Private capital.
Private equity is one of MBB's biggest engines — by some published accounts roughly a third of revenue at one of the three firms — and it is also the segment most directly contested. We do not compete on diligence scale. We compete on a different axis: operator-grade post-investment coaching delivered by a CIO who has actually deployed capital and run the portfolio companies he advises.
Who this is for
- GPs and fund managers running emerging and middle-market private capital strategies.
- Single-family offices with direct-investing programs.
- Portfolio operators placed by a fund into a CEO or COO seat at a portfolio company.
- LPs conducting independent diligence on a manager, a deal, or a portfolio position.
How we differ from MBB-style PE advisory
MBB's PE practices are built around large-scale diligence support and value-creation engagements for large funds and large portfolio companies. They are excellent at scale work. Clemons Wright is built for a different shape:
- Faster cycle. Two to six weeks, not three to twelve months.
- Operator-led. The advisor has actually been in the CEO/CIO/COO seat — not just adjacent to it.
- Implementation-heavy. Diagnostic memos and dashboards, not PowerPoint.
- Smaller team economics. Sized for portfolio companies under $50M revenue.
- Litigation-aware. Pre-investment and post-investment risk mapping built in, not bolted on.
Offerings
| Offering | What it is | Typical timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-investment diligence sprint | Operator-grade read on management, operating cadence, capital plan, risk posture — independent of legal/financial DD | 2–3 weeks |
| Post-investment 100-day plan | Operating cadence, scorecard install, governance memo, monetization audit for the new portfolio company | 3–4 weeks |
| Portfolio risk map | Litigation, regulatory, reputation, and platform-dependency exposure across the fund's portfolio | 4–6 weeks |
| Exit-posture readiness | Operating, governance, and risk-record prep for a sale or recap event | 6–8 weeks |
| Portfolio operator coaching | Monthly retainer with the placed CEO or COO at a portfolio company | Rolling monthly |
| LP independent diligence | Operator-grade read of a manager or a specific deal, from the LP side | 2 weeks |
Portfolio operator coaching — the engagement we love
A fund places a new CEO or COO into a portfolio company. The fund expects results; the operator inherits a calendar already on fire. The right move is to install operating discipline fast and visibly. We coach that operator — privately, monthly, recorded — through:
- The 100-day cadence install
- The hard staffing call
- The first board-prep cycle
- The first crisis (there is always one)
- The exit-posture conversation when it arrives
The fund sees operating output. The operator gets a peer who has been in the seat. The portfolio company gets discipline without resentment.
Engagement tiers
| Situation | Recommended entry |
|---|---|
| "We are about to invest and want an operator read" | Pre-investment diligence sprint (from $14,000) |
| "We just closed; the new CEO needs a peer" | Portfolio operator coaching retainer (from $5,500 / month) |
| "We want a portfolio-wide risk read" | Portfolio risk map (from $28,000) |
| "An exit is 12 months out" | Exit-posture readiness sprint (quoted) |
| "As an LP we want independent diligence" | 2-week LP diligence read (from $9,500) |
How to start
For funds and family offices, the right first move is usually a private 30-minute call with the founder. Use the contact form, mention "private capital," and we will schedule it under a mutual NDA on request.
An operator in the seat. Not a deck about the seat.
Built for funds that want operating discipline installed quickly inside a portfolio company.