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Richard de Silva shared thisLateral focuses on identifying and backing profitable bootstrapped companies at growth inflection points. I was happy to share my thoughts with Crunchbase why we are bullish on bootstrapped companies. This topic is especially important today as AI tools lower the cost and barriers to building new technology which increases the opportunities to build and scale historically bootstrapped companies. Building new companies is cheaper and easier than ever before. Paradoxically, Silicon Valley is increasingly dominated by huge VC funds and massive seed rounds for startups even though product development costs have plummeted. We believe that more bootstrapped companies will emerge that don’t need VC funding to get off the ground. Our take: Bootstrapped businesses have a structural advantage to evolve into AI-native businesses over startups. They already know their customer's problem before they build. There’s no hunt for product-market fit, just disciplined, profitable growth funded by revenue, not risk capital. Read the full Crunchbase article https://lnkd.in/ghmgUtQr and check out our full Insights page here https://lnkd.in/gjpxManD #Bootstrapping #PrivateEquity #MiddleMarket #FoundersWhy Bootstrapped Businesses Are More Relevant Than EverWhy Bootstrapped Businesses Are More Relevant Than Ever
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Richard de Silva shared thisWhile much of the industry continues to chase the same large, well-banked deals, we believe the most compelling investment opportunities today lie in overlooked niches and where resilient companies are built for profitability, not funding rounds. This is the focus of our work at Lateral Investment Management, partnering with exceptional founders to scale durable, capital-efficient businesses. Read the full conversation and download our whitepaper below.Richard de Silva shared thisIn a feature for Emerging Manager Monthly, Lateral Investment Management’s Founder and Managing Partner Richard de Silva speaks with Danielle Correa about why the founder-led, bootstrapped lower middle market remains one of the most compelling frontiers in private equity. Richard shares why this overlooked segment of more than 200,000 companies offers a differentiated opportunity for investors seeking idiosyncratic, non-correlated returns and how Lateral’s “growth buyout” approach was purpose-built to meet the moment. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/ejMeKpkh And download our white paper: https://lnkd.in/g-M8wtqK
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Richard de Silva shared thisI recently had the opportunity to speak with Demitri Diakantonis of Mergers and Acquisitions - themiddlemarket.com about the increasing importance of operating partners in the middle market. At Lateral Investment Management, we believe that true transformation happens when operating partners roll up their sleeves and work side-by-side with management to create scalable, sustainable growth. Pleased to have Bill Priemer, Dan Warmenhoven and Klaus Besier on board for the ride! Read more below. #LateralThinking #MergersandAcquisitions #OperatingPartnersRichard de Silva shared thisAs the #PE landscape evolves, so does the role of operating partners within it. In a feature article for Mergers and Acquisitions - themiddlemarket.com, Lateral Investment Management Founder and Managing Partner Richard de Silva explains to Demitri Diakantonis how the role of #operatingpartners has shifted from cost-reduction consultants to hands-on partners to portfolio company CEOs, helping to drive #growth, sales, marketing and product innovation. We’re pleased to have tech veterans Bill Priemer, Dan Warmenhoven and Klaus Besier recently join our network and look forward to their meaningful contributions going forward. Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e9yf-4Fj
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Richard de Silva shared thisWe’re proud to share that Lateral Investment Management has once again been named to Inc. Magazine’s Founder-Friendly Investors list. The recognition is a testament to Lateral’s continued partnership with exceptional founders building enduring, founder-led businesses across technology and tech-enabled services. Congratulations to the entire Lateral team on this continued achievement, and to all the firms recognized for their dedication to founder success.Richard de Silva shared thisWe’re proud to share that Inc. Magazine has named Lateral Investment Management to its Founder-Friendly #Investors list, which recognizes the most active and collaborative firms in helping founders achieve long-term goals, for the second consecutive year. Speaking to this year’s recognition, Lateral Managing Partner Richard de Silva says, “These are #entrepreneurs who know their markets, have built remarkable cultures, and are prepared to scale efficiently into long-lasting market leaders without compromising what makes them unique. We remain committed to helping our current and future partners achieve transformative outcomes for years to come.” Check out the 2025 list here: https://lnkd.in/dzS-Yh8j #LateralThinking #IncMagazine #FounderFriendly
