About Preston Leahy
Researching the Operating System of Modern Private Equity
Independent research for sponsors, Operating Partners, CFOs, and CEOs focused on the overlooked operating decisions that create cash flow, expand EBITDA, and increase enterprise value.
Background & Credentials
From Operating Table
To Your Inbox
Over the last decade, I've worked across enterprise sales, commercial operations, venture-backed software, and private equity partnerships, giving me a front-row view of how companies create—and lose—enterprise value.
Today I lead Private Equity Partnerships for Paylocity, working alongside sponsors, Operating Partners, CFOs, and CEOs to identify operational opportunities that improve free cash flow, EBITDA, and enterprise value across portfolio companies.
Having worked with both growing software companies and organizations backed by institutional capital, I've seen how value is created across the revenue engine, administrative infrastructure, and operating model—not just within any single function.
That perspective led me to build the Portfolio Value Creation Institute, an independent research platform focused on identifying overlooked operating levers that frequently fall between functions and therefore between owners.
What I Write About
The Three Levers of
Portfolio Value Creation
Every issue of The Portfolio Value Creation Report focuses on one or more of these core operating levers that PE-backed companies use to create measurable enterprise value.
Free Cash Flow
The cash a business generates after capital expenditures — and the single most important metric any operator or investor should obsess over. I break down the levers that move it.
EBITDA Expansion
Growing earnings faster than revenue — through operational efficiency, margin improvement, and cost structure optimization. The difference between a good deal and a great one.
Enterprise Value
The ultimate scoreboard — what a buyer will pay at exit. I decode the inputs: multiple expansion, revenue quality, EBITDA bridge, and the narrative that commands a premium.
By The Numbers
The Track Record
Speaks for Itself
4+
Years in Private Equity
6,014+
Followers & Growing
50+
Portcos Evaluated
7+
Portfolio Companies Supported
Join the Operators
Who Think Like Investors
Every week, The Portfolio Value Creation Report delivers the operating intelligence PE-backed leaders need to increase free cash flow, expand EBITDA, and drive enterprise value. No fluff. No noise. Just the levers that move the needle.
