About Us

Guiding founders through private equity—on your terms.

20+ years running businesses, evaluating hundreds of deals alongside PE partners, and participating in Board and Investment Committee discussions — turned into a founder-first advisory practice. We help founders navigate the complex, high-stakes decisions that come with growth, private equity partnerships, and potential exits. Our approach is practical, experienced, and entirely founder-focused.

Our Story / Experience

At the heart of PE Insiders is Chris Sousa. With 20+ years running and growing businesses across sectors, Chris has lived the challenges founders face—building teams, scaling operations, and managing growth under pressure. This experience ranges from founder-owned businesses generating $1M in revenue to PE-backed platforms generating $200M in revneue.

Over the past decade, Chris has worked closely with private equity sponsors as an operating executive and board advisor, evaluating hundreds of businesses, participating in Investment Committee meetings, and helping portfolio companies implement strategies that drive value. This experience gives him an insider’s understanding of how PE thinks, what they look for, and how founders can position themselves to succeed—whether they want to keep their chips on the table or carefully consider liquidity options.

Our Team Approach

While Chris is the founder and lead advisor, PE Insiders operates as a full-service team. Behind the scenes is a network of seasoned experts—specialists in finance, operations, HR, sales and marketing, technology, and strategic growth.

These advisors work closely with Chris to support founders across all areas of business operations, bringing expertise where and when it’s needed most. You won’t just get advice in a silo; you get a team in your corner, ready to help execute, evaluate options, and guide decisions that matter most.

Our Philosophy

Founders don’t have to go it alone. We focus on:

Preserving your culture and team while scaling efficiently
Maximizing value without losing sight of your legacy
Providing clarity and confidence in complex, high-stakes decisions
PE Insiders is designed to be flexible, founder-first, and operationally focused—so you get the insights, support, and experience of a full advisory team without the overhead of a large firm.