This workbook categorizes the hiring activity and implied performance of the 600+ portfolio companies owned by North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), and southern Virginia (VA) Lower Mid-Market focused private equity firms YTD from Jan 1, 2025 - Dec 1, 2025.

This report summarizes the total number of private equity firms with headquarters or significant regional operations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and southern Virginia (south of Richmond, including Tidewater (Hampton Roads, Chesapeake, Newport News, Suffolk) and Roanoke markets).

68 Private Equity firms and Private Offices in North Carolina, South Carolina, and southern Virginia hold 636 lower-mid market portfolio companies. (Markets = South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia (Hampton Roads region + Roanoke (only))

On August 7–8, 2025, President Trump signed a sweeping executive order that opens the gates for private equity, real estate, cryptocurrency, infrastructure, and other alternative asset classes to enter U.S. 401(k) retirement plans. This is a historic departure from the traditional stock-and-bond allocation model, and it potentially redefines the $10–12 trillion defined-contribution retirement market.
At first glance, this appears to be a diversification win for retail savers. But the real story is more complex—and potentially far more profitable for those on the supply side of this capital shift.

2025 Investment Capital and Mergers & Acquisitions Guide for Small, Midsized, and Family Businesses

The M&A outlook for 2025 has taken a decided uptick. Business valuations have been both positively and negatively impacted by these trends, creating opportunity for buyers and sellers. Below, we provide the outlook in 2025 for business buyers and business sellers by industry, suggesting who has the advantage, and why 2025 is attractive to buyers in that industry.

This template has successfully been used to close over $100M in exits to several premier Private Equity firms. This is the language, format, and packaging that they expect sophisticated business owners to represent their businesses. Using this format gives you a substantial head start as you market your business.

ShadowHornet is piloting a new AI chatbot, Juana, focused on providing you advanced information and insight into the technical workforce in Latin America. Try it now!

Interview discusses how AI is on pace to eliminate 600,000 US tech jobs, and some new horizons of opportunity created by the recent trend

Retailers are often locked in by mobile device strategy decisions made three to five or more years earlier. This hurts their ability to use disruptive and innovative technology (e.g. AI) to make an impact on retail efficiency. It also means that they're weakening their competitive position to others who have taken R&D risks. This paper discusses how retailers can rapidly adapt to today's technology landscape to achieve more benefit, even when they have made decisions in the past that are currently hindering their progress.

This report, commissioned by and furnished to a top 50 PE firm aided them in site evaluation for nearshore, development backoffice, and engineering outsourcing. They were considering Trinidad and Tobago against several US and Latin American destinations. Download by clicking the button below!

The period 2022-2024 has been an unprecedented period of turbulence in the tech labor market. This short clip suggests several contributing factors causing the pain.