Pavan Tripathi’s knowledge, creativity and composure allow him to manage adeptly the responsibilities required by a private equity professional, according to those who work with him, including attorneys at law firm Goodwin. Tripathi oversees the New York PE firm’s growth initiatives and is a key decision-maker when it comes to expanding into new sectors. He is also in constant communication with Sagemount’s lawyers, advisers and investors, using their expertise to help improve the internal processes and workflows at Sagemount.
“There is always something new to explore – industries, companies, business models, innovations – which keeps the learning curve steep and the work fascinating,” Tripathi says. “There is also a great mix of technical challenges, creative thinking, and relationship building that constantly push me to grow and expand my skillset.”
Tripathi joined Sagemount in 2012 as a senior associate, was promoted to vice president in 2013 and was promoted again to principal in 2017. Most recently, he was with Goldman Sachs’ (NYSE: GS) merchant banking division. Tripathi graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles, with degrees in electrical engineering and economics and holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
“A big part of Sagemount’s flat culture is intellectual rigor, where good ideas and well-researched perspectives are expected from the whole team,” Tripathi says. “As a result, I’ve been able to grow as an investor and a leader at Sagemount.”
In June, Tripathi led the firm’s investment in Procurement Advisors, a data-enabled purchasing organization that is focused on the maintenance, repair and operating supplies sector. Procurement works with more than 500 independent and private equity-backed companies in more than 11,000 locations throughout the world.
In January, Tripathi co-led Sagemount’s sale of Single Digits to GI Partners. Single Digits provides secure managed wireless network services across the hospitality, student housing and transportation sectors.
“Sagemount is a unique growth-stage private equity firm with a very flexible mandate,” Tripathi explains. “That flexibility allows all of us at Sagemount to look at deals in technology and tech-enabled services with many different lenses. I have invested across data infrastructure, enterprise software, information services, healthcare technology, tech-enabled business services and specialty finance. Our ability to be a majority buyout, minority equity, or credit investor has been great.”
Tripathi enjoys giving students and younger team members an honest appraisal of what his job entails on a daily basis. “I emphasize spending time with my younger colleagues and college/business school students, providing any guidance, input, or advice I can, and personally learning a lot from them as well,” Tripathi says. “I strongly believe that helping them succeed will play a large part in the continued success of Sagemount and make the private equity industry stronger.”
