Private Equity's People-and-Growth Playbook with Carr Preston
Private Equity's People-and-Growth Playbook with Carr Preston  
Podcast: Private Equity Podcast: Karma School of Business
Published On: Wed Sep 02 2026
Description: Carr Preston, Managing Director at Akoya Capital, joins Sean Mooney to discuss how leadership, partnership, and commercial discipline shape successful private equity investments. He shares how Akoya evaluates founder- and family-owned businesses, including the importance of a strong CEO, a clear economic model, scalable sales motion, and the right cultural fit. Carr also explains how Akoya's thesis-driven, operating-centric approach helps companies professionalize, grow revenue, and focus on the few priorities that matter most. This is a practical conversation on building value through people, focus, and disciplined execution—hit play. Episode Highlights 1:00 - Carr's path from San Francisco to Morehouse, law school, business school, and private equity 4:00 - How a JD/MBA perspective helps with deal structure, diligence, and negotiation 6:33 - Learning investing fundamentals at Allied Capital during a formative period in PE 10:48 - Carr's Prince concert streak and the music that shaped different chapters of life 14:42 - What Akoya looks for in leadership, strategy, execution, and business model quality 20:00 - Evaluating management teams through decision-making, trust, communication, and plant tours 24:42 - Akoya's operating-centric approach to value creation before and after close 29:20 - Why sales and business development are major levers for lower-middle-market growth For more on Akoya Capital, visit https://akoyacapital.com/ For more on Carr Preston, visit: linkedin.com/in/carr-preston-01499b18