Between the thesis and the exit, value leaks.
We install the operating architecture that holds it. Inside the hold period. Anchored to value events.
Frame, Floor, Focus: Where AI belongs in each phase of the hold period.
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We do not sell help. We install operating architecture.
We do not accelerate growth. We defend the multiple.
01
Methodology
Portfolio Value Architecture.
Three phases. One discipline. We frame the operating thesis against operating reality, stabilize the floor before growth can compound, and focus capital and management attention on the two or three initiatives that move valuation inside the hold window.
PHASE 01
Frame
Diagnose the operating thesis against operating reality.
We audit the gap between the sponsor’s value creation plan and what the company can actually execute. We surface leakage, drag, and debt before they reach the board.
Outcomes
- Operating diagnostic with named gaps
- Leadership and execution risk map
- Prioritized intervention plan
- Duration
- 30 to 45 days
PHASE 02
Floor
Stabilize the operating base before growth can compound.
Growth initiatives installed on an unstable base multiply dysfunction. We rebuild the operating floor, leadership alignment, decision rights, performance cadence, so every subsequent dollar compounds instead of leaks.
Outcomes
- Leadership alignment installed
- Operating cadence at hold-period standard
- Culture and accountability reset
- Duration
- 30 to 45 days
PHASE 03
Focus
Install the levers that move the exit thesis.
With the floor stable, we concentrate capital and management attention on the two or three initiatives that move valuation inside the hold window. Nothing else gets funded.
Outcomes
- Value creation levers prioritized
- Exit-readiness protocol installed
- Measurable EBITDA and multiple movement
- Duration
- 6 to 12 months
02
The Practice
Five engagements, sequenced to the hold period.
Every client relationship begins with the Operating Diagnostic. Subsequent engagements are matched to the phase of the hold period and the specific operating problem the investment thesis cannot carry.
01
Operating Diagnostic
A structured 4 to 6 week audit of the operating thesis, leadership alignment, and value creation plan. Every Fulcrum engagement begins here.
Entry
- Fixed Fee
- 4 to 6 wks
02
Performance Recalibration
A retainer for portfolio companies where growth has stalled, execution has decoupled from plan, or leadership alignment is capping throughput. Restores decision speed and operating rhythm.
Operating
- Retainer
- 90 to 180 days
03
Portfolio Value Architecture
Firm-level engagement with the sponsor. We become the operating advisor across multiple holdings, installed into value creation workflows at the partnership level.
Flagship
- Retainer
- 6 to 12 mos
04
Pre-Exit Readiness
A concentrated engagement in the 12 to 18 months before exit. We stabilize EBITDA quality, install transaction-ready discipline, and defend the multiple through diligence.
Transaction
- Fixed Fee
- 90 to 120 days
05
Leadership Alignment
A focused engagement for portfolio companies where misalignment at the executive level is capping everything else. Short, concentrated, high-intensity.
Targeted
- Fixed Fee
- 30 to 60 days
Engagement Protocol
Engagement begins with a written brief. Fees are anchored to value events. Pricing is disclosed under NDA, following qualification.
Response Window
Within 48 hours,
from a principal.
03
Engagement Profile
We work with a narrow set of principals in a narrow set of situations.
Fulcrum is selective by design. Engagements are accepted only where the work can measurably move valuation, where the client has the authority to execute, and where the fee is appropriate to the economic consequence of the outcome.
We Work With
- Middle-market and upper-middle-market PE sponsors
- PE operating partners extending portfolio capacity
- Sponsors stabilizing a post-close acquisition
- CEOs of sponsor-backed $10M+ revenue companies
- Growth equity firms with $10M to $100M portfolio companies
- Sponsors preparing a holding for sale process
We Do Not Work With
- Pre-revenue companies or early-stage founders
- Personal brands or founder-led small businesses
- Companies below $10M in revenue
- Engagements without authority to execute
- Open-ended advisory without a value event
04
The Firm
We are not a consultancy.
We are not a coaching practice. We are an operating firm.
01
Operators, Not Frameworks
Our work is installed inside the company, not delivered as a deck. We are on the ground with the CEO, the CFO, and operating leadership for the duration of the engagement. We stay until the operating change holds.
Fees are anchored to value events. EBITDA movement, multiple expansion, transaction milestones. Not hours, not deliverables, not report volume. We price to the economic consequence of the work.
02
Economic, Alignment
We speak the operating language of PE. Hold period. Operating thesis. Value creation plan. MOIC. We do not need to be educated on how sponsor economics work.
03
Sponsor Vocabulary
05
Engage The Practice
If value is leaking inside a portfolio company, the cost of waiting is measured in basis points on the multiple.
The Operating Diagnostic is the first conversation. It establishes whether Fulcrum is the right intervention for the situation, or whether a different resource is warranted. Either answer is useful. Both are delivered in writing.
Engagements accepted on a qualification basis · Response within 48 hours