Kyle T. Kononowitz

🎥 New on MSP Chat: Private Equity Without Private Equity 🤖🕸️ 🔗: https://bit.ly/3U00843 This week, Erick & Rich dive into: • Should MSPs bet on emerging AI automation startups? • A roadmap for guiding clients through AI-driven business model shifts Then, special guest Juan Fernandez, founder of MSP Owners Group, shares a bold, private equity–free model for building a PE-style MSP platform. And finally… the shocking discovery of giant hairy spiders in a shipping container labeled “chocolate cake” in Germany. 🕷🍰 #ChannelMastered #MSPChat #AIforMSPs #Automation #MSPBusiness #MSPOwnersGroup #PrivateEquity #TechStrategy #MSPGrowth #YouTubeTech #MSPInsights

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🎥 New on MSP Chat: Private Equity Without Private Equity 🤖🕸️ 🎦 YouTube: https://bit.ly/3U00843 🍎 Apple: https://apple.co/458b6tw 🎧 Spotify: https://bit.ly/4o9P9Tt This week, Erick & Rich dive into: • Should MSPs bet on emerging AI automation startups? • A roadmap for guiding clients through AI-driven business model shifts Then, special guest Juan Fernandez, founder of MSP Owners Group, shares a bold, private equity–free model for building a PE-style MSP platform. And finally… the shocking discovery of giant hairy spiders in a shipping container labeled “chocolate cake” in Germany. 🕷🍰 #ChannelMastered #MSPChat #AIforMSPs #Automation #MSPBusiness #MSPOwnersGroup #PrivateEquity #TechStrategy #MSPGrowth #YouTubeTech #MSPInsights

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Still relying on traditional M&A sourcing pipelines? Here’s the hard truth: most teams only see about 20% of real opportunities. The other 80%? It’s hidden off-market, lost in fragmented data, or masked by outdated search methods. At JSU Solutions, we’ve seen how proprietary AI-powered platforms radically change this equation. By leveraging multi-source data aggregation, intelligent pattern recognition, and natural language processing, our AI.DA 3.0 pipeline systematically uncovers signals other firms miss: months or even years in advance. For PE groups, this means owning the edge in deal origination. When the top 20% is crowded and overpriced, the real growth is in sourcing what others can’t see. #MergersAndAcquisitions #PrivateEquity #AI #DealOrigination #PEtech #GrowthStrategy #FutureOfWork #JSUSolutions

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These two AI-native organizations bring together exceptional talent from Google DeepMind and Google, infusing Uniphore’s Business AI Cloud with breakthrough capabilities in Large Action Models, neuro-symbolic reasoning, and enterprise-grade agent orchestration. Umesh Sachdev, CEO and Co-founder of Uniphore, stated, “The world’s largest companies trust Uniphore to deliver innovation at the speed of AI. Our customers are betting their business models on AI-enabled transformation, with Business AI Cloud at the core.” This acquisition underscores Uniphore’s dedication to rapidly integrating world-class research and engineering expertise, delivering innovations that elevate complex workflow automation. This development addresses a crucial challenge enterprises have faced: deploying AI agents beyond simple chat and predictions. Orby AI’s expertise in Large Action Models and neuro-symbolic reasoning, combined with Autonom8’s mastery in multi-agentic workflows and hyperautomation, enables automation of complex processes previously deemed un-automatable. These technologies leapfrog traditional generative AI tools, offering precision, reasoning, and judgment at enterprise scale. Uniphore’s sovereign, composable, and secure Business AI Cloud platform serves as the ideal foundation for this innovation. The platform’s unique architecture connects enterprise data seamlessly, fine-tunes AI models, and orchestrates AI agents with unprecedented reliability and speed. As Sachdev emphasizes, “With the addition of Orby and Autonom8, Uniphore will welcome breakthrough AI capabilities that elevate our ability to orchestrate complex workflows.” From a strategic perspective, this move cements Uniphore’s position in the rapidly expanding enterprise AI agent market, projected to grow exponentially in the coming years. The acquisition enriches Uniphore’s capacity to deliver measurable business outcomes, improving customer experience, operational efficiency, and ROI through intelligent automation. Looking ahead, Uniphore plans to launch early access programs later this year, enabling select enterprise customers to experience these advancements firsthand. This phased approach ensures both innovation agility and enterprise readiness. In summary, Uniphore’s acquisitions of Orby AI - A Uniphore Company and Autonom8 Inc. signify a new era for enterprise AI, blending cutting-edge research with practical workflows to redefine business automation on a global scale. https://lnkd.in/gtubKiBB #Uniphore #BusinessAI #EnterpriseAutomation #LargeActionModels #NeuroSymbolicAI #Hyperautomation #AIInnovation #CustomerExperience #AgenticAI #AITransformation

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Really appreciate Rich Freeman thoughtful piece on how AI and managed services are converging, and how investors are responding to that shift. The energy at Top Down Horizons last week wasn’t about competing with the biggest names in tech, it was about complementing them. The massive infrastructure investments we’re seeing from the hyperscalers set the stage for what happens next: how AI actually reaches the SMB economy through the MSP ecosystem. A few signals we’re watching closely: Capital Efficiency as Strategy: Investors are increasingly rewarding intelligent scaling over raw expansion. AI-Native Companies: Building faster, with smaller teams and better unit economics. The SMB Moment: For the first time, SMB IT spend will outpace enterprise IT, and MSPs are the bridge. Reinvestment from Within: Two-thirds of our LPs are MSP founders, operators, and vendors, the industry funding its own innovation. Through our Founders Fund I and Vibe Studio accelerator, we’re backing founders who are redefining managed services. Thank you Rich Freeman for capturing this moment with such insight, and to everyone in the Top Down ecosystem who showed up last week to engage in inspiring discussion around the future of our beloved MSP space.

