Start-up to Exit in 3.5 Years - Jamie Portnoff

NexChapter is the home of unfiltered wisdom from post exit founders. Recorded in The Republic Studio, this show is for founders who are scaling businesses and founders who have sold and are figuring out what the hell happens next. Each episode explores the real story behind the exit, the decisions that mattered, and the personal transition that follows when the deal is done.   In this episode, Raman Sehgal sits down with Jamie Portnoff. Jamie is a high-growth executive and entrepreneur who co-founded and served as CEO of Truliant Consulting. In just 3.5 years, she scaled the firm into a premier global pharmacovigilance advisory, culminating in a successful Private Equity (PE) exit via acquisition. Currently, Jamie is a member of the senior leadership team at ELIQUENT, where she leads the global consulting practice she built while also contributing to enterprise growth strategies. With over two decades of technical authority, Jamie is highly skilled in navigating international complexity, M&A integrations, and business transformation. Known for building high-performing teams, she excels at driving success through strategic partnership and operational transparency. Jamie lives in Baltimore with her husband and daughter.   What we cover Spotting an opportunity in a pharma safety niche that big firms often underweight, then building a premium advisory around it Scaling with six co founders, being intentional about culture and diversity, and managing the human complexity that comes with that model Reputation-led growth, selling less and delivering more, with founder level ownership on projects driving word of mouth demand Navigating choppy, services based revenue while solving high stakes technical and international complexity for clients An unplanned sale process triggered by visibility and marketing, plus why staying open to conversations with investors and acquirers matters The post deal reality, integrating into a PE backed platform, adjusting to new success metrics, and deciding whether to build again https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-portnoff-2039008/   Your host Raman Sehgal is the author of the best selling book The Floundering Founder, Toronto Chapter Lead at Post Exit Founders (PEF), investor, and founder of several niche firms and platforms in the pharma and biopharma services space, one of which he sold a majority stake in to private equity. He created NexChapter to capture the hard earned wisdom of founders who have been through an exit and are willing to share what really worked, what surprised them, and what comes next. Connect with Raman.