Mike Drinkwater
LinkedIn Copy
Hey Mike — similar path (IB/consulting → growth equity). been thinking a lot about proprietary origination in B2B software and GRC lately. would be good to connect.
Hey Mike, see we both ended up in the PE/growth equity world, though from slightly different directions — I came through banking at CS & Greenhill in London before doing growth deals at Treis. origination was always the same story for me — clear thesis, good relationships, but no proprietary system of record tying anything together. every deal virtually sourced from scratch, nothing compounding over time. curious if that's still how most funds operate or if I'm behind the times? — Russ
Hey Mike, looks like we share a similar-ish PE background, though I was in London doing growth equity deals at Treis not scaling enterprise tax and compliance platforms at Thomson Reuters like you. the pattern I keep seeing with most funds is weirdly consistent — strong thesis, solid network, but no proprietary system of record. the people, tools and ideas are never really connected, so every deal is virtually sourced from scratch. nothing compounds on itself. curious if that resonates or if you've built something different at Vista Highland? — Russ
hey Mike — no worries if the timing's off. most funds I talk to have tried some version of building origination in-house — analyst pulling from Pitchbook or Grata, maybe using ChatGPT to help qualify, dumping it into a spreadsheet. each piece kind of works, but there's no system of record tying it together. the people, tools and ideas stay disconnected so there's tonnes of wasted energy. been helping a few software-focused funds like Noble Rock work through that. curious if you've run into the same thing at Vista Highland? — Russ
totally get it if origination infrastructure isn't top of mind right now — most funds have 10 things ahead of it on the priority list. the funds I've seen crack it early just tend to compound deal flow in a way that's hard to replicate later. if it ever moves up the list, I'm easy to find. — Russ
Email Copy
No email copy generated yet.
Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Mike Drinkwater Title: Founder & Managing Partner Fund: VISTA HIGHLAND Background: PROSPECT SUMMARY: Michael Drinkwater CURRENT FOCUS Michael is the Founder and Managing Partner of Vista Highland, a growth equity-backed independent sponsor. He focuses on investing in and scaling B2B software and tech-enabled services, specifically within the Office of the CFO, tax technology, data privacy, and Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) sectors. He also serves as a Strategic Advisor to the CEO of Trust Keith (DPO-aaS) and provides investment due diligence support for private equity funds. BACKGROUND He spent over 10 years at Thomson Reuters, where he held several General Manager and Head of Business roles, specifically leading the ONESOURCE cloud-based tax and compliance platforms. His earlier career includes six years at Accenture within their Strategy Practice for Communications and High Technology. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and an HBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University. KEY SKILLS Scaling B2B SaaS, Digital Trust, AI Governance, Data Privacy (CIPP/US/Canada, CIPM, AIGP), Mergers & Acquisitions, P&L Management, and Strategic Advisory. RECENT POSTS & QUOTES - November 14, 2024: "Energizing and insightful day at #ScaleUpAI... Human-led 'agentic AI' augmenting the ways we work is around the corner!" - September 3, 2024: "Thrilled to stay ahead of AI (for now:) by becoming a certified AI Governance Professional (#AIGP) through the #IAPP" - July 2, 2024: "A sharp look at how gen AI is disrupting software business models... 👀" (Sharing a McKinsey report). - June 13, 2024: "Life lessons from Roger Federer at Dartmouth Commencement 2024! 1) 'Effortless is a myth', 2) 'It's only a point', 3) 'Life is bigger than the court'" - November 16, 2023: "Will Gen AI displace us!? Some good news and bad news so far" - November 8, 2023: "On point 💡 for Global AI Governance? KAL's Cartoon 😉" - November 3, 2023: "A big week on the AI front: US Executive Order, UK #aisafetysummit... Thrilled to be in Boston at AI Governance Global 2023 #aigg23 to distill it all" - October 24, 2023: "Gen AI use cases are rapidly delivering breakthrough benefits across workflows. Are companies also protecting their customer and proprietary data? 🤔" - October 10, 2023: "An eye opening dive 👀 into how the economies of scale of Gen AI tools are different than typical software. Are flat monthly fees the way to go when the costs to run the models go up so much by query volume?" Fund details: - Description: VISTA HIGHLAND is a growth equity firm-backed independent sponsor. With a thesis-driven approach it focuses on investing in and scaling B2B software or tech-enabled services businesses within sectors such as Office of the CFO, tax, data privacy, and governance, risk and compliance (GRC) to deliver sustained growth and value. VISTA HIGHLAND has extensive experience managing and scaling global enterprise cloud software and services businesses. Areas of expertise include professional workflow automation software and various US and international tax, accounting and information reporting regulatory regimes serving mid-market and Global Fortune 2000 companies, professional services firms, and governments. - Website: https://www.vistahighland.com/ - Location: New Canaan, Connecticut, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =VISTA HIGHLAND Mike Drinkwater recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Mike Drinkwater's Vista Highland focuses on acquiring B2B software or tech-enabled services in the US, with investments up to $100m. Drinkwater has a background in scaling enterprise software businesses. Vista Highland is backed by family office investors.