In July, Pete Lamson crossed the 90-day mark as Volition Capital’s Chief Operating Officer and Head of Portfolio Operations. A largely arbitrary milestone, but meaningful in that enough time has passed for initial observations and assessments to be grounded in fact vs. first impressions. Here, he shares his view:
My first quarter was spent beginning initial engagements with portfolio executives and the Volition team. And while it is cliched to say that people are the key to building great and sustainable businesses, the driver of Volition portfolio companies’ tremendous success is now evident. The talent and work ethic in the Volition ecosystem is second to none.
After working through an initial 30/60/90 plan (yes, this is good onboarding discipline for all roles at all organization levels), my note is to share initial plans on some of what is to come in the months and years ahead from Volition Portfolio Operations.
The Volition Portfolio Operations function exists to build on the value-creating foundation already solidly in place by further enabling Volition entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams without risking them. And, simply put, Volition is as committed to partnering with portfolio leadership teams to build world-class companies post-investment as we are to sourcing and backing world-class entrepreneurs and funding new deals.
Our increased commitment to Volition portfolio companies allows us to engage with every company we invest in with a “portfolio of one” mindset. Volition’s 35+ active portfolio companies will continue to benefit from previously existing portfolio support, while now receiving new value-add services. Volition’s expanded offerings are the best product in the market for entrepreneurs making the critical decision on the right capital partner for their business.
In recent years, Volition’s Operations Team has focused on Executive Recruiting, ICP & Target Market Segmentation, and assisting Finance executives with capital deployment strategies to maximize profitable growth and enterprise value creation.
The result has been industry-leading revenue acceleration and returns for both entrepreneurs and investors. We are excited to be further expanding Volition Operations to increase the breadth and depth of support we are able to offer our portfolio companies.
With this in mind, we are announcing the launch of Volition Edge, coming this October. Volition Edge is a proprietary platform that provides access to shared best practices, shared learning, and industry experts from our combined decades of experience building world-class companies.
Volition Edge content will encompass eight Centers of Excellence spanning Strategic Annual Planning, Go-to-Market, Finance, Recruiting & Professional Development and more. Content will be contributed by subject matter experts from Volition Capital, our Strategic Advisory Board members and Senior Advisors who will also host quarterly live and online events. All materials will be delivered via a continuously updated multimedia format inclusive of white papers, video, podcasts, webinars, and templated tools.
Volition Edge will also include a Preferred Vendor Program, providing vetted leading vendor solutions with discounted pricing for all Volition Portfolio Companies.
Volition Edge will be formally launched at Volition Capital’s inaugural Leadership Summit in Boston this October. Over the course of this live two-day event, Volition portfolio company leadership will come together for in-depth discussions ranging from annual strategic planning to performance-based recruiting and performance management best practices to AI’s impact on emerging growth businesses, and more.
In addition to Volition portfolio leadership, we will welcome Volition Strategic Advisory Board members and keynote speakers Niraj Shah, CEO at Wayfair and Sam Kennedy, President and CEO of the Boston Red Sox, among other accomplished executives.
We are excited for Volition’s Portfolio Operations expansion to come together in October in a manner that will benefit portfolio leadership teams for years to come. Volition Capital’s commitment to portfolio company success is unwavering and unique in growth equity – a true differentiator from other sources of capital.
I shared above Volition Capital’s mission to help founders achieve their dreams without risking them. As a former CEO of a Volition Capital portfolio company myself, I have seen first-hand how these words become a company’s reality and the positive impact of doing so. I look forward to working with the Volition entrepreneurs and their leadership teams to build successful, enduring businesses.
Please click here to view Pete Lamson’s Linkedin profile
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