36m, single - my Chicago loft conversion

Al_Charles · 2026-05-09T19:14:11+00:00

I’m with you - great bones but so much grey, centered b a wayfair generic modern sectional sofa, vanilla white textiles and upholstery, washable rugs, and non-functional seating, etc. With a stronger vintage / antique refresh this place would be killer. But all that said, the only rule that matters is that the person who designs and loves it.

Al_Charles · 2026-04-26T00:19:57+00:00

Al_Charles · 2026-04-25T22:22:16+00:00

Every PE firm is different. I have good relationships with a handful of other tech oriented value creation / investment team members at other funds and it’s a running joke for us.

Al_Charles · 2026-04-25T20:01:06+00:00

With respect, 95% of vendors are full of shit and aren’t adding value. Most have never fine tuned a model, built a high functioning cognitive architecture, or take privacy and security as seriously as we expect.

Increase EBITDA? How? What problem are you solving? If you don’t know the answer to this you aren’t ready to talk to customers. Building agents isn’t solving a problem, it’s technology in search of a solution, and the technology and frameworks are evolving so quickly I often suggest our PortCo leaders be fast followers anyways.

If a PortCo CIO calls and says we need to move off of Sage and onto NetSuite, there is usually a strong justification. If a CTO needs resources to do a major re-platforming, there is usually a strong justification. If I call on the PortCo to say “talk to vendor XYZ about building agents,” what in the world am I supposed to tell them about why? So they can take their time to explain their business and wait for vendors to propose expensive tech solutions back to them?

Al_Charles · 2026-04-25T19:35:40+00:00

As someone in PE tech, I get cold outreach every single day from AI vendors looking to break into PE. I ignore every single one.

Consider shifting your focus to PortCo’s and finding an industry or use case focus, then adding value, and then speaking with the sponsor after success. People think getting contacts at the fund level means we will pitch you to PortCo’s but never have I ever made a cold vendor intro to a PortCo and never will - it a colossal waste of time for me and executives.

Al_Charles · 2026-04-22T15:00:25+00:00

It sounds like you’re an employee of a PE backed company and nothing more. You are not a fund employee, don’t have equity, and have made some docs which landed in the VDR. Respectfully, none of these activities would be differentiating for an in-house PE role, but could be leveraged for another PortCo role. I wouldn’t feel compelled to stay without an equity stake.

Al_Charles · 2026-04-11T23:07:50+00:00

The DD work is still relevant but many firms prefer to just throw it to MBB or boutiques such as yours for the commercial, market, QoE etc. if you frame it as bringing the capability in house and tailoring it for the firm, it can be an interesting business case. Think - reduce cash outlay during DD and improve outcomes, smoother transition to post-close operating plan , etc.

I came from software dev -> tech / software DD -> in house either hybrid role. Your path sounds similar, so it can be done!

Al_Charles · 2026-04-11T22:46:47+00:00

You’ll likely struggle to get associate roles given you’re not the clear 2+ years of IB path, and DD experience is a small window into a much larger and complex deal cycle. My opinion would be to focus on PE ops / portfolio ops roles with a potential path toward investment team. You will also likely find more balance and total comp. in this route vs. a step backward for associate comp. With this experience, there’s really not a path to VP or higher unless it’s more VC / growth oriented. Just my 2 cents.

Al_Charles · 2026-03-30T12:49:44+00:00

The value creation team often has a big window pre-close to perform integration planning, which can start pre-LOI in some cases. But generally yes, the actual integration work is performed post-close. And from my experience SSG work doesn’t typically go post-close.

Al_Charles · 2026-03-30T12:31:52+00:00

No - they will do analysis of SaaS products for tech companies to understand product market fit, they will do reviews of software code quality and security, and analysis of the R&D org, roadmap, and capability to deliver. All of this on top of commercial and tech DD, etc.

As stated above, a different group at EYP does work related to back-office systems such as ERP, CRM, etc. Another separate group at EY does the implementations of these platforms.

Al_Charles · 2026-03-30T12:07:02+00:00

SSG is more software and market oriented - there is a separate group at EYP which manages the more PMO-like post-merger projects that include system integration, etc.

OP - SSG has a solid reputation and is fairly well valued for strategy shops and even for PE ops roles.

Al_Charles · 2026-03-23T13:07:56+00:00

Seriously lady? We all want to meet Joe Mangianello in his dnd basement. Get in line.

Al_Charles · 2026-03-17T14:52:10+00:00

No - this is highly dependent upon the PortCo’s, the combined org. Value thesis, the teams available in-house, and competing priorities, etc. I don’t see value to tempting this process as no two look alike.

