital is not just effective but inspirational. Join us in exploring these pivotal strategies for anyone looking to scale their influence in finance. 💼 #LeadershipInsights #FinanceInnovation https://lnkd.in/gsVFsUVY

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Our view on the current venture capital markets. Curious to hear other investors' thoughts but I feel like seed stage valuation, at least in the gaming and entertainment sectors, has finally come down to the pre-covid level. Since February or March this year, we started seeing that the founders are willing to raise a $1-2m seed round at a $10m-ish valuation, not like $4-5m at $20-25m in 2022 and 2023. What are you guys seeing?

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Sharing views of my Partner. "Within the climate change investment ecosystem, much of the capital has gone to two ends of the spectrum: venture capital and infrastructure. Those investments are obviously impactful, but more of a developmental, long-term approach to solving climate change. We try to focus on where we can make an impact today. That means looking for companies already reducing emissions or saving energy." Read more from Stuart Barkoff, co-founder and managing partner GEF Capital Partners https://lnkd.in/dX2CMs35

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Mauloa invests in companies in a very different way by not using debt, not taking control and aligning the economic interest of all stakeholders. Mauloa is a catalyst for positive capitalism and the enormous benefits it creates by improving the lives of all stakeholders, not capitalism run amuck as this article highlights. https://lnkd.in/erg8BYtX

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BlueTreeVC portfolio company HData continues to lead the discussion on extracting the most value out of regulated energy industry data. Check out the latest ebook to learn more about why this is so critical at this time!

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Have a story to tell... Use Narratize AI Co-Authoring platform to tell your stories in an impactful manner. Katie Trauth Taylor, PhD and the entire team is committed to helping you in becoming amazing storytellers. Check out their impressive work at https://lnkd.in/gnNYHSSX Start telling your stories with Narratize AI as your co-author. #generativeai #storytelling #innovation #aicoauthoring #innovators #researchers #impactstories #startups #problemsolvers #AI #AIStartup

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Pending collapse of the American economy? Congress is now on a tear of rapidly increasing deficit spending and creating annual debt-service exceeding $1 trillion annually, almost 20% of the Federal budget by end of 2024. As Treasury bonds mature and have to be refinanced at higher interest rates, debt-service will rapidly increase to 25% to 30% in the short-term. Are they motivated to solve this problem of pending national insecurity? No. So what is Congresses solution going to be when debt-service exceeds 50% of the federal budget? What about 75% of the federal budget? Indeed, somewhere in the latter numbers, a default on US Treasury debt (currently $34.7 trillion) has to occur. And when this occurs, a major recession/depression will ensue because money derived from deficit spending will disappear from the national economy. Thanks to fiat currency systems and socialist economies, historically, this ineptitude by national leaders is bound to occur. So what is the solution to avoid USA economic collapse? https://lnkd.in/gyqbT6B2

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