Helping small and mid-size growth companies evolve, scale and create value.
Document Library
The documents below offer an overview of the background evidence and thinking over the last 20+ years that underpins the work which Catalysis does with clients. Most deal with issues facing mid-market investors and the companies they back. Curiously, and although the economic and investment context has shifted significantly over the last two decade, the fundamental management and organisation problems have not changed that much – and nor has the difficulties experienced trying to handle them. Consequently, even the older documents remains surprisingly relevant.
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Written to capture my observations about a number of companies Catalysis worked on during 2019 where initial optimism post-deal turned to disappointment within a year or less. The main conclusion is that over-optimism, loose strategy and a lack of organisational constraints can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
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Analysis looking at emerging indicators from Catalysis databases about what may predict investee performance. Drawing such conclusions is still hazardous but thinking about critical success factors is always useful, even if the data isn’t quite strong enough yet.
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A thorough look at post-deal value-adding practices across 20+ private equity houses with thoughts on how to upgrade approaches.
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A follow-up to the 2006 report (Taking management to the next level), looking specifically at the practices of UK mid-market investors and how those have changed over a decade. The answer: not as much as we all expected. Nonetheless, this report offers practical suggestions on how to take advantage of what we have all learned.
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A joint piece of research with our friends from EquityChair, asking lots of questions to about fifty chairmen of private equity backed businesses (many serial chairmen) and receiving some insightful answers about their work and their relationship with investors and management teams.
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A joint piece of research with Directorbank when I was head of Management Assessment at Grant Thornton, looking at the experience of management teams going through mid-market private equity ownership – and what they found helpful and not.
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Also from my time in Grant Thornton, a comparative look at value-adding by the various streams of due diligence, as well as other finings about the handling of management talent by investors.
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A major piece of research involving all types of VC and private equity investors in the UK and US and their approach to dealing with management teams, especially pre-deal. Offered a mixed picture of practices then, alongside promising pockets of better approaches, and suggestions on how to improve matter.
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Analysis of more than 850 reference calls made by Catalysis, the large majority for executive roles in private equity investees, and what can be learned about the relative levels of positivity from different kinds of referees about different kind of roles.