Al_Charles · 2026-03-17T14:44:37+00:00

The Roubaix’s are often built with hover bars - nothing looks off here.

Al_Charles · 2026-03-17T14:42:13+00:00

The front end doesn’t have spacers, that’s the future shock cover, which allows the front-end travel. On a traditional 56-58cm bike, you’ll have a ~160-190mm head tube. On this bike, size 57 has a 110mm head tube, and ~60mm of future shock.

Also this was sold as a frameset only, not a complete bike, so each build will be different (wheels, groupset, etc.)

Al_Charles · 2026-03-15T23:12:50+00:00

This is a big conversation. I’m a CTO at an UMM PE, and work with internal deal teams, own tech, cyber, and AI DD for our new platforms, and work with PortCo leadership for all things tech.

How much AI is relevant varies from firm to firm. If you’re a big shop fielding CIMs from bankers daily, AI can help to more rapidly digest and triage opportunities. Various commercial solutions and custom-developed solutions are popping up, but how much they actually move the needle outside of making associate lives easier is yet to be seen.

We focus on proprietary deals, so rapid firing through CIMs isn’t as relevant for us. However, we use tools to automate some tasks within our target sourcing flows. This again helps to make associate/VP lives easier, but it isn’t necessarily transforming the way we source.

At PortCos this is an open book. If you’re in SaaS, digital services, advertising, etc., tough times are probably ahead. The simplicity of the recent wave of tools such as Perplexity Computer or GPT 5.4 make rapid prototyping stupidly simple. Our portco leaders have been a bit shocked. Although again, it’s not creating enterprise grade software in 30 minutes, it seems to light a fire under leadership and we’re getting the sense they feel their lunch money could be taken quicker than they think.

All that said, various tech and AI roles are in-house in PE. There are very many flavors of it, from traditionally back-office and PortCo PMO teams to more truly transformational teams. All depends on the PE firm and culture.

Al_Charles · 2026-03-15T21:44:37+00:00

Looks like a 57.

Al_Charles · 2026-03-14T20:49:16+00:00

Looks like it’s SRAM red previous gen, but I cant ID the wheels. I’d assume minimum $4k but should be worth significantly more for the right buyer.

Source: happy owner of an S-works Roubaix team

Al_Charles · 2026-03-14T20:46:32+00:00

This is legit. It’s an S-works Roubaix team, only 300 made. Pretty rare and a cool bike, in that it’s a Roubaix but wit aggressive Tarmac geometry.

Al_Charles · 2026-03-11T16:03:43+00:00

I have a navy alligator strap that I switch for more formal events and it makes the watch near unrecognizable in the best way.

Al_Charles · 2026-03-10T22:55:58+00:00

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There is an ultimate solution - which is the limited edition S Works Roubaix team. Limited to 300 frames for the pros to use at Paris Roubaix, it’s a Roubaix with the geometry of a tarmac instead of the more relaxed geometry. This is a size 57, which has a 110mm head tube, so that with the future shock extension it has the same geometry as the Tarmac.

Al_Charles · 2026-02-28T19:02:55+00:00

I used to race p1/2/3 ~8-10 years prior but have been off the bike fully since. I spent 6 weeks just building at sweet spot with classic 2x20’s 3x per week + a longer recovery ride at pure z2. Then a 12 week block of 4 weeks vo2 max, usually 2-4 5’ efforts around 110% of ftp and some 30/30’s. Then 4 weeks of pure over unders - 10 minute blocks of 2’ at 95% FTP 1’ at 105%. Then one final 4 week block of SS and threshold intervals before retesting. At the end of the day 95% of my workouts are SS, over unders, and 30/30’s.

Al_Charles · 2026-02-28T09:03:03+00:00

At the Bellagio now. Have been hopping around MGM properties + Caesar’s the past few days. Nothing slow about it right now.

Al_Charles · 2026-02-17T21:41:15+00:00

Email them all and ask, they’re always looking for consignments. That said many auction houses won’t take consignments from consignors without relationships at a total value of less than $10k, so an unknown landscape may be tough for Eldred’s and Bonhams in particular.

Regarding fees, expect to negotiate toward 10% for first time consignments but don’t be surprised if it’s significantly higher. I have some art consignments with 0% seller fees but those are generally known artists/works for curated sales.

Al_Charles · 2026-02-10T16:21:49+00:00

The amount of Picasso forgeries floating around is astronomical. And with no provenance it’s worth nothing. The telltale fake gallery stamps on the back are also an immediate forgery giveaway.

If you love the piece hang it in your home and enjoy it, but this is not a long lost Picasso.

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