Breakfast Briefing #3
Enhancing Deal Flow, Marketing & Data-Driven Value Creation
8-11am | Tuesday 4 March 2025 | London
Speakers
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Agenda
Expert view & case study
AI Platforms and Agents: Enhancing the Deal Lifecycle from Origination to Exit
Rich Klee, Senior Director, Product & Technology, Palladium
Joshua Kerry, Associate Director, Hanover Investors
Rich Klee, a leading AI expert and course lead for 'AI for Private Market Investors' at the BVCA, will be joined by a client of Palladium to explore how AI platforms are beginning to transform the deal lifecycle.
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This session will examine how private equity firms are leveraging AI to enhance research-heavy roles, reduce manual toil, and maximise team capacity without increasing headcount. Key discussion points include:
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The evolution of AI-driven platforms that augment deal teams, enabling faster, more effective sourcing and origination
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How firms are balancing generic AI tools like ChatGPT and MS Co-Pilot with sector-specific AI solutions tailored to private markets
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The rise of agentic AI—task-specific AI agents designed to streamline workflows and surface high-value investment opportunities and monitor and improve the current portfolio
A live case study will demonstrate how one investment firm is using AI to streamline its deal process, offering practical insights into how private equity professionals can integrate AI to drive efficiency and focus on the strategic aspects of investing.​
Case study
Building with AI: Turning Proprietary Data into a New Revenue Stream
Tom Seal, Senior Research Director, Enterprise Sourcing Strategies, IDC
Tom has spent decades at the forefront of enterprise applications, witnessing firsthand the transformation of software markets through predictive and generative AI. Currently, he is playing a key role in building an AI-driven platform that reimagines how mid-market companies select and procure technology.
In this session, Tom will share how he and his team identified a previously untapped opportunity within existing data - one that could be leveraged to provide new value to customers and drive revenue growth. He will walk us through the evolution of this AI product, from an internal knowledge asset to an externally marketable solution, highlighting:
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The strategic realisation – How recognising the value of underutilised data led to the inception of a new AI-powered procurement solution
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The build journey – Lessons from the development process, including working with external vendors, assembling the right AI team, and overcoming challenges such as data consistency
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AI in action – How the final product is helping businesses, including private equity firms and their portfolios, reduce time and cost in vendor selection while improving decision-making
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Tom’s insights will help private equity professionals understand how AI can be used to create new efficiencies, unlock revenue potential, and directly enhance workflows - without requiring vast in-house AI expertise.
Whether you’re looking to leverage AI within your portfolio or accelerate procurement processes, this session will provide a roadmap for identifying, building, and scaling AI-driven value.
Expert view
AI in Marketing: Delivering Growth and Efficiency
Kerry Harrison, Marketing AI Educator
Marketing is a critical value driver for businesses, and AI is rapidly reshaping how brands engage, create, and grow. In this first session of a new quarterly series exploring AI’s impact on key business functions, Kerry Harrison—AI educator, creative technologist, and Course Director of the AI Copywriting Masterclass at CIM—will provide a useful guide to AI’s role in marketing. She will explore:
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How AI is transforming marketing copywriting, content creation, and customer engagement
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Proven AI use cases driving efficiency and creativity in marketing teams​
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The evolving AI technology landscape—from established players to disruptive newcomers
This session will provide a practical steps for integrating AI into firm and portfolio company marketing functions, ensuring teams are equipped with the right tools to enhance impact and efficiency.
Workshop
AI in Action: Interactive Workshop
AI has potential to improve key business functions in private equity, as highlighted in the today’s sessions. But how are your peers approaching these opportunities in practice? This interactive workshop shifts the focus to those in the room, providing a chance to explore real-world use cases, exchange insights with industry peers, and experiment with AI tools in a collaborative setting.
Guided by table hosts, attendees will work through practical scenarios directly related to the case studies and insights shared earlier in the briefing.
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Learn from peers – discover how others in the industry are approaching AI adoption
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Think practically – explore AI’s role in optimising deal sourcing, marketing, and value creation
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Test AI capabilities – gain first-hand experience with large language models (LLMs) to assess their potential in a private equity context​
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​By putting today’s insights into action, this session will provide new perspectives, practical takeaways, and a deeper understanding of how AI can be effectively integrated into Private Equity and portfolio companies.
Who is AI Pathfinder and why launch a quarterly AI Breakfast Briefing for Private Equity?
In my journey of building expert networks around transformative business concepts - from the strategic evolution of procurement to the burgeoning subscription economy - I’ve always been at the forefront of dynamic shifts. My interest with transformation led me to the potential of AI following the landmark arrival of ChatGPT.
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As Mustafa Suleyman (CEO, Microsoft AI) points out, "The risk isn’t in overhyping it; it’s rather in missing the magnitude of the coming wave. We really are at a turning point in the history of humanity." This resonates with me, where I believe that now is the moment to act, not just to participate but to actively shape the future.
Why focus on Private Equity? The reason is crystal-clear. In an era where every investment can be dramatically influenced by AI - either as a potential risk or as an accelerant - PE firms are perfectly poised to capitalise on this change. Initial trepidations have evolved into a strategic urgency to harness AI, not just for operational efficiency or competitive leverage but as a fundamental value driver.
My mission is to empower you with unique insights and valuable connections that will help you leverage AI to redefine investment success and set new industry benchmarks. Join me at the forefront of this transformation. Not only to understand but master the wave of AI, ensuring your investments not only survive but thrive.
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time researching your needs. I’d like to thank the firms who opened their doors.
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I look forward to meeting you.
Steve Budd
Founder, AI Pathfinder
steve@aipathfinder.co | 07838 200054
