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Private Equity in Q3 2025: Moving from Defense to Offense

Private Equity Podcast: Karma School of Business

Release Date: 10/22/2025

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Private Equity Podcast: Karma School of Business

Sean Mooney, Founder and CEO of BluWave, shares the key takeaways from BluWave’s 2025 Private Equity Insights Report and what they signal for the year ahead. Drawing on real-time data from hundreds of PE firms and thousands of portfolio companies, he outlines how the industry shifted from defense to offense, why diligence and value creation surged late in the year, and what separates winners from laggards entering 2026. Sean also delivers clear predictions on AI adoption, talent, software sprawl, and the accelerating deal rebound. This episode sets the context every private equity leader...

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Eliot Kerlin, Founder and Managing Partner of Broadwing Capital, shares the unconventional path that took him from pre-med to private equity and the principles that now guide his firm’s approach to building durable, high-performing companies. He unpacks Broadwing’s value-creation playbook, the importance of forecasting NTM cash flow, and why culture, people analytics, and in-person leadership sit at the center of long-term success. Eliot also reflects on the tenacity required to launch a firm—and the clarity needed to focus on what truly matters. It’s a grounded, thoughtful...

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In this episode of Karma School of Business, Sean Mooney interviews Drew Meyers, Partner at Seaport Capital. Drew shares how his unconventional path—from off-track betting to M&A integration—shaped his approach to lower middle-market private equity. He breaks down Seaport's focused strategy on founder-led businesses, where they invest early in professionalization across strategy, sales, and finance. The conversation covers everything from the importance of relationships and never burning bridges to how BluWave helps Seaport access cost-effective resources tailored to smaller portfolio...

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Private Equity Podcast: Karma School of Business

In this special edition of the Karma School of Business, Sean Mooney, Founder and CEO of BluWave, breaks down key findings from BluWave’s Q3 2025 Private Equity Insights Report. Drawing parallels between his son’s fencing lessons and today’s economic climate, Sean explains how the best investors are shifting from a defensive stance to an offensive one. Seeing through the noise, leaning forward, and playing to win. He shares fresh data showing that deal activity, due diligence spending, and AI investment are all surging—signs of an industry on the offense. From the manufacturing...

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In this special edition of the Karma School of Business, Sean Mooney, Founder and CEO of BluWave, breaks down key findings from BluWave’s Q3 2025 Private Equity Insights Report. Drawing parallels between his son’s fencing lessons and today’s economic climate, Sean explains how the best investors are shifting from a defensive stance to an offensive one. Seeing through the noise, leaning forward, and playing to win.

He shares fresh data showing that deal activity, due diligence spending, and AI investment are all surging—signs of an industry on the offense. From the manufacturing renaissance to the rise of flatter, AI-enabled organizations, Sean offers a grounded, data-backed view of where private equity and the broader economy are heading next.

Episode Highlights

  • 1:07 – The Sport of Fencing and PE: what private equity can learn from shifting from defense to offense

  • 4:40 – Why the U.S. economy is “good enough” and accelerating despite the noise

  • 11:45 – Deal data shows confidence returning: due diligence projects up 43% year-over-year

  • 14:33 – PE firms’ AI and analytics demand surges 300% and 1,600% for AI/ML advisory

  • 18:39 – Manufacturing reshoring, venture collaboration, and the next wave of innovation

  • 21:06 – The coming of flatter, AI-enabled organizations and what it means for talent

  • 25:39 – Sticky inflation, rate cuts, and why the next economic cycle is already underway

 

For more on BluWave, visit: https://www.bluwave.net/
To request the full Q3 2025 Insights Report, visit: https://www.bluwave.net/insights-report/