Stage 2 Capital Annual Summit Key Takeaways

ETONIEN’s Head of Client Coverage, Ryan Holden, recently attended Stage 2 Capital’s LP Summit at Google HQ in New York City to explore the latest cutting-edge go-to-market strategies used by some of the most successful software companies in the world.

The session that stood out most, according to Ryan, featured a fireside chat with Henry Schuck, Founder & CEO of ZoomInfo. Schuck and his team delivered one of the most remarkable outcomes in private equity history—an 86x return for the legendary Boston-based firm TA Associates, transforming an $80 million initial investment into an $8 billion financial return.

So how did they do it? Why was ZoomInfo so successful?

Customer Feedback Loop

From the very beginning, Henry was in the trenches with his sales team. At one point during the session, he asked the audience, “If you bought from ZoomInfo, was I your sales rep?” and several hands went up. That mindset—no ego, sleeves rolled up—gave him a powerful customer feedback advantage.

He didn’t need to wait for reports or filtered insights. He heard directly from customers what they valued, what frustrated them, and why they stayed or left. This immediate access to feedback allowed ZoomInfo to make agile, data-informed pivots across product, engineering, marketing, and sales in real time.

Relentless Focus on a Narrow ICP

Henry also recognized early on that ZoomInfo couldn’t be everything to everyone. He and his team defined a highly specific Ideal Customer Profile: IT decision-makers in the mid-market. They resisted the temptation to expand into SMB or Enterprise segments until they were the clear leader within their niche. And when expansion did come, it was guided by mountains of customer data and validated market signals.

As Ryan reflected on these lessons, he couldn’t help but draw parallels to our own journey at ETONIEN. Like ZoomInfo, ETONIEN was founded in 2007, and we too stayed disciplined, refining our craft and earning leadership status in our core offering: Interim CFO Services.

The Summit was both validating and inspiring—a reminder that listening to clients every day is not just good business practice, but a competitive advantage. In a world where Private Equity continues to evolve rapidly, and technologies like AI reshape the landscape, staying front-footed is more critical than ever.

We’ve recently introduced a new client delivery model and are actively developing innovative ways to capture feedback, stay close to our clients, and evolve with their needs. The mission remains the same: to deliver lasting impact through insight, agility, and partnership.

About ETONIEN

ETONIEN is a national professional services firm delivering strategic finance, operations, and HR transformation support for private equity–backed portfolio companies and middle-market businesses. With a model built for speed, expertise, and alignment, ETONIEN provides on-demand access to proven leaders who execute across the deal lifecycle—from diligence to exit.

For more information about how we support PE firms, please contact:

Ryan Holden
Head of Client Coverage, ETONIEN

Email: Ryan.Holden@etonien.com
Learn more: https://etonien.com
Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryanholden