Accelera Partners

Helping PE investors unlock people-powered value creation in their portfolio companies. We do this through leadership due diligence, assessment, alignment, and development.

Founder

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship

Winning Moves  |  Accelerate Value Creation

Book + online platform + advisory. Helping PE-backed companies to make value creation happen more consistently, predictably, and reliably.

Author & Creator

Various Growth-Stage Companies

Board of Directors

Alpine Investors

Principal & Operating Exec within top-decile mid-market PE firm. Within the firm, focused on portfolio management: eg. board leadership; growth & acquisition strategy; portfolio leadership & talent. Within the portfolio, took on several leadership assignments within portfolio companies in "moments of transition" — turnaround, carve-out, management rebuild.

Principal

Riverside Insights

Partnered with an amazing, purposeful team to lead the PE-backed carve-out of educational & clinical assessment business from a publically-traded publishing company. Achieved carve-out under-budget and ahead-of-schedule.

COO / GM

Beneco

CEO / Board of Directors

Citi

Consultant (Private Wealth Management Group)

Retirement Capital Advisors

Investment Research and Portfolio Management

Privately Held Business

Operations Management

Nearly two decades in private equity have taught me one thing: the game is changing. Fast. 

Gone are the days when investors could bank on financial engineering and multiple arbitrage to generate outsized returns. 

Welcome to the Value Creation Era of PE. The winners in this era? They'll be the firms that are surgical and systematic about driving value creation—and the ones that recognize you need the right leadership and talent in place to make it happen.

But here's the uncomfortable truth: many PE firms and portfolio companies aren't built to win in this new era.

→ Shoddy hiring and talent practices
→ Skipping org due diligence pre-deal 
→ No systematic approach to value creation planning
→ Failing to get the right team in place to drive that plan 

We see these same mistakes over and over. And early on in my own PE career, I learned the hard way that these things can be supremely costly. 

🚫 Lose precious time
🚫 Put value creation at risk
🚫 Leave returns on the table

Luckily, over years in the trenches at a top-decile PE firm—as an investor, operator, and board member—I figured out a thing or two about:

→ How to size up a target’s value creation readiness before investing.
→ How to get newly-acquired companies off to a strong start in the First 100.
→ How to ensure you have the right leaders in the most critical port-co roles.
→ How to develop leaders capable of meeting PE’s sky-high demands. 

In 2021, I made the leap: left a cushy role in PE to help more firms win in this new era. Through Accelera Partners, I help PE firms accelerate what I call "people-powered value creation" in four ways:

• Org due diligence - https://bit.ly/orgduedili
• Executive assessment - https://bit.ly/execassmnt
• Executive development - https://bit.ly/leadershipalpha
• Value creation planning - https://bit.ly/fst100

The bigger vision beyond advisory work? I’m building a constellation of businesses, projects and partnerships to help PE leaders accelerate people-powered value creation in their companies. Recent projects: 

→ Wrote the bestseller Winning Moves (the “defacto playbook” for PE value creation)
→ Created Ascend, a group-based leadership accelerator for PE-backed executives
→ Dropping a new book/product in 2025 on turbo-boosting value creation with AI
→ Teaching the next gen of value creators at Chicago Booth

Want to learn more?
→ My bestselling book on PE value creation >> https://amzn.to/3WsV0XP
→ Leadership accelerator for PE-backed execs >> https://bit.ly/ascendla
→ Loads of resources for PE professionals and execs >> https://bit.ly/dcremons

Dan Cremons

"Value creation" has lost its punch. 

Not because it's unimportant, but because it's overused to the point of exhaustion. 

Every IC deck mentions it. 
Every consultant sells it. 
Every board preaches it. 

This has diluted & confused the meaning. So let's simplify: 

Value creation = anything that creates equity value. 

And in a PE-backed company, there are only 5 ways to do that:

① Grow your revenue
② Expand your margins
③ Complete strategic acquisitions
④ Pay down debt
⑤ Expand your exit multiple

The rest is just details.

Driving equity value isn’t easy, but got to start with stripping away the fluff and focusing on the fundamentals. 

* * * * * 

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Former PE Investor & CEO // Current PE Advisor // Author // 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘗𝘌-𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

I’ve done the 8am CVG → LGA flight probably a half dozen times for work this year. But flying with a little travel buddy hit differently.

Been thinking a lot about work/life integration. And I'm considering making this a more regular thing next year.

Anyone cracked the code on how to do business travel with a kid in tow?

JSESSIONID

Security Verification | LinkedIn

li_at

Talks about #talent, #leadership, #humancapital, #privateequity, and #valuecreation

I relearned an important lesson this year: 

I was talking to a PE-backed CEO in Q1, and came across my notes today. 

As a first-time CEO, he's grown his company from $3m ARR at time of original acquisition to $30m ARR today. 2 recaps, and has grown equity value something like 20x. 

He mentioned something that stuck, along the lines of: 

"Many of the things that have driven our success I hadn't done before. (...) There were a lot of new challenges for me."

I was looking at my chicken scratch notes from our call this morning, and I got to thinking: 

I'll take...

→ learning aptitude
→ growth mindset
→ persistence 

...over a been-there-done-that exec who scores lower in those areas any day of the week.

When I wrote Winning Moves 3 years ago, a few firms declined to be interviewed. Why? "Our value creation playbook is proprietary." 

That's fine. But don't kid yourself: A value creation playbook is hardly like the recipe for Coca Cola. In most cases, that secret sauce isn't all that secret. 

Lot's of PE firms are running the same plays. 

Yet some still operate from scarcity mindset: "We can't share our playbook! It's our competitive advantage!"

A working theory of mine: 

The firms who proactively share what they're learning will win bigger long-term.

Why? Because sharing creates a flywheel. A virtuous cycle. 

Putting your thoughts & learnings into the ether will help: 

→ Attract talent
→ Attract investors
→ Attract target companies

It's like what happened in B2B with inbound a decade ago. The companies that taught the most also grew the most.

Cool to see that PE is catching on. Love seeing more investment in thought leadership marketing. 

Scarcity thinking = hoard knowledge 
Abundance thinking = share knowledge

Time to settle the greatest, nerdiest, most consequential debate of the modern PE era: 

"EBITDA" = 

A) EE-buh-duh 

B) EE-bit-dah 

C) EH-buh-dah 

D) EH-bit-dah 

E) EE-bit-dee-A 

F) Some questions are better left unanswered


(P.S. If you say "EH-buh-dah" we need to talk)

Sometimes, a PE port-co mgmt teams just want to hear their board say:

"We've got your back."
"We believe in you."
"We trust your call."
"Go for it." 

They don't always need strategic input.
Sometimes, they just need confidence.

PE Career Lesson #74: Results don't just magically happen. 

What some PE folks think happens:

→ Write the check
→ Share some best practices
→ Watch numbers go up
→ Collect returns

What actually happens:

→ People challenges
→ Execution roadblocks
→ Founder disagreements
→ Daily operational battles
→ Unexpected market shifts
→ Constant problem-solving
→ Unexpected customer issues

The gap is massive. And distance can create delusion. 

For this reason, my rule for any PE firm I'd one day start:

Everyone spends 6+ months in a portfolio company.

Not visiting. 
Not observing. 
Actually working.

You can't add value to what you don't understand.
And you can't understand from 30,000 feet.

IYKYK

* * * * * 
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I'm inventing a new LinkedIn term: "value-jack" (v.) (val·yew·jak)

It’s when a service provider latches onto some random subpoint in your post, bends it just enough to make it about their offering, and drops a two-paragraph sales pitch disguised as a comment.

Apparently Winning Moves is the #3 most gifted PE/M&A book on Amazon. Who knew?

PE folks apparently love gifting this book. 

Show some love to the PE operator in your life this Black Friday. Forget the coffee mug. Give the gift of knowledge. 👊

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Cool to see new data from the World Economic Forum backing up what’s been our hunch since we started our Ascend executive accelerator:

The skills expected to matter most by 2030 aren’t technical. 
They’re leadership and human.

In the top-right quadrant (skills that are both core today and growing in importance):

→ Leadership & social influence
→ Resilience, flexibility & agility
→ Motivation & self-awareness
→ Empathy & active listening
→ Talent management

That list looks a lot like the focus areas we’ve been building around in Ascend.
Excited to keep helping more PE execs skate to where the puck is going.

(Info about the program is in the comments below.)

Ever seen a 100,000x MOIC deal in private equity? Found one: 

Got a message from a reader of Winning Moves. A CRO at a smaller PE-backed software biz. 

He paid $10 for the book. 

Said the book helped give him the confidence to pull the pricing lever (chapter 9): 

• Ending excessive discounting 
• Shifting to value-based pricing 
• Raising price after years of no change 

Result: $1M+ boost to Y1 ARR & EBITDA.

LOVE seeing people put these ideas into action and capture big gains. 

$10 book → $1M+ in value

Hot take: Human psychology should be a prereq in ANY business curriculum. It is very difficult to...

→ Hire well
→ Built trust
→ Lead others
→ Drive change
→ Sell effectively
→ Negotiate deals
→ Influence others
→ Make quality decisions

...if we don't understand how human beings (ourselves and others) work.

Wish I would have taken more courses on this stuff in my school days. But been trying to play catch-up since. 

Who's with me?

It's Q4 board meeting season in PE Land. 3 valuable ways a PE board member can contribute in a board meeting ⤵️

#1. - APPRECIATIONS
↳ Call out what's working and what's going well
↳ Acknowledge effort, progress, and wins publicly
↳ Reinforce the specific behaviors you want repeated

#2 - QUESTIONS
↳ Ask the question that unlock fresh thinking
↳ Expand management's thinking on critical decisions
↳ Challenge underlying assumptions without being combative

#3 - CONSIDERATIONS
↳ Share battle-tested experience
↳ Give management your best thinking 
↳ Offer new perspective on the thorniest issues

Most of us will overindex on #3. 

But an old mentor taught me a good rule of thumb:
Aim for a roughly balanced mix across all three.

10 powerful phrases I've heard empowering leaders use, and added to my repertoire. Add them to yours ⤵️ 

* * * * * 
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10 Phrases Empowering Leaders Use

If you’re a PE leader, stop asking "What should our AI strategy be?" It's the wrong question. 

Here's why:

An economic theory of mine: avocado toast is a fairly reliable barometer for inflation. And my oh my... avocadoflation is hitting NYC harrrrd.

The Fed should hire a millennial and start brunching.

Crosslake Technologies

Crosslake is a solutions-driven global advisory firm, renowned for its deep private equity and engineering transformation expertise. As a Lead Practitioner and interim CTO, I work with investors, portfolio company executives, and operating partners to drive technological excellence and business growth. Concurrently, I take on strategic interim executive roles in various organizations, delivering high-impact transformations.

Working across multiple portfolio companies for major Private Equity investors, I support M&A activity and develop targeted technology value-creation and transformation strategies. 

» Strategic Technology: Led the development of technology strategies, architectures, and SaaS transformation projects tailored for complex, fast-growing companies. Focused on aligning technology initiatives with business goals to drive innovation and scalability.

»  Due Diligence and Deal Preparation: Led over 100 buy-side due diligence and sell-side pre-deal preparation processes, ensuring thorough technical evaluations that supported informed investment decisions and maximized transaction value. Collaborated closely with private equity deal teams and portfolio companies to streamline acquisitions and exits.

»  Value Creation and Growth Optimization: Designed and implemented value creation plans that prepared technology businesses for rapid growth and optimal exit multiples. This included restructuring technology frameworks, and enhancing operational efficiencies through continuous improvement.

»  Executive Collaboration: Partnered with CEOs and executive teams to align technology roadmaps with strategic business objectives. Provided guidance on technology investments, product strategies, and operational turnarounds, contributing to the successful scaling and transformation of client companies.

Lead Practitioner/ Interim CTO - Private Equity M&A, Value Creation, Strategy and Transformation.

GRIDSERVE 

Reporting directly to the CEO and supporting the board in a fast-paced, private equity-invested environment. By fostering a data-driven culture and leveraging cutting-edge technologies, I contributed to Gridserve’s mission of transforming the energy and mobility landscape.

Key Achievements:

» Insights & Data Science Team: Established and scaled the Insights and Data Science team, transforming data into actionable insights that fueled business growth.

» Strategic Data Leadership: Collaborated with the C-suite to develop a comprehensive Data Strategy that supported both UK and international network expansion plans.

» Innovative Data Platform: Spearheaded the design and implementation of a cloud-based data platform, enabling real-time connectivity across all network assets, processing over 45 million records daily, and growing.

» Revenue Maximization: Led the Network Revenue Maximization initiative, leveraging data insights to optimize network revenue , significantly enhancing profitability.

» International Growth: Supported the CEO in planning for international expansion, including the development of a SaaS Charger Operations Monitoring platform and a Digital Twin, culminating in securing a prestigious innovation partnership.

» Energy Forecasting Model: Partnered with Google to create an advanced energy forecasting model, integrating charge data, traffic patterns, and weather data to optimize energy management.

» Battery Health Research: Worked closely with internal engineering and R&D teams to explore battery health profiling yielding high-value battery degradation profiles by manufacturer.

» Operational Insights: Equipped operations and customer teams with vital insights and analytics, empowering them to maximize operational performance and drive network revenue growth.

Chief Data Officer

Visualsoft Ltd

Transforming eCommerce at Visualsoft: From Agency Model to SaaS Excellence

At Visualsoft, one of the UK's premier eCommerce web development companies, I was brought on board by Livingbridge, a private equity firm, to spearhead a transformative journey. Working closely with investors, CEO and Chairman, my mission was to pivot the company from an agency model to a robust eCommerce SaaS platform, fostering innovation and setting the stage for sustainable growth.

As CTO (interim) I leveraged my expertise to drive a comprehensive transformation that modernized technology capabilities and positioned the company for future success in the competitive eCommerce landscape. 

Key Achievements:

Strategic Leadership: Developed and executed a product-led transformation strategy in collaboration with the board and investors, laying the foundation for long-term growth and new revenue streams.

Technology Vision: Articulated a clear technology vision to teams, transitioning from a low maturity, unstructured setup to an Agile and DevOps model. This shift led to consistent delivery against a product roadmap, significantly reducing the cost per customer through repeatable solutions and reliable execution.

Operational Excellence: Directed transformation activities, implementing Agile and DevOps practices, and structuring the team to launch two new products. This resulted in improved operational stability and seamless performance during Black Friday peak trading periods.

Platform Innovation: Envisioned, designed, and delivered a new agency enablement platform, empowering partners to quickly and efficiently build advanced eCommerce sites, enhancing market competitiveness.

CTO. Product and Platform Transformation

Arcadia Group Ltd

Driving Engineering Excellence and Digital Transformation at Arcadia Group

At Arcadia Group, I led engineering and digital transformation initiatives across its iconic international brands, including Topman, Topshop, Evans, Wallis, Burton, and Dorothy Perkins. Although my tenure ended due to the Group entering administration, I spearheaded significant advancements during my time there.

as the Head of Engineering (interim) I leveraged my expertise to drive transformative changes, enhance operational efficiency, and position the Group's digital assets for future success in a competitive retail landscape. 

Key Achievements:

» eCommerce Leadership: Directed engineering efforts for a high-transaction eCommerce platform, crucial to the Group's revenue, generating 40% (£650 million) of total sales.

» Technology Vision: Provided strategic leadership and communicated a cohesive technology vision, which stabilized the engineering teams and set the stage for continuous improvement.

»  Organizational Transformation: Designed an effective organizational structure, defined critical roles, mentored team leads, and fostered a culture of accountability and ownership, resulting in a 20% increase in delivery throughput.

» Strategic Roadmapping: Collaborated with C-Suite and Technology Directors to develop a digital strategy and technology roadmap, optimizing the value derived from Arcadia’s eCommerce websites and large-scale backend platforms.

Group Head of Engineering - Digital and Retail Technology

ITM - Independent Data Consultants

Driving Transformation and Innovation in a private equity Role at ITM Limited.

At ITM Limited, I was brought on board by Inflexion private equity to lead a high-impact initiative focused on building and scaling the company as a leading data platform serving the Pensions and Benefits industry. This challenging role required strategic vision, robust leadership, and a deep understanding of data-driven technologies to drive ITM’s growth and success.

In this role I tackled the complexities of a private equity environment, to transform ITM into a scalable and innovative data platform. 

Key Achievements:

Leadership in a High-Stakes Environment: Led a Technology and Product team of 60, navigating complex challenges and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration to drive substantial growth and transformation.

Innovative Data Solutions: Implemented groundbreaking solutions, including a Master Data Management platform, the eDAaRT Data Transformation tool, and a state-of-the-art Pensions Calculations Platform, revolutionizing ITM’s approach to data management and service delivery.

Strategic Vision: Developed and communicated a compelling new technology vision that secured the confidence and support of investors and the board, aligning with ITM’s ambitious growth objectives under Inflexion’s stewardship.

Private Equity Focus: Played a pivotal role in M&A planning, identifying strategic opportunities to expand ITM’s market presence and scale its operations as a data platform, in line with private equity goals.

Operational Restructuring: Restructured the Technology and Product team to overcome historical delivery challenges, significantly improving delivery efficiency and operational performance.

Collinson Group

Leading Complex Transformation at Collinson Group

At Collinson Group, a £700 million global leader in travel, financial services, and loyalty products, I reported directly to the CEO and Group business unit Managing Directors to spearhead a major transformation of the Central Technology Services function. My role involved managing a complex shift to a product-led model, working with a diverse team of 200 technology professionals across four countries.  I successfully managed a transformative journey, driving operational excellence and fostering a culture of innovation and agility. 

Key Achievements:

» Operational Realignment: Led the transformation of the operating model, aligning technology teams with core business domains to enhance control and drive more efficient delivery.

» Technology Enablement: Established a dedicated technology enablement team to champion Product, Agile, and DevOps practices across the group. This initiative resulted in increased levels of automation and more focused, effective teams.

» Loyalty Business Transformation: Guided the transformation of the Loyalty business to adopt a product-led approach, streamlining implementations and establishing a cost-effective, repeatable SaaS model, significantly reducing operational variations and enhancing scalability.

Group Head of Software (interim)

Essence is a Digital Agency within WPP, the world’s largest advertising media firm with a powerful AdTech programmatic platform. I was hired to help consolidate the data architecture and establish operational effectiveness. 

»	Set up a global operations team that provided 24*7 customer support and ensured platform stability.
»	Led operational onboarding of a major new customer onto a stable platform securing significant new recurring revenues.

Technical Director - Essence Digital

Aimia Inc

Scaling Innovation and Delivering Advanced Retail Analytics at AIMIA

At AIMIA, I led the transformation and scaling of the data team from 30 to over 120 professionals, delivering cutting-edge retail analytics solutions to the world’s top ten global retailers including Sainsbury's Nordstom, Eaon, . My role involved modernizing AIMIA’s flagship analytics platform and transitioning it to a SaaS model to meet the evolving needs of our clients.

My time at AIMIA was marked by significant growth and transformation, driving the adoption of sophisticated analytics solutions that empowered the world’s largest retailers to unlock valuable insights from customer data. 

Key Achievements:

» Team Expansion and Leadership: Directed the Technology function for the Intelligent Shopper Solutions business unit, growing the team fourfold from 30 to over 120 members across London and Chennai.

» Operational Excellence: Developed a technology target operating model and established robust offshore development processes, ensuring high quality, focused delivery, and rapid turnaround times.

» Platform Transformation: Overhauled the flagship analytics platform, leveraging scalable and cost-effective technologies to create a standardized SaaS offering that addressed a broader market and enhanced the retail analytics product offering.

Head of Data Engineering

As a strategic Executive,  CTO, and private equity advisor, I work at the intersection of technology, investment, and value creation. Advising CEOs, Boards, and investors across multiple portfolio companies, I help shape technology strategies that drive growth, resilience, and operational excellence. With exposure to a total deal value of several billion, I provide deep expertise in digital transformation, AI, cybersecurity, and enterprise technology modernization. 

Trusted by top-tier PE firms, I lead technology due diligence, post-deal execution, and high-impact transformations that enhance EBITDA and scale businesses. My unique perspective spanning multiple industries and investment cycles enables me to deliver insights and execution capabilities beyond the traditional CTO role.


Key highlights of my career include:

• Award-winning recognition (CIO 200, Global CIO Legend).
• Leading Product, Engineering and IT teams with sizes ranging from 100 to over 250 FTE. 
• Leading a £20M digital transformation program for £1.8Bn retail group
• Technology Operating Model Transformation of a 200 person plus team for a £800M+ global loyalty business
• Transformed digital platforms, architecture and engineering practices for a leading international ad tech company (£200M+)
• Delivered strategic technology transformation for over 20 high-growth Private Equity portfolio companies.

Proven expertise in:
• Building and leading global technology teams (200+ professionals)
• Leading cloud-native platform transformation driving £2M in new revenue
• Implementing data-driven innovation strategies
• Managing technology transformation for PE/VC portfolio companies
• Delivering complex SaaS platform migrations

I have a broad skillset as a CTO:
• Data, AI and ML
• Product
•  Tansformation and engineering-led change
• Strategy, architecture, team leadership, and scaling
•  Deep private equity insights
•  Challenging interim engagements and heavy lifting
•  Creating value with technology and innovation.

Currently considering CTO / Group CTO opportunities in PE-backed or high-growth companies where my track record of delivering transformative growth through technology can create significant stakeholder value.

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