Akoya Capital on Fixing Founder-Led Sales Engines
Carr Preston of Akoya Capital explains why structured commercial stage gates and cutting growth initiatives from 12 to 3 drive lower-middle-market value.
Private Equity Growth with Akoya’s Carr Preston
With Sean Mooney, Carr Preston · Sunday, September 6, 2026
Carr Preston, Managing Director at Akoya Capital, joins host Sean Mooney to discuss how private equity firms evaluate founder-owned businesses and drive long-term value creation. Preston outlines the critical importance of strong leadership, scalable sales operations, and thesis-driven operating models. The conversation also explores management team due diligence techniques and the value of establishing pre-close strategic alignment with business owners.
Key takeaways
- Carr Preston, Managing Director at Akoya Capital, identifies commercial sales operations as the single highest-yield value creation lever in founder-owned buyouts. Read more →
- Akoya Capital Managing Director Carr Preston treats solo plant tours as a major red flag when evaluating founder-owned businesses. Read more →
- Carr Preston at Akoya Capital pairs investment teams with operating partners who carry 30 to 40 years of sector-specific operational experience. Read more →
3 articles from this episode
Why PE Investors Watch the CEO on Plant Tours
Akoya Capital's Carr Preston explains why command-and-control CEOs and solo plant tours kill private equity deals during management due diligence.
Why Akoya Capital Drafts Value Creation Plans Before Deal Close
Carr Preston explains how Akoya Capital pairs sector operating partners with rollover founders to build value creation plans before transaction close.
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