Langham Hall is pleased to bring you the second episode of First Close, where Tom Pinnell, sits down with emerging private equity managers and the people who work alongside them for an honest look at what it takes to build a private equity firm from scratch.
In this episode, Tom is joined by John Messer, founder of Copilot Capital, a lower mid-market SaaS investor backing founder-led software businesses across Europe. John spent a decade in UK private equity, including at Inflexion, Alchemy Partners and Tenzing, before launching Copilot Capital in 2023. Its first fund is now almost fully deployed, with investments in Sweden, Denmark and the UK.
They discuss:
- John's unusual route into private equity
- The “SaaSpocalypse” and how AI is reshaping software investing
- How AI could change the structure of private equity deal teams
- When founders should step back from the CEO role
- The trade-offs of taking seed capital as an emerging manager
- Why zombie funds may create new opportunities for specialist managers
- What success looks like for Copilot Capital
Click the link to listen to the full epsiode.
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all major platforms.
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