Building Brand Equity
A playbook for the new era of private equity value creation
For an industry obsessed with multiples, private equity has an odd blind spot: brand. Not logos, not colours, but real, balance-sheet-moving brand equity. The kind that commands pricing power, attracts top-tier talent, and, ultimately, positions a business for higher multiples at exit. Our playbook outlines a new era of private equity value creation.
It looks at why brand has been overlooked historically and how funds can pull the lever properly from diligence to divestment. It maps out brand as a meaningful commercