Dry Powder: The Private Equity Podcast

We ask the Co-President of Ares what’s really happening in the private credit market, the advantages of being a scale player, and where he sees performance dispersion among managers.

We asked six leading investors at Vista, Hg, Advent, CVC, KKR, and Apollo where AI is creating value today—and what it will take to unlock the next wave of transformations.

In part two of our interview with Advent’s Managing Partner, we explore how the firm is navigating longer holding periods, harder exits, and rapid technological change — while staying true to its core.

We ask Advent’s Managing Partner and Co-Head of North America how they’ve combined deep sector expertise with true global scale.

In part two of our interview series with the CEO of CVC, we explore how they’re navigating one of the toughest fundraising markets in decades, their firm-wide embrace of AI and why he considers Europe one of the world’s most compelling markets for generating alpha.

CVC CEO Rob Lucas explains how climbing the world's highest mountains—from the Seven Summits to K2—has helped shape the leadership philosophy behind one of the world's leading private equity firms.

In part two of our interview series, Pete Stavros shares how KKR has scaled employee ownership to 85 companies and 200,000 frontline workers — and why it can be a powerful performance lever when done right.

KKR's Co-Head of Global Private Equity and Partner reveals the rigorous, long-term discipline required to drive real operational improvements.

Private equity is not in a crisis — rather, it’s stuck. The issue isn’t capital; it’s confidence. Read Bain’s 2026 Midyear Private Equity Report here. Register for our live webinar here.

The CEO of Vista Equity Partners explains what it will take to win the “agentic revolution.”

In part two of our interview series, the Co-Head of Private Equity at Apollo shares how they return capital well ahead of schedule and how they’re applying “clean sheet thinking” to AI.

We ask the Co-Head of Private Equity at Apollo how he scours “less trafficked” parts of the market and how his team spreads ideas across a disparate set of industries, from casinos to airlines to auto-parts.

In part two of our interview series, we ask the CEO of Triton how higher interest rates, constrained leverage, and rising macro uncertainty are creating fresh opportunities for disciplined  investors.

We ask the founding CEO of Triton how he invests in areas “before they become themes," and how he has built an organization that is both deeply entrepreneurial and strictly disciplined.

In part two of our infrastructure series, the Stonepeak CEO explains how he’s zeroing in on investment opportunities across the energy sector and why logistics infrastructure could see surging demand in an era of deglobalization.

We ask a pioneer of modern infrastructure how to invest across booms, busts, and technological revolutions.

Jennifer Choi, CEO of ILPA, joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on the current mood among LPs, the mainstreaming of continuation vehicles, and the accelerating race to retail capital.    

A glance at the top-line numbers would suggest the industry is gaining traction, but is it? Read the full 2026 Global Private Equity Report, here. Register for our webinar on March 5, here.  

In part two of our interview with Gryphon’s co-CEO, we discover why his $11 billion firm built a 40-person ops team—something most middle-market firms wouldn’t even contemplate.

We ask the co-CEO of Gryphon Investors how he foresaw one of the harshest cycles in the industry’s history and when he thinks it may finally break.

The question for investors is not whether AI will boom or bust, but who may be unwittingly subsidizing the buildout. 

Bain’s leading macroeconomic expert examines the cracks beneath the surface of the US market and how investors should prepare for post-globalization realities.

If you follow me on LinkedIn, you’ve probably seen some of my weekly musings on the state of the private equity industry. One post from earlier this year struck a particular nerve. Titled “It’s Time to Clean Out the PE Attic,” it began with this observation: “There’s a musty corner in every LP’s private equity portfolio—a collection of tail-end buyout funds that quietly aged past their prime.” That post went somewhat viral nearly five months ago, and the question I’d ask today is whether the attic has gotten any cleaner.Today on Dry Powder, we’ll strip away the emotions around tariffs and examine the underlying market data. I’ll also discuss whether 2026 could mark a return to exits and dealmaking at scale.

In part two of our interview series, we explore how TA hits the ground running on value creation.

How does TA find the time — and the manpower — to sift through 40,000 companies a year?

In part two of our interview series with Kristin Olson, Global Head of Alternatives for Wealth at Goldman Sachs, we consider how Goldman Sachs is positioning itself for scale and just how far the industry is from truly democratizing private markets.

Kristin Olson, global head of alternatives for wealth at Goldman Sachs, explains how her team is preparing for more than 30% yearly growth in the individual investor space.

Permira’s Co-CEO reveals how a sector-embedded, operator-led value creation team drives revenue growth across their portfolio.

Permira’s Co-CEO explains how his firm has successfully scaled across Europe and the U.S. in equal measure.

In part two of our interview series, we explore how the impact lens can enhance carve-outs — from deal sourcing to execution.

A pioneer in the realm of impact investing explains how The Rise Funds have scaled over the last decade—and why they're hitting “escape velocity.”

On June 23, I joined the Capital Allocators podcast to discuss some of the pressing challenges facing the private equity industry today, with a particular focus on the ongoing liquidity crisis. This is an unprecedented and, I would argue, an underappreciated problem for the industry. We should be talking about it more, and that’s why we’re sharing this excerpt with you today. I’d like to thank the host of Capital Allocators, Ted Seides, for the opportunity to dive deeper into the data on exits and fundraising and also to explore some of the tools the industry might use to navigate this impasse. You can also listen to our full conversation on the Capital Allocators podcast here..

[This episode originally aired on July 12, 2023] In part two of our conversation with Ian Charles, we reflect on a career of consummate innovation in the secondaries market. 

[This episode originally aired on June 22, 2023] Ian Charles, the managing partner of Arctos’ Sports Partners, takes us inside the world of sports investing.

[This episode originally aired on March 1, 2021] We consider a critical question from Bain & Company's Global Private Equity Report. 

 On April 24, I joined the Spotlight On podcast for a conversation about the future of private equity. Naturally, we talked about the game-changing promise of generative AI, but I also sounded a note of caution. While we’ve seen remarkable enthusiasm and activity in deal sourcing operations and portfolio management, what we haven’t yet seen is the kind of deep impact that many are talking about and predicting. There’s progress along many fronts but no silver bullet in sight just yet.What you’re about to hear is a lightly edited excerpt of our conversation, in which I offer my latest thinking on how to navigate this experimental phase, including how we’re using generative AI here at Bain. I’d like to thank my host, Nick Barton of the Barton Partnership, for such a thought-provoking exchange.

Amid a turbulent year, is the industry poised for more of the same or a sudden turnaround?Read Bain's 2025 Midyear Private Equity Report here. Register for Bain's Private Equity Midyear Report 2025 Webinar on July 16 here. 

[This episode originally aired on December 7, 2023] Today on the show, I have a lively conversation with Ashby Monk, the executive director of the Stanford Research Initiative on Long Term Investing. Ashby studies the inner workings of pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations —  in short all of those LPs that sit somewhere in between the public and private sectors.“That means that they are optimizing for things that are not entirely evident to just the casual observer,” Ashby says.In this episode of Dry Powder, I ask Ashby to take us inside the $140 trillion universe of long-term investing and help us understand what exactly these organizations are optimizing for.If you'd like to stay up to date with my weekly series on LinkedIn, follow me here.

This past December, I joined the M&A Science Podcast for a wide ranging interview about my 30 year career at Bain and the evolution of the private equity industry.  My host did a superb job of walking us through the pivotal moments when the industry was forced to reinvent itself.  In this current moment of uncertainty, the interview serves as a timely reminder of how quickly the industry can change — and is often forced to. What you're about to hear are a few excerpts from that interview, lightly edited for brevity and clarity.I'd like to thank my host, Kison Patel, for the opportunity to share this timely conversation with our audience, and if you'd like to listen to the full interview, you can visit the M&A Science Podcast here.

A 30-year veteran shares why the secondary market’s growth continues to surprise him.

We ask a leading provider of NAV loans about the enthusiasm and the skepticism around a growing trend.

In the second of our two-part series, we ask the Co-CEO of Hamilton Lane how they’re  building an analytics engine that can serve both institutional and individual investors. 

Hamilton Lane's Co-CEO takes us inside the rapid buildout of private market infrastructure.

In part two of our infrastructure series, we take a closer look at which sub-sectors are heating up, and how opportunities across energy and tech are converging.

Infrastructure deals are evolving, and private capital could play a pivotal role in the space.

Today on Dry Powder, we’re sharing a live recording from this year’s NEXUS conference in Orlando, Florida. My guest is Brian Bernasek, Co-Head of Americas Corporate Private Equity at Carlyle. We had a wide-ranging discussion about his market outlook for 2025, how he thinks about sector expertise at scale, the rising cost of alpha, and, of course, AI. Our conversation touches on many of the key themes in Bain’s Global Private Equity Report, which we've linked to below, but Brian is one of those rare investors who can actually bring these themes to life. Read Bain's 2025 Global Private Equity Report, here.

We cover three overarching themes from this year’s report, including clear evidence of an industry recovery, continuing challenges for GP’s, and strategies for winning the future.Register for our Global Private Equity Report 2025 Webinar on March 13, here.Read the full 2025 Global Private Equity Report, here. 

We asked the managing director of Insight Partners how they invest across venture capital, growth equities and buyouts.Register for our Global Private Equity Report 2025 Webinar on March 13, here.

Jim Coulter reflects on the legacy of his co-founder, David Bonderman, while asking whether the industry still makes room for unorthodox investors like him today.

In an industry where management change out rates hover around 50%, GTCR stands out as a remarkable exception.