Private Funds CFO Data & Technology Forum | October 8-9 | San Jose (2024)

Attendees will learn about insights found in PEI’s industry research.

Chris Tamms, Head of Network, Private Funds CFO Network, PEI Group

Hear insights from Usama Fayyad about understanding the power of generative AI in the private markets industry, determining when to adopt this technology, the intersection between human relationships and artificial intelligence and more.

Presenter:
Usama Fayyad, Inaugural Director, Institute for Experiential AI and Professor of the Practice, Khoury College of Computer Sciences, Northeastern University, & Chairman, Open Insights

• Balancing traditional finance activities with additional CFO-related responsibilities
  • How are CFOs embracing technology to assist with their workload?
  • Continuing to showcase the value of the CFO to other teams and leadership members
• De facto CTO: Uncovering challenges that CFOs face due to not having a technology background and how do they overcome that?
  • Keeping up with technological evolution at an attainable pace
• Data deliberation
  • How are CFOs playing a role in guiding the firm’s data collection and organization practices?
  • Balancing the role and responsibilities of a CFO while simultaneously being a data resource

Moderator:
Arthy Kumar, Industry Principal for Investments, Workiva

Panelists:
Jay Farber, Director of Sales, Venture Capital and Private Equity, Juniper Square
John Teng, Director, Corporate Business Applications, H.I.G. Capital
Dorothy Walter, Partner & CFO, Alpine Investors

• Organizational obstacles
  • How are you managing internal investment data?
  • What should firms be doing with their general industry related deal or portfolio company data?
• How are firms adjusting to the current market?
  • Utilizing external and internal resources
• Demonstrating firm-wide operational excellence to both new and existing investors (i.e., investor onboarding, data repositories, reporting methods, templates, due diligence, etc.)
  • Approaching operational complexities of working with different types of investors (institutional investors, high-net-worth investors, family offices, etc.) and international investors as a whole
  • How can technology help GPs respond to their investor’s requests at a faster pace?

Panelist:
Mark Adelman, Vice President of Operations, Lovell Minnick Partners
Robert Severo, Partner & Chief Compliance Officer, Sapphire Ventures

• Steps firms should take in order to eliminate the use Excel
  • What valuable programs and software exist to assist with calculations?
  • Cost/benefit to keeping valuations in house vs. outside the firm?
  • Building trust: how much manual work will continue to be done once a technological process for conducing valuations is in place?
• How are firms adjusting their valuation policies and methods to meet regulatory and LP concerns?

Panelists:
Ken Aseme, Cheif Financial Officer, MaC Venture Capital
Lesly Mohr, Vice President Finance, Voyager Capital

• How does technology help firms circulate capital from the management company to the fund?
  • Utilizing expense allocation software across the firm and between funds
• Data collection and analysis
  • Using and synthesizing data to make informed decisions, set goals and track performance across the firm, funds and portfolio companies?
  • Challenges with gathering portfolio company financial metrics and data
• Understanding technological capabilities and limitations when involving fund administration software or third parties to the mix
• Developing fund mechanics that align with the regulatory, tax and economic environments
  • Calculating costs

Panelists:
Alison Connors, Chief Financial Officer, Third Rock Ventures
Jackie Dao, Chief Financial Officer, Reach Capital
David Mackey, CFO, Catalyst Health Ventures

• Must have resources for managing compliance for firms <$4B
  • How do firms enhance their programs?
• Building risk awareness around technology utilization (i.e., confidentiality, conflicts of interest, etc.)
  • Making sure technology policies are up to date
• Getting ahold of and protecting any external firm property, knowledge and information
  • Managing third parties and external software
  • Vendor compliance policies
  • Preparing for the inevitable: getting a grasp of the SEC’s stance on technology implementation and use of third-party providers
• What role does your firm play in overseeing portfolio company technology implementation?
• What’s next on the SEC’s agenda and how to stay ahead?

Speakers:
Sarah Christensen, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer,
Bow River Capital

• Must have resources for managing compliance for firms >$4B
  • How do firms enhance their programs?
• Building risk awareness around technology utilization (i.e., confidentiality, conflicts of interest, etc.)
  • Making sure technology policies are up to date
• Getting ahold of and protecting any external firm property, knowledge and information
  • Managing third parties and external software
  • Vendor compliance policies
  • Preparing for the inevitable: getting a grasp of the SEC’s stance on technology implementation and use of third-party providers
• What role does your firm play in overseeing portfolio company technology implementation?
• What’s next on the SEC’s agenda and how to stay ahead?

Speakers:
Louis Crasto, National Co-leader of the Fund Administration Practice, RSM US LLP

Tools of the trade: unearthing the biggest operational challenges and resources to assist (GP-only)

GP attendees will have the opportunity to gather for peer-led presentations addressing some of the industry’s greatest challenges while utilizing various tools and approaches to achieve operational efficiency.

Presenter:
Adrienne Mangual, VP Finance & Operations, The Artemis Fund
Ken Aseme, Chief Financial
Officer, MaC Venture Capital

Tools of the trade: unearthing the biggest operational challenges and resources to assist (GP-only)

GP attendees will have the opportunity to gather for peer-led presentations addressing some of the industry’s greatest challenges while utilizing various tools and approaches to achieve operational efficiency.

Tools of the trade: unearthing the biggest operational challenges and resources to assist (GP-only)

GP attendees will have the opportunity to gather for peer-led presentations addressing some of the industry’s greatest challenges while utilizing various tools and approaches to achieve operational efficiency.

These sessions will be more interactive than a traditional breakout panel discussion. The sessions start with a 20-minute panel discussion and will be followed by a 30-minute interactive peer-to-peer workshop. At the end of the workshop, group leaders will come back to the panel table to present key takeaways from each small group.

During this portion, our expert speakers will share their backgrounds and tips and tricks they learned while scaling their own firms

During the workshop portion, the audience will be broken into small groups for peer-to-peer discussions led by the panelists. Topics for discussion in small groups include:

• What are the key drivers for technology adoption at your firm?
  • Investor expectations, response to new regulatory requirements, market volatility, the need for more data, etc.
• Implementing AI
  • How are firms utilizing or thinking about applying artificial intelligence amongst finance and operations teams?
  • Where is human intervention needed in PE?
• What is the process for getting new technologies approved at firms?
• What types of technologies offer the most ROI for PE?
• Vendor verification: how are you sourcing and reference checking your vendors?
• What are typical budgets for new technologies at firms at various stages and with various AUMs?
  • What types of technologies do you prioritize when you have a limited budget?

Moderator:
Steve Bullock, Vice President of Sales, Kyriba

Panelists:
Jessica Duran, Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer, TSG Consumer Partners
Ivor van Esch, Chief Financial and Compliance Officer, Knox Lane

These sessions will be more interactive than a traditional breakout panel discussion. The sessions start with a 20-minute panel discussion and will be followed by a 30-minute interactive peer-to-peer workshop. At the end of the workshop, group leaders will come back to the panel table to present key takeaways from each small group.

During this portion, our expert speakers will share their backgrounds and tips and tricks they learned while scaling their own firms

During the workshop portion, the audience will be broken into small groups for peer-to-peer discussions led by the panelists. Topics for discussion in small groups include:

• What are the key drivers for technology adoption at your firm?
  • Investor expectations, response to new regulatory requirements, market volatility, the need for more data, etc.
• Implementing AI
  • How are firms utilizing or thinking about applying artificial intelligence amongst finance and operations teams?
  • Where is human intervention needed in VC?
• What is the process for getting new technologies approved at firms?
• What types of technologies offer the most ROI for VC?
• Vendor verification: how are you sourcing and reference checking your vendors?
• What are typical budgets for new technologies at firms at various stages and with various AUMs?
  • What types of technologies do you prioritize when you have a limited budget?

Speakers:
Pete Keenan, VP of Finance, 645 Ventures
Tom Pierce, Partner / CFO / CCO, Sorenson Capital

Delegates will enjoy exclusive pre-conference breakfast meetings based on membership circle involvement.

James Beck, CFO, COO &
Partner, At One Ventures

Delegates will enjoy exclusive pre-conference breakfast meetings based on membership circle involvement.

Michaele Gobel, CFO, Equilibrium

Delegates will enjoy exclusive pre-conference breakfast meetings based on membership circle involvement.

Chase Paxton, Director of
Finance and Valuations, NGP
Energy Capital Management

Designed to facilitate candid discussion, this closed-door session for CFOs and COOs only targets the issues and challenges impacting your firm. Attendees can benchmark ideas and share best practices to help you gain solutions for common concerns facing your office. Entry to these sessions will be verified upon scanning badges at the session room.

Facilitators:
Rufina Adams, Chief Financial Officer, True Wind Capital
Greg Lyon, Partner & CFO, Eclipse Ventures

These workshop style sessions provide attendees with the opportunity to problem solve realistic industry crises. These sessions will begin with a 10-minute presentation on a hypothetical scenario and will be followed by small group conversations to develop a course of action step-by-step planning.

The session’s hypothetical scenario will be presented during the session.

These workshop style sessions provide attendees with the opportunity to problem solve realistic industry crises. These sessions will begin with a 10-minute presentation on a hypothetical scenario and will be followed by small group conversations to develop a course of action step-by-step planning.

The session’s hypothetical scenario will be presented during the session.

• Having the proper resources to manage and track liquidity (internal and external)
• Factors to consider when determining the best cash sources for your firm (economic, LP, fund type, etc.)
  • When is it the right time to add a new cash vehicle or fund type?
• The increasing popularity of the credit market
  • Evaluating risks and rewards when utilizing credit sources (subscription lines, NAV loans, secondaries, GP led funds, etc.)
  • Concerns from investors about acquiring non-traditional funds

• Tools of the trade
  • What is available to assist with establishing appropriate carried interest percentages and calculations?
  • Showcasing individual and firm-wide carry results/breakdowns
• Managing tax, regulatory, economic and LP concerns
  • Steps GPs are taking to mitigate clawback risks
  • When to use U.S. or European waterfall calculations?
• Other benefits and incentives that can be offered outside of carry

Panelist:
Trey Block, Chief Financial Officer, OrbiMed Advisors
Brandy Morris, Principal, Chief Financial Officer, AB CarVal

• Aligning the firm’s growth plan with technological advancement
  • What does growth look like for various strategies and AUMs?
  • How can technology help leaders shift their focus to spend time on more strategic initiatives?
• Getting a hold of the trials and tribulations of talent management as functions are evolving in today’s market (recruitment, retention, cultural shifts amidst a newer working generation, succession planning, etc.)
  • The intersection between talent, technology and resourcing
  • When to grow internally, scale back or enlist outside assistance?
• Deciding when it’s time to improve upon a process/system or implement new ones to increase productivity
• Demonstrating growth plans effectively to both new and existing LPs

Speakers:
Alexandria Fisk, Chief Operating Officer, Casdin Capital
Kevin Gasque, Partner, COO, CFO & CCO, Greycroft
Anthony Mirabile, Managing Director, External Investing Group, Goldman Sachs Asset Management