For private equity investors
Underwrite with confidence. Create value faster.
An operator’s view of EHS, Sustainability, and Product Stewardship software and data businesses: before the deal, through the hold and into the exit.
The market thesis
A market being rewritten, and consolidating.
Expanding regulation
Chemical, product and sustainability rules keep multiplying, worldwide.
Customer mandates
Customers and retailers push requirements down every supply chain.
Data meets AI
Compliance data is becoming fuel for commerce, analytics and AI.
A fragmented landscape
Many point solutions, ripe for platform plays and add-ons.
The winners will connect EHS, Sustainability, and Product Stewardship data across the enterprise. That is where value is created.
AI · The investment lens
AI is reshaping who wins here. Underwrite it, don’t assume it.
Every target in EHS, Sustainability, and Product Stewardship software now claims AI. Some of it is real and defensible; some is a roadmap slide. I’ve helped ideate and commercialize AI-powered solutions in this market, so I can tell a deal team which is which, and where AI creates value during the hold.
Is the AI real?
Separate shipped capability from roadmap slides, tested on real customer workflows.
Data as the moat
Proprietary regulatory, chemical and product data is what makes AI defensible.
Disruption risk
Where AI commoditizes a target’s core workflows, and where it strengthens them.
Value creation
AI roadmap, packaging and pricing that grow ARR and retention during the hold.
Where it shows up: Diligence Sprint · 100-Day Value-Creation Plan · Buy-and-Build screening · The exit story
The buyer’s view
Where value is won and lost after close.
Most of this is visible in diligence, if you know where to look. Fixed early, each one becomes upside.
Shelfware modules
Revenue from modules customers never switched on, and will cut at renewal.
Unfinished integrations
Platforms that never reached ERP or PLM are easy to replace.
Narrow champions
One team loves the product; no one else will defend it.
Consolidation risk
Overlapping tools are the first cut when enterprises rationalize spend.
Discount-driven growth
Bookings won on price that don’t renew at price.
Day-one sizing
Accounts that never expand beyond the first deployment.
An operator’s lens
Three questions every deal in this market should answer.
Will it win?
Does it win the whole enterprise buying committee, or just one champion?
Will it be used?
Is it part of daily work for every team that touches it, or a tool one group tolerates?
Will it renew and expand?
Is its data connected to ERP, PLM and the systems the business runs on?
I’ve sold, implemented and renewed these platforms. I know what the answers look like from the inside.
Across the deal lifecycle
One advisor, from diligence to exit.
What I learn in diligence carries into the hold, so nothing is lost between stages.
Before the deal
Commercial and product diligence: position, adoption and renewal risk.
First 100 days
A value-creation plan for go-to-market, pricing and partnerships.
During the hold
Growth diagnostics, redesign and hands-on execution.
Add-ons
Target scouting, market maps and integration fit.
Exit
A clean, credible growth story for the next buyer.
Before the deal
Commercial and product diligence, from the inside.
- Market position and competitive set
- Adoption across the enterprise buying committee
- Renewal and expansion risk
- Pricing and packaging
- Product, data and AI roadmap: real or slideware
- Partnerships and go-to-market efficiency
- A clear, independent investment view
- Red flags to price in
- Upside the seller hasn’t captured
- Priorities for the first 100 days
Completed for private equity investors in this sector. Client names held in confidence.
During the hold and add-ons
Value creation inside the portfolio, and buy-and-build with a map of the market.
Go-to-market
Positioning, pricing, packaging and a sales motion that wins the whole buying committee.
Product, data and AI
New ways to grow demand and ARR from the platform, the data behind it, and AI.
Partnerships
Ecosystems aligned on shared growth, not just logos on a slide.
Market maps
Who does what across EHS, Sustainability, and Product Stewardship software and data.
Target scouting and fit
Add-ons that close product, data or customer gaps, and how they would really integrate.
Entrepreneur in Residence
A fractional senior operator inside the leadership team, accountable for results.
Experience: target scouting and M&A support for a market-leading chemical intelligence provider.
How I’m different
Expert calls give you opinions. Diligence firms give you a report. I give you an operator’s read, and stay through the hold.
| Compared on | Expert network calls | Commercial diligence firm | Value-creation consultancy | Big 4 transaction services | Sustaina Partners |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sector depth | One expert, one hour | Generalist team, fast ramp-up | Generalist operators | Financial and tax focus | 25+ years inside EHS, Sustainability, and Product Stewardship software and data |
| Retention strength | Anecdotal | Customer surveys and sampling | Measured after close | Revenue quality, from the financials | What drives it: adoption, integration and expansion, across 150+ enterprise clients |
| ARR growth levers | Opinions | Market sizing and growth outlook | Generic operating playbook | Out of scope | Pricing, packaging, cross-sell, partnerships and add-ons |
| Diligence to exit | None | Report, then hand-off | Hold period only | Deal only | One advisor, from diligence to exit |
| Best for | Quick sense-checks | Market sizing and competitive maps | Large operational programs | Quality of earnings, financial and tax diligence | An operator’s read on ARR quality, then hands-on value creation |
Sector depth
OthersOne expert for an hour, generalist teams, or a financial focus
Sustaina Partners25+ years inside EHS, Sustainability, and Product Stewardship software and data
Retention strength
OthersAnecdotes, surveys, after-close measurement or the financials
Sustaina PartnersWhat drives it: adoption, integration and expansion, across 150+ enterprise clients
ARR growth levers
OthersOpinions, market outlooks or generic playbooks
Sustaina PartnersPricing, packaging, cross-sell, partnerships and add-ons
Diligence to exit
OthersOne stage of the deal at a time
Sustaina PartnersOne advisor, from diligence to exit
Best for
OthersSense-checks, market sizing, operational programs or quality of earnings
Sustaina PartnersAn operator’s read on ARR quality, then hands-on value creation
Engagements
Ways to work together.
Start here: a complimentary intro call on a live deal or portfolio company.
Book an intro callPortfolio Advisory Retainer
PreferredOn-call access for your deal and portfolio teams, under one agreement.
MonthlyDiligence Sprint
A commercial and product read on a live deal.
2–4 weeks100-Day Value-Creation Plan
Priorities for go-to-market, product and partnerships.
4–6 weeksGrowth Diagnostic
Where a portfolio company’s growth is out of sync, and what to fix first.
3–4 weeksBuy-and-Build Support
Market maps, target scouting and integration fit.
OngoingEntrepreneur in Residence
A fractional senior operator, accountable for execution.
3–12 monthsEasy to engage: NDA as standard · retainer or project · conflicts checked before every engagement
Confidentiality
Confidential by design.
Conflicts checked first
Every engagement starts with a conflict check against current clients.
Deal information stays private
Nothing learned in diligence is shared with vendors, portfolio companies or other clients.
NDA as standard
Signed before any confidential information changes hands.
Request the investor overview
A short deck on how I support deal teams and portfolio companies in this market.
Next step
Let’s talk about your next deal, or your current portfolio.
Start with a complimentary intro call.