Good Deal, Stuck Execution? An Event on Post-Close Value Creation.
PACE — Post-Acquisition Capture and Execution. An invite-only Chicago event for PE firms, operating partners, and portfolio executives. Three operators — Caxy, Transformative Ventures, and Brook Trout Solutions — on how to close the gap from board strategy to field execution. Mid-September 2026, downtown Chicago.
Why this event exists
We kept seeing the same thing from three different angles. PE firms make investments that pencil out — good deal, clear thesis, real money down the road — and then get hung up executing. Disparate data systems after a merger that never actually become one. Pipeline tracked in Excel at 10-to-100-billion-dollar companies. Five competing CFO-greenlit initiatives, fragmented sponsorship, and a field that never hears the strategy. So Caxy, Transformative Ventures, and Brook Trout Solutions combined our work into one execution infrastructure for post-close value creation — and we're bringing it to a room of operators in Chicago in mid-September 2026.
Three operators, three angles on the same execution gap.
Michael LaVista — CEO, Caxy. 25 years turning strategy into shipped software. The technology and execution layer: building the systems that actually run the business, without the $10M, two-year transformation horror story.
Sean O'Leary — Founder & CEO, Transformative Ventures. Two decades and multi-billion-dollar transformations. The value-creation layer: closing the gap from board strategy down to field execution with a common operating picture and a real revenue system.
Chris Parise — Founder & CEO, Brook Trout Solutions. 350+ companies represented. The solutions and integration layer: merging disparate post-acquisition data and systems without losing the customers or the people.
A full day built for working operators — then dinner.
One room, one day, in downtown Chicago. A tight set of talks from people who've actually done the work, facilitated roundtables on the problems you're living right now, and protected time to compare notes with peers who get it. No pitches, no panels for the sake of panels — Chatham House rules, so the conversation is candid. Breakfast through dinner.
Welcome from the three hosts. Caxy, Transformative Ventures, and Brook Trout Solutions on why this room exists — the same post-close execution gap, seen from technology, value creation, and integration.
Keynote: a senior view on post-close value creation. The M&A value-creation environment and where deals actually stall after the close.
Partner roundtable: three angles, one execution infrastructure. Caxy (technology & execution), Transformative Ventures (value creation), and Brook Trout Solutions (systems & data integration) on how the pieces fit together post-close.
Fireside chat: an exited owner, unfiltered. What actually drove a successful exit, what nearly broke, and what they'd tell an operating partner walking into the first 100 days.
Facilitated roundtables (the centerpiece). Small-group working sessions on the problems you're living: the first 100 days, one common operating picture, systems integration, EBITDA levers, and keeping the team through the transition. Closes with a cross-table synthesis.
Evening reception + hosted dinner. Protected, unstructured time with a curated room of peers.
Every attendee leaves with the “Steal Our Stack” Post-Close Playbook — a first-100-days checklist, an EBITDA-lever framework, the actual tech-and-data stack the three firms recommend, and KPI dashboard templates.
A unified picture of the business you can prove. A revenue system living in pipeline reality. The first 90 days mapped so integration secures customers and people instead of losing them. Faster, more consistent closes — and a brand story the market repeats back to you.
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Questions about the event
Private equity firms, operating partners, and portfolio-company executives responsible for turning a closed deal into realized value. If you've watched a sound investment stall in execution, this room is for you.
Downtown Chicago, mid-September 2026. The exact date and venue are being finalized — request an invite and we'll send details the moment they're set.
Three operators working the same problem from different angles: Michael LaVista (CEO, Caxy), Sean O'Leary (Founder & CEO, Transformative Ventures), and Chris Parise (Founder & CEO, Brook Trout Solutions).
A concrete framework for post-close value creation: how to build a common operating picture, connect board strategy to field execution, apply AI where it creates advantage, and secure the first 90 days after a deal.
It's invite-only. Request your invite below and we'll confirm your spot and send the date, venue, and agenda as they're announced.