How I Bought 7 Businesses and Built a $34M Holding Company | Doug Lepisto Interview
Operator-first, place-based PE done right. In this episode, Doug Lepisto (co-founder of Sleeping Giant Capital) breaks down how his team backed 7 searchers to buy 7 local companies, deploying a $34M Fund I and gearing up for Fund II.
We unpack the full playbook—how they source in-region deals, why they bet on the operator first, and the exact 10-10-10 searcher economics.
Doug shares how they structure boards, protect the downside, and build long-term, hold-forever companies with a university-powered talent pipeline.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro (Sleeping Giant overview: place-based, West MI, Fund…
The skinny
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