🚀 From VC to CEO: Melissa Widner on Building Smarter Capita

🚀 From VC to CEO — and Why Founders Are Rethinking DilutionWhat happens when a venture capitalist jumps into the trenches to run one of her portfolio companies?In this week’s podcast & newsletter, I sat down with the brilliant Melissa Widner—CEO of Lighter Capital and former head of NAB Ventures—to talk about: 💡 Why she left VC to become an operator again ⚡️ The rise of revenue-based financing (and how it actually works) 💰 The private credit boom—and what LPs are really looking for right now 🧠 What she wishes she knew as a first-time CEO 🛠️ And why not every startup needs to chase the unicorn pathWhether you're a founder, investor, or just curious about how smarter capital is reshaping the game, this one's packed with insight.👉 Listen here #startups #venturecapital #privatecredit #founders #valuecreation #leadership #capitalraising #saasPeggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare