The Brydon Group

Check out this week’s #MotivationMonday quote. 

This week, we caught up with Sean Zhao, CEO of Micro-Dyn. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨-𝐃𝐲𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰? I’m excited to continue leveraging AI in a low-cost way to build new products, which has already translated into significant revenue for Micro-Dyn. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 Stephen Giattino 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲? I’ve worked with Steve in the past, and I was 100% confident that we’d have a trusting and collaborative partnership through all the highs and lows. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐨𝐧? The people. It’s a privilege to partner with not only outstanding, but high-integrity individuals. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰? I’m listening to Acquired, specifically their episode on the history of Microsoft. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲? Currently, the moment intermittent fasting ends for me at noon!

Check out this week’s #MotivationMonday quote. 

We’re hiring! Check out our open roles across Brydon and our portfolio companies, including CFO, Chief Product Officer, and Chief of Staff. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/edhiF47y

Content and Community 📖 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐀𝐈 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧  by Charles Tower-Clark AI is quickly moving from an emerging capability to a core value-creation lever across private equity and venture capital portfolios. This Forbes’ article explores how firms are using AI to improve decision-making, accelerate growth, and strengthen operational execution inside portfolio companies. A useful read for investors and operators thinking about how technology can support long-term value creation, not just short-term efficiency gains. Where are you seeing AI create the most impact today: cost efficiency, revenue growth, or better decision-making? 👉 Recommended for: PE professionals, operating partners, and portfolio company leaders 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eQ35Re3B

We are excited to announce Brydon’s strategic investment in BOOST LLC with CEO-in-Residence Danny Clark! We are thrilled to partner with Danny, Stephanie Alexander, and the whole BOOST team on this journey. https://lnkd.in/eRQHccSp

Don’t miss your chance - applications for our CEO-in-Residence program close tonight at 11:59 PM PST. Apply now: https://lnkd.in/eY9RREYQ

Jay Steele began his career in the nuclear services as an active-duty officer in the US Navy before running a P&L at Amazon. Jay is now the CEO of FOCUS Learning Corporation, a training and compliance software provider to the nuclear industry. Interested in an operating journey like Jay’s? Applications for our next cohort of CEOs-in-Residence close January 19: https://lnkd.in/eY9RREYQ. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐄𝐎-𝐢𝐧-𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦? I’d always been excited about the possibility to lead a small company. My time in the Navy developed my skills as a team leader, and my P&L ownership experience at Amazon gave me the confidence to operate a business. I was looking for a program that would help me further develop my leadership and operator skills, as well as fill in other gaps of my growth, like the technical aspects of an acquisition. Brydon’s CIR program provided those opportunities, as well as the Brydon team to help and a cohort of other CEOs to live the experience with. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮? The relationship and value Brydon’s partnership would provide stood out immediately. Their dedication to service and their approach to building true partnerships with both CIRs and sellers really resonated with me. Brydon focuses on long term success, not just transactions. The depth of Brydon’s experience assured me that I could be successful with their support. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫? Acquiring a business was an incredible experience. Partnering with Brydon through the due diligence process taught me so much, not just about the tactical steps, but how to approach a deal with empathy and transparency. That foundation made our subsequent tuck-in acquisition even smoother, where again, Brydon’s guidance was invaluable. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐈𝐑 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦? Come in with a refined industry thesis. Think deeply about your experience and passions, and how they differentiate you to potential sellers. The more clarity you have on where you can add value and relate to the seller, the stronger your position will be.

We support our CEOs-in-Residence through every step of the process - from sourcing and closing to operating and beyond. Applications for our next cohort are open until January 19. 

Don’t wait, apply to be a CEO-in-Residence today! Use your expertise and our support to operate an industry leading business. Application link in comments.