Speaking
Keynotes, executive sessions, and workshops for private equity conferences, operating partner forums, and portfolio company events
I speak to private equity audiences about the point where technology decisions become financial ones — diligence, value creation, exit preparation, and the technology leadership required to execute on any of it. Sessions are grounded in 127 portfolio companies analyzed between 2020 and 2025 and structured interviews with 73 private equity professionals across 41 firms, the research behind Cloud Economics for Private Equity.
Speaking Topics
What Cloud Infrastructure Is Really Worth in a Deal
For deal teams and investment committeesTranslating technical findings into the language of a deal: EBITDA adjustments, multiple impact, and defensible pricing input. Walks through the Technology Risk Assessment framework and how a five-dimension score becomes a specific valuation adjustment.
AI Whitewashing: Telling Capability From a Wrapper
For deal teams and technical diligence advisorsEvery target is an AI company now, and the premium is worth several turns of EBITDA. Five diligence tests that separate genuine capability from an API call any competitor can make — and what the premium should actually attach to.
When “AI-Powered” Breaks Gross Margin
For operating partners and portfolio company CEOsInference cost scales with usage while SaaS pricing does not, so growth amplifies the problem rather than fixing it. AI cost as a share of EBITDA, why reported earnings can be both artificially low and unsustainable, and how to risk-adjust the optimization instead of underwriting it.
The First 90 Days: Cloud Value Creation After Close
For operating partners and value creation teamsA working session on capturing optimization in the hold period. Confidence-weighted savings — 90% for zombie resources, 70% for right-sizing, 50% for architectural change — sequencing that funds itself, and why aggressive plans underdeliver.
Preparing Infrastructure for Buyer Diligence
For portfolio company executives 12-18 months from exitThe seller's side of the same table. What a buyer's technical advisor looks for, which findings become price reductions, and how demonstrated optimization discipline turns infrastructure from a negotiating liability into a selling point.
When to Hire a CTO, and When Not To
For sponsors and boardsMost portfolio companies do not need a full-time CTO; they need CTO-caliber judgment on a handful of decisions. How to tell the difference between a fractional engagement, an interim assignment, and a permanent hire — and what each actually costs once search, ramp, and vacancy are counted.
Invite Mark to Speak
Available for keynotes, executive briefings, panel discussions, and workshops. Topics can be tailored to your audience and strategic objectives.
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