Podcast

Dry Powder: The Private Equity Podcast

Business, Investing, Management

Hugh MacArthur, Chairman of Bain & Company's Global Private Equity practice, interviews leading experts on the trends and opportunities that will redefine the private equity industry.

Investing chart
#140
Episodes
172
Releases
Every two weeks
Typical length
19 min
On air since
2019
Latest episode
19 hours ago

Episodes

172 episodes, newest first

  1. Relationships First w/ Inflexion’s Flor Kassai

    Episode 162

    Show notes

    The firm’s head of buyout discusses how to spot management teams worth waiting years for and why the best deals can take a decade to come together.

    22 min
  2. The AI Tailwind Nobody Expected w/ Brookfield’s Anuj Ranjan

    Episode 161

    Show notes

    In the second part of our conversation, we ask the CEO of Brookfield’s Private Equity Group why the world may be underestimating the demand for power and computing capacity—and which industrial businesses are already benefiting.

    19 min
  3. The AI Opportunity in 'Boring' Businesses w/ Brookfield’s Anuj Ranjan

    Episode 160

    Show notes

    The CEO of Brookfield's Private Equity Group shares why some of the most exciting AI opportunities may be hiding in industrial businesses that still barely use Excel.

    21 min
  4. The Infrastructure Opportunities Hiding in Plain Sight w/ NOVA Infrastructure’s Allison Kingsley and Chris Beall

    Episode 159

    Show notes

    We ask the co-founders of NOVA Infrastructure about the investment opportunities flying beneath the radar of large infrastructure investors, and the value that can be created by professionalizing smaller businesses.

    21 min
  5. Building the New Economy w/ Ares' Kipp deVeer

    Episode 158

    Show notes

    In part two of our interview series, Ares Co-President Kipp deVeer explains where the firm sees the strongest opportunities in the “new economy," and why it’s moving from financing data centers to building them.

    11 min
  6. Looking Beneath the Private Credit Headlines w/ Ares' Kipp deVeer

    Episode 157

    Show notes

    We ask the Co-President of Ares what’s really happening in the private credit market, the advantages of being a scale player, and where he sees performance dispersion among managers.

    18 min
  7. Where AI Is (and Isn’t) Creating Value

    Episode 156

    Show notes

    We asked six leading investors at Vista, Hg, Advent, CVC, KKR, and Apollo where AI is creating value today—and what it will take to unlock the next wave of transformations.

    19 min
  8. Exits, AI and Asking 'What’s Next?' w/ Advent International's John Maldonado

    Episode 155

    Show notes

    In part two of our interview with Advent’s Managing Partner, we explore how the firm is navigating longer holding periods, harder exits, and rapid technological change — while staying true to its core.

    16 min
  9. Pond Skipping w/ Advent International's John Maldonado

    Episode 154

    Show notes

    We ask Advent’s Managing Partner and Co-Head of North America how they’ve combined deep sector expertise with true global scale.

    19 min
  10. Looking Over the Horizon w/ CVC's Rob Lucas

    Episode 153

    Show notes

    In part two of our interview series with the CEO of CVC, we explore how they’re navigating one of the toughest fundraising markets in decades, their firm-wide embrace of AI and why he considers Europe one of the world’s most compelling markets for generating alpha.

    19 min
  11. Himalayan Heights w/ CVC's Rob Lucas

    Episode 152

    Show notes

    CVC CEO Rob Lucas explains how climbing the world's highest mountains—from the Seven Summits to K2—has helped shape the leadership philosophy behind one of the world's leading private equity firms.

    27 min
  12. Employee Ownership at Scale w/ KKR's Pete Stavros

    Episode 151

    Show notes

    In part two of our interview series, Pete Stavros shares how KKR has scaled employee ownership to 85 companies and 200,000 frontline workers — and why it can be a powerful performance lever when done right.

    17 min
  13. The Hard Truth About Operational Excellence w/ KKR's Pete Stavros

    Episode 150

    Show notes

    KKR's Co-Head of Global Private Equity and Partner reveals the rigorous, long-term discipline required to drive real operational improvements.

    26 min
  14. Bain's Private Equity Midyear Report 2026: Executive Summary

    Episode 149

    Show notes

    Private equity is not in a crisis — rather, it’s stuck. The issue isn’t capital; it’s confidence.

    Read Bain’s 2026 Midyear Private Equity Report here.

    Register for our live webinar here.

    13 min
  15. Software as a Coworker w/ Vista's Robert Smith

    Episode 148

    Show notes

    The CEO of Vista Equity Partners explains what it will take to win the “agentic revolution.”

    33 min
  16. Exiting Well in Tough Markets w/ Apollo’s David Sambur

    Episode 147

    Show notes

    In part two of our interview series, the Co-Head of Private Equity at Apollo shares how they return capital well ahead of schedule and how they’re applying “clean sheet thinking” to AI.

    20 min
  17. Buying Well at Scale w/ Apollo’s David Sambur

    Episode 146

    Show notes

    We ask the Co-Head of Private Equity at Apollo how he scours “less trafficked” parts of the market and how his team spreads ideas across a disparate set of industries, from casinos to airlines to auto-parts.

    23 min
  18. New Normal, New Opportunities w/ Triton’s Peder Prahl

    Episode 145

    Show notes

    In part two of our interview series, we ask the CEO of Triton how higher interest rates, constrained leverage, and rising macro uncertainty are creating fresh opportunities for disciplined investors.

    14 min
  19. Buying Before the Theme w/ Triton’s Peder Prahl

    Episode 144

    Show notes

    We ask the founding CEO of Triton how he invests in areas “before they become themes," and how he has built an organization that is both deeply entrepreneurial and strictly disciplined.

    28 min
  20. Infrastructure's Next Frontiers w/ Stonepeak’s Michael Dorrell

    Episode 143

    Show notes

    In part two of our infrastructure series, the Stonepeak CEO explains how he’s zeroing in on investment opportunities across the energy sector and why logistics infrastructure could see surging demand in an era of deglobalization.

    16 min