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Richard de Silva shared thisDan Warmenhoven has witnessed the ups and downs of building companies giving him a unique perspective on how to grow enduring businesses with discipline and transparency. At Lateral Investment Management, we believe founders benefit most from partners who understand both the exhilaration of rapid growth and the discipline required to sustain it. Dan brings that perspective to the Lateral team in spades, along with a deep appreciation for what makes founder-led companies so special. Read more about Dan below⬇️Richard de Silva shared this👤 Meet Lateral’s Operating Partners: Dan Warmenhoven At 12 years old, Dan took his first paying job hauling boxes and restocking shelves at a local hardware store. His motivation? A new bike he could only afford if he earned it himself. That early lesson in discipline, humility, and accountability shaped a career that would see him transform early-stage companies into industry leaders. Not every chapter was easy. In his first CEO role, he had to navigate the fallout of financial mismanagement, an experience that not only shaped his uncompromising approach to transparency and accountability, but also served as the foundation for his approach to successfully growing world-class companies. At Lateral Investment Management, Dan channels these lessons to help the founders with whom we partner scale their bootstrapped businesses with discipline, self-awareness, and a deep understanding of their customers. His favorite advice for founders? Don’t just celebrate the wins, learn from the losses. 👉 Explore more of Dan’s story and his perspective in our latest “Meet Lateral’s Operating Partners” feature. #OperatingPartner #Partnership #GrowthBuyout #PrivateEquity
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Richard de Silva shared thisA great conversation with FundFire’s Justin Mitchell about how lower middle market PE continues to offer up extraordinary opportunities. Our persistent focus on profitable founder-owned, bootstrapped software and technology businesses ensures we have access to high quality and proprietary investments.Richard de Silva shared thisThe opaqueness and variety of the U.S. lower middle market means that extraordinary growth opportunities are often hidden in plain sight for the specialized and focused fund investor. As our Managing Partner Richard de Silva explains to FundFire’s Justin Mitchell: “We continue to see an abundance of really interesting companies that aren’t really getting addressed by the private equity market.” Lateral Investment Management’s most recent white paper further proves that sector specialization and a focus on founder-led, bootstrapped businesses – specifically smaller technology buyouts – are some of the most attractive opportunities that exist today. Explore our white paper here: https://lnkd.in/gBCDgyHf Check out the FundFire article here: https://lnkd.in/g9SSsBek #LateralThinking #GrowthBuyout #PrivateEquity #MergersAndAcquisitions
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Richard de Silva shared thisBill Priemer knows what founders are up against in building and scaling great software companies. Lateral Investment Management’s operating partners are a critical element of our partnership and value creation approach to transforming and scaling profitable, bootstrapped, founder-led companies. Bill brings the credibility, empathy and scar tissue of having been in their seat to advising our CEOs. We are fortunate to have Bill as part of our team. Hear from Bill below⬇️Richard de Silva shared this👤 Meet Lateral’s Operating Partners: Bill Priemer From paperboy to CEO of a billion-dollar software company, Bill Priemer’s career has been shaped by curiosity, discipline, and a commitment to long-term impact. Bill spent more than a decade as the CEO of Hyland Software, the market-leading enterprise content management software company. He scaled the company into a global software leader with 4,000 employees and more than $1 billion in annual revenue. Today, he draws on that experience as an Operating Partner at Lateral, supporting founders in transforming profitable services companies into enduring software-based businesses. Bill is on the board of Morae Global, Lateral’s platform company in the legal technology solutions market. In the latest installment of our “Meet Lateral’s Operating Partners” series, Bill shares his views on what it takes to succeed as a founder today, how he’s evolved as a leader and business builder, and why he was drawn to Lateral Investment Management’s collaborative, founder-first model. 👉 Read the full conversation with Bill. #LateralThinking #Founders #OperatingPartners #PrivateEquity #GrowthBuyout
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Richard de Silva shared thisScrappy, profitable and bootstrapped, founder-led businesses are overlooked by large VC firms swinging for home runs or large buyout firms jostling for mega-deals. These hardy businesses are abundant across niches in the US economy but have fallen outside of the scope of large funds. The technology-enabled players who are breaking out in these niches are the companies Lateral Investment Management has built our small buyout strategy around. The hard part is finding that high-conviction founder who has assembled the ingredients that Lateral can help to transform into a true market leader. Thanks, John Crabb and Institutional Investor for the interest and candid conversation. Read more in Institutional Investor: https://lnkd.in/gx9GVHhh Download our white paper: https://lnkd.in/g8MDB2CE #PrivateEquity #MiddleMarket #FounderLed #Bootstrapped #GrowthBuyout #LateralThinkingRichard de Silva shared thisIn a recent feature interview with Institutional Investor’s John Crabb, our Founder and Managing Partner Richard de Silva shares how following a longstanding playbook focused on investing in founder-led bootstrapped lower-middle-market companies can lead to more effective value creation. “Our argument is that there needs to be a re-thinking of lower-middle-market buyouts and a return to this model that existed before. There is room for a whole new generation of [private equity] firms, because the prior generation vacated the space by growing in size,” notes Richard. Read the article: https://lnkd.in/eSZe2cTq And explore Lateral Investment Management’s white paper on how overlooked founder-led businesses can offer compelling entry points for value creation: https://lnkd.in/g-M8wtqK #PrivateEquity #MiddleMarket #FounderLed #Bootstrapped #GrowthBuyout #LateralThinking
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Richard de Silva shared thisThere are too many big funds chasing after the same big deals clustered around a) “Go Big or Go Home” early-stage disruption or b) mega-buyouts. But the middle market? It often gets overlooked. This recent piece from Lateral Investment Management highlights something important: It’s better to avoid the crowd and instead, invest behind profitable founder-led platforms – hidden in plain sight. That’s where there are differentiated risk/reward opportunities: 💎 Less competition means better entry multiples, proprietary deals, more time for diligence and to build partnership. 💎 Founder-bootstrapped firms are resilient organizations that are malleable to change and innovation 💎 And the lack of hype? That’s exactly where idiosyncratic value creation happens regardless of broader market tides. Download the full report: https://lnkd.in/g-M8wtqK #MiddleMarket #PrivateMarkets #BootstrapFounders #GrowthBuyout #LateralThinkingRichard de Silva shared thisWe believe founder-led, bootstrapped businesses in the lower middle market represent private equity’s most overlooked segment. These companies are hidden in plain sight, underserved by traditional funding avenues, and primed for strategic growth and transformation. Explore why these businesses hold such compelling investment potential—and how to unlock their value—by downloading Lateral Investment Management’s latest white paper here: https://lnkd.in/g-M8wtqK #PrivateEquity #MiddleMarket #FounderLed #InvestmentStrategy #GrowthInvesting
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Richard de Silva liked thisRichard de Silva liked thisTwo years ago, I stepped into a new role, a new team, and a new asset class. 🤠 While it wasn’t my first rodeo, every arena has its own rules. One thing didn’t change: my passion for the lower middle market and for building long-term relationships. What has impressed me most over these past two years has been the people. At my first PREA conference, I was welcomed with open arms. What could have felt like a daunting transition quickly became an exciting one thanks to the generosity, encouragement, and openness of so many people willing to share their knowledge and experience. It’s hard not to be inspired by the passion people in this industry bring to real estate. Along the way, I’ve learned from investors, operators, consultants, placement agents, peers, and my colleagues, all of whom have been incredibly generous with their time and perspective. That willingness to support others and share their experience has left a lasting impression on me. Two years in, I still feel like I’m just getting started. I’m grateful for the friendships I’ve made, the opportunities I’ve been given, and everyone who has been part of the journey so far. Looking forward to the years ahead!
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Richard de Silva liked thisRichard de Silva liked thisI’m honored to begin my role as CEO of Lazard Asset Management. Lazard is a firm with a remarkable history, a global reputation for excellence, and a truly talented team whose dedication to clients worldwide inspires me. My vision is to continue to build on our strong foundation, blending our legacy with innovation through Lazard 2030 to deliver for our clients, and strengthen our position as a trusted partner well into the future. Over the coming months, I look forward to meeting with clients and colleagues across the globe, listening, learning, and shaping our future together. Excited for the journey ahead. https://lnkd.in/eEvCbjbF
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Timo Bey (貝天慕)
🇮🇳 While Others Build Walls, India Builds Partnerships India Just Changed the Game for Global Investors Global dynamics are shifting. While many markets continue to grapple with uncertainty, India is moving decisively to redefine its investment landscape. The recent amendment to Press Note 3 (PN3) is a clear statement of intent. For the first time, investments from select neighboring countries may receive government approval within 60 days, provided they align with strategic manufacturing sectors such as: → Electronic capital goods → Electronic components → Polysilicon and ingot wafers → Advanced battery components → Rare earth magnets and processing These industries form the backbone of future competitiveness in technology, renewable energy, and advanced materials. By fast-tracking these sectors, India is positioning itself not only as a production hub but as a strategic partner in next-generation industrial growth. Beyond procedure, what stands out is the pragmatic tone of this policy shift. In recent months, i are already observing more pragmatic, partnership-driven investment discussions emerging – particularly from Chinese firms exploring structured and technology-focused collaborations. This reflects a broader shift toward constructive and commercially grounded cross-border engagement. For my part, this aligns closely with my view that global supply chains are being rebuilt around trust, transparency, and long-term resilience. It also underlines why i have initiated exploratory activities in India to engage with these evolving opportunities in a tangible way. At a time when global uncertainty and protectionism dominate headlines, India is offering something very different: clarity, collaboration, and a credible path for strategic growth.
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JayaSankar Subburaj
Rezolv AI Rezolv Raises $12.5M Series A to Scale AI Lending Mumbai-based AI lending technology platform Rezolv has raised $12.5 million in #SeriesA funding led by Norwest, with participation from Vertex Ventures SE Asia & India and existing investor 3one4 Capital. Founded in October 2024 by Karan Mehta and Sonali Jindal, also co-founders of Kissht, Rezolv previously raised $3.5 million in seed funding. #Rezolv plans to use the new capital to expand AI capabilities across sales, risk, underwriting and collections. The platform works with more than 22 banks and NBFCs, including AU Small Finance Bank, ICICI Bank, Poonawalla Fincorp, Bajaj Auto Credit and Five Star Business Finance. Rezolv says its platform manages 6.5 million minutes of borrower conversations monthly across more than 12 million loan accounts, with a claimed 35% improvement in bounce and resolution rates. This round marks another step in scaling AI-driven lending automation. Credit - The Economic Times
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Sandeep Sinha
I am very pleased to share Edition III of No-Ifs About AIFs, our joint benchmarking report with CRISIL. At Oister, we believe long-term capital formation rests on trust built through data, discipline and repeatable outcomes. Trust always follows transparency. We are glad to bring more visibility and confidence to India’s private markets. For three years, the joint Oister X Crisil initiative has charted the evolution of India’s private markets. What began in 2023 as a baseline for performance has evolved into a more practical framework for understanding market maturity. While our second edition analyzed durability across stages, this third edition probes deeper into the hallmarks of a maturing ecosystem: liquidity pathways, the rise of secondaries, and the persistence of alpha. This edition responds to the questions we have heard most consistently from allocators and managers as the market has matured. We are deeply honoured to present these insights to India’s Honourable Finance Minister, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, whose stewardship continues to strengthen India’s economic foundations. To us, this report is a testament to private markets as a high-velocity engine of progress, and an increasingly important layer of resilience in India’s growth story. Today the AIF industry has surpassed $180 billion, maintaining a formidable 30.7% CAGR. Most vital, however, is the 'domesticization' of this growth. With 55.3% of capital in Category I and II AIFs now coming from domestic investors (as of Sept 2025), AIFs are growing to be a crucial pillar of a self-reliant Indian economy. If you are a GP, LP, founder, or advisor in the ecosystem, we invite you to read the report and share what you think. (Link in Comments) Crisil | Oister Global | US-India Strategic Partnership Forum | Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association (IVCA) | Rohit Bhayana | Himanshu Periwal | Sneha Dadrwal | Priti Arora
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