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𝐈𝐧 𝐌&𝐀, 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. Reduced risk does. Buyers don’t pay for growth. They pay for durability, margin stability, diversification, and cash flow. Most sellers pitch upside. Buyers price downside. Full breakdown in this week’s M&A Mindset: https://lnkd.in/geSRPz4X  

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What I’ve seen in M&A is this: cyber doesn’t just “check the compliance box.” It shapes deal value, trust, and execution from Day 1. Numbers on a spreadsheet can be modeled to perfection, but if breach liabilities surface post-close, the value story shifts overnight. That’s not theory, it’s reality boards are facing more often. The real shift is cultural: dealmakers, operators, and security leaders learning to speak the same language. Not technical, not legal, nor financial. And the strongest teams don’t stop at diligence. They connect cyber risk to EBITDA, integration milestones, and customer confidence long after the deal closes. 👉 Curious to hear from others. How often are cyber risks being translated into valuation terms in the deals you’re seeing? #MergersAndAcquisitions #CyberSecurity #PrivateEquity #Valuation #Leadership

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Your Marketing and Sales Engine: A Key Value Prop for Buyers Buyers are not just assessing your current revenue; they are evaluating how you attract and retain customers to generate future revenue. If your sales rely solely on your personal network or undocumented word-of-mouth, the risk for a new owner is incredibly high. To command a premium valuation, you must present a strong, documented, and scalable marketing and sales process. This proves to investors that your growth is sustainable and, most importantly, transferable without your direct involvement. Build a machine that generates leads and closes deals predictably, and your sale value will reflect it. Read more here: https://vrsanantonio.com/ #SalesProcess #MarketingSystems #BusinessValuation #ExitStrategy #VRBusinessBrokers

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What do real M&A experts actually do? In Episode 149, Bill Snow—author and mid-market investment banker—breaks down how real deals get closed (and where most go sideways). Hear firsthand stories that cut through theory and reveal the operator moves behind successful SMB acquisitions. Ready to learn what it really takes? Listen to the full episode.

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The fastest way to protect revenue? Stop fraud where it starts—the inbox. In our new episode with David Setzer, we dig into simple, leader-friendly moves that block BEC and ransomware without slowing sales ops. If your team handles quotes, POs, or vendor changes, this is a must-watch. Watch: https://lnkd.in/gis-iVGg #ZeroTrust #EmailSecurity #BEC #SalesOps #DFWBusiness #FulcrumGroup #NoITJerks

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Wealth professionals looking to introduce private market investments into client portfolios are finding that client education is essential. Managing Director James Martin shares a key insight from our Global Private Wealth Survey that highlights how stronger education equips clients to confidently embrace private markets.

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A combination of panicky ill-informed lemmings and predatory giant HFT pools that encourage and parisitically profit from volatility does not bode well for long term innovation in the West. Thought experiment: 90% tax for any trade made inside a trading day and 5% tax for any trade made across 2 years, on a sliding scale of pain for rumor-driven panic and vampiric volatility profiteering. Could be useful…

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If you aren’t able to text message at work, you need to be asking compliance to upgrade with Archive intel It’s a no brainer. Text, WhatsApp, social media all in a compliant manner!

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Only 20-30% of businesses that come to market actually close a transaction.   Not because the businesses aren't good. Because they weren't ready.   I partnered with Brad Powell at ThreatCaptain to put together a white paper on what it actually takes to command a premium exit as an MSP.   We wrote it from two angles. I run M&A processes for MSP founders. Brad helps MSPs build security practices that translate into revenue. Between us, we talk to MSP founders every day who are somewhere between "I think I'd like to sell eventually" and "I'm ready to run a process."   The paper covers the six areas that drive premium multiples:   1. Getting the founder out of frontline sales 2. Building a security practice that tells a business story 3. Fixing recurring revenue quality 4. Getting EBITDA margins to 15%+ 5. Eliminating customer concentration risk 6. Building the management layer   Plus a one-page exit readiness checklist you can use as a self-assessment.   Link: https://lnkd.in/gArfKcef #MSP #MSSP #ManagedServices #ITServices #PrivateEquity #MergersAndAcquisitions #MSPExit #ExitPlanning

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Proud to introduce Exclusive Global Solutions (XGS), our latest initiative to simplify how our partners access and deliver global services. Whether it is global deal management, consultancy, training or advanced support, XGS empowers our ecosystem to tackle modern security challenges, stand out in the market and unlock new revenue streams. Learn more about how XGS is enabling Exclusive Networks’ success across borders:  👉 https://lnkd.in/eksCCrdG #Cybersecurity #WeAreExclusive 

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