We hope that you had a great first quarter! We wanted to share our highlights from the past few months focused on work we’ve been doing. Over the past few years, we’ve been working with investors in the field of value creation. The guiding principle is simple, the more involved in its portfolios an investment firm is, the greater its returns. We wrote a neat research report on the topic.
Our research covers:
– History and why it works
– Roles within an investment firm
– Hiring best practices
– Structuring the team
– Common pitfalls to avoid
Why is is this topic important?
Value creation addresses a major conundrum currently faced by investment funds. Private equity is booming, holding historic highs of capital with billions in “dry powder” ready to be invested. The problem? Too many competitors and not enough quality deals are forcing funds to bid acquisition prices up to unprofitable levels. How does a firm set itself apart from the crowd?
Here is some key highlights:
The impact it can have on a funds’ returns
Defining the models employed by investors
Describing the roles of a value creation team
Choosing the model that works best
This research will cover best practices and common challenges in the field. With these best practices, a value creation team can increase the profitability of a firm’s investments and generate more revenue across the board. If you want to learn more, check out our white paper
Some company news!
The team is growing and hiring. We’re looking for an engagement manager with a technology background. Please share the job description in case you know anyone.
Fun stuff
Our most downloaded podcasts from the past quarter:
Building the future of entertainment with Noor Elhuda El Bawab, Director of programs @ Zú
Noor is community builder, problem solver and analytical. She is a passionate person who is constantly looking to be challenged by her work, her team and everything around her.
She is an eternal student, who’s always seeking new opportunities to learn something new to compliment and improve the task at hand. She is not afraid to make mistakes, if that will lead me to understand better what’s the best way to tackle each and every project.
She strives the most in organizations that have an impact on the world, which is why she joined District 3. She is a strong believer that technology and entrepreneurship is the best way to empower people to continue developing the world around us.
On the show, we spoke about:
- How she developed a passion for startups
- Zú and their mission
- The future of entertainment
- Why she’s excited about fan engagement and the space in general
Bootstrapping startups with Francois Lanthier Nadeau, CEO @ Snipcart
Recently, Francois has been slowly been stepping into the shoes of CEO. He’s been in charge of marketing for 6 years, during which they steadily grew their user base and revenue using content marketing and SEO. Now profitable, they have the luxury to experiment with other acquisition channels such as FB ads & video, and focus on CRO throughout their whole acquisition funnel.
He’s been featured on Indie Hackers, Infopresse, The Startup, freeCodeCamp, Baremetrics, Wishpond, Inbound.org, and more publications. Keen-eyed peers might spot his ghostwriting on other sites too.
Since joining Snipcart, he’s had the chance to pitch and present their business in 13+ events all over the world (Canada, USA, France, Ireland). He’s worked remotely from half a dozen different countries in the last 4 years.
On the show, we spoke about:
- Bootstrapping startups
- Importance of writing
- Mental health
- The no code movement
- Growing and leading snipcart
- Snipcart vs. headless video
- Some articles his written (boostrapping, headless ecommerce, cognitive distortions)
Angel investing with Geneviève Tanguay, CEO @ Anges Québec
Geneviève Tanguay has more than 20 years of experience in Investment and has participated in the completion of numerous transactions in several innovative sectors, particularly in Life Sciences. She was Director of Investments at the Fonds de Solidarité from 2008 to 2017, the largest Quebec network for development and venture capital investment in Quebec. In August 2018, Geneviève was appointed head of corporate development at Biron Groupe Santé and in October 2020, Geneviève became the first woman to hold the position of CEO of Anges Québec.
Her various functions have enabled him to sit on several boards of directors of private companies and to invest in the strategy and development of these companies. Very involved in her community, Geneviève has sat on several boards of directors of non-profit organizations, including that of the prestigious Institute of Directors of Companies I.A.S. Finally, she has been a Member of the Board of Directors of VIA Rail since August 2017 and, among others, a Member of the Audit Committee and of the Stakeholder Relations Committee. Geneviève holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from HEC Montréal.
On the show, we spoke about:
- Getting started in the world of finance and investing
- The challenge of raising another fund
- How she’s repositioning Anges Québec
- Kickstarting more entrepreneurship in the province
- Her interest in deep tech and life sciences
- Impact investing and ESG
Our favorite articles:
Notes on technology in the 2020s Eli Dourado (reading time: 27 minutes)
This article is responsible for making me more optimistic for the future. It covers some great points. Innovations across health care, energy, transportation and others. With some perspective, we are living in amazing times.
Shopify and the Hard Thing About Easy Things Not Boring (reading time: 21 minutes)
I love counterintuitive strategy articles. Packy McCormick dives into Shopify’s strategy of arming the rebels. However, by enabling millions of small ecommerce players to launch, it erodes barriers of entry and essentially the possibility of profits.
Bitcoin Is Venice Allen Farrington (reading time: 35 minutes)
This is a fascinating read on Bitcoin, a bit more technical but highly recommended if you are interested in the cryptocurrency. Fourteenth century Venice essentially invented modern finance as we know it. It follows that Bitcoin is the next invention of finance in the internet age. There are some great insights & comparisons drawn in this article. The more I dive into the notion of programmable money, the more I believe there is no other way.
We hope that you have a great spring!
The PNR Team
Past editions
