Private Equity
The development partner for your portfolio companies
When a portfolio company needs to move faster than its current technology allows, we build the tools that close the gap.
The gap between a growth plan and the software to support it
PE-backed companies operate under a different kind of pressure than typical businesses. Growth targets are specific, timelines are short, and the cost of a delayed or failed technology project is measured in missed milestones and compressed multiples at exit.
Most portfolio companies are not starting from zero. They have existing systems, existing staff, and existing customers. What they often lack is the technical capacity to build the tools their growth plan requires on the timeline the investment thesis demands. Hiring a full in-house engineering team takes time most portfolio companies do not have. Large enterprise vendors move too slowly and charge too much.
We are built for this gap. Our teams are senior, our process is designed to ship working software in weeks, and we have direct experience working inside the expectations that PE ownership creates.
Custom software for PE-backed companies at every stage of growth
Customer and Client-Facing Products
Web applications, portals, and mobile products that help portfolio companies deliver a better experience to their customers. Whether a company needs to modernize a legacy customer portal, launch a new self-service tool, or build a product feature that has been blocking growth, we build it with the speed and quality that PE timelines require.
Internal Operations and Workflow Tools
Custom internal tools that reduce the manual work slowing your team down. We build operations dashboards, workflow automation tools, and internal platforms that replace spreadsheet-driven processes with systems that scale. For portfolio companies growing headcount rapidly, removing operational bottlenecks early is one of the highest-return investments a firm can make.
Data and Reporting Infrastructure
Platforms that give company leadership and operating partners a reliable, real-time view of business performance. We build reporting layers that pull from existing systems, normalize data across business units, and surface the KPIs that matter to both management and the investment team, without requiring manual data assembly each month.
Integration and Systems Modernization
Many PE-backed companies carry technical debt from years of organic growth or prior acquisitions. We scope and execute modernization projects that untangle legacy integrations, connect disconnected systems, and build toward an architecture that a future owner or acquirer can maintain and extend without a full rebuild. Clean architecture is part of how we protect exit value.
AI-Powered Operational Tools
AI tools that help portfolio companies do more with the team they have. We build internal tools that automate document processing, generate first drafts of reports and communications, surface anomalies in operational data, and reduce the high-volume manual tasks that consume staff time at growing companies. These are practical, scoped tools with measurable outcomes, not AI for its own sake.
Post-Acquisition Integration Tools
For buy-and-build strategies, we help portfolio companies build the technical infrastructure to absorb add-on acquisitions without creating operational chaos. This includes data migration tooling, unified customer portals across acquired entities, and shared internal platforms that give leadership visibility across a combined business.
Doing more with the team you have
PE-backed companies are expected to grow without proportionally growing headcount. AI tools are one of the most practical ways to close that gap. The portfolio companies we work with are using AI to automate document review and data extraction, generate draft reports and client communications, surface operational anomalies before they escalate, and reduce the manual coordination work that slows down growing teams.
We help portfolio companies identify the two or three workflows where AI creates the most immediate leverage, build focused tools to address those specifically, and measure the outcome. We are not selling AI as a strategy. We are building specific tools that free up real capacity at companies that cannot afford to waste it.
Principles that guide every private equity engagement
We work on PE timelines, not agency timelines
Most software agencies are built for 6 to 12 month projects with extended discovery phases. PE-backed companies often need working software in 6 to 10 weeks. We structure engagements to ship value incrementally, with bi-weekly sprints and working demos so that operating partners and company leadership have visibility throughout and can redirect quickly if priorities shift.
We design for two audiences at once
Every tool we build for a portfolio company serves at least two sets of stakeholders: the operating team or customers who use it day to day, and the investment team or operating partners who need visibility into what it produces. We design for both without creating overhead for either.
We build for exit from day one
Software built inside a hold period should still be an asset when the company sells. We build with clean architecture, documented codebases, and technology choices that a future owner, acquirer, or in-house team can maintain and extend. That is not just good engineering practice. It is how we protect and create value for the business.
We embed with your team, not around it
Portfolio companies rarely need a vendor that operates at arm’s length. We work closely with company leadership, operating partners, and existing technical staff to move fast without creating confusion about ownership, priorities, or direction. When the engagement ends, your team knows the codebase and can run it.
Answers for private equity organizations exploring technology partnerships
What kinds of portfolio companies does LaunchPad Lab work with?
We work with PE-backed companies across financial services, professional services, healthcare-adjacent businesses, B2B software, and technology-enabled services. The common thread is not the industry. It is the need to build or improve custom software on a timeline that matches the investment thesis.
Can LaunchPad Lab work directly with the portfolio company, or does everything go through the firm?
Both. Some engagements are initiated by the PE firm or operating partner who identifies a technology need across the portfolio. Others start directly with the portfolio company. We are set up to work either way. Where operating partners want visibility into progress, we include them in sprint reviews and reporting without creating overhead for the company team.
What does LaunchPad Lab build for buy-and-build portfolio companies specifically?
For companies executing add-on acquisitions, we focus on the integration layer: unified customer portals, shared internal platforms, data migration tooling, and reporting infrastructure that gives leadership a consolidated view across acquired entities. The goal is to absorb acquisitions without creating operational fragmentation that slows the combined business down.
How quickly can LaunchPad Lab ship working software for a portfolio company?
For a focused, well-scoped project, we can ship a working first version in six to ten weeks. We use bi-weekly sprint cycles with working demos throughout, so company leadership and operating partners see real progress rather than waiting for a single delivery at the end of a long engagement.
How does LaunchPad Lab handle technical debt in existing portfolio company systems?
We scope modernization work carefully before committing to a timeline. Legacy systems often have undocumented integrations, inconsistent data structures, or third-party dependencies that affect how much work a cleanup actually requires. We do a technical assessment early in the engagement to surface those issues before they become surprises mid-project.
How does LaunchPad Lab approach AI tools for portfolio companies?
We start by identifying the two or three workflows where AI creates the most immediate, measurable leverage given the company’s current data and team structure. We then build focused tools to address those specifically rather than pursuing a broad AI strategy that takes longer to show results. Portfolio companies that get the most value from AI are the ones that pick a specific problem and solve it well, not the ones that adopt AI broadly without a clear use case.
Your portfolio companies should not be waiting on technology
Let's talk about what your portfolio needs and how fast we can build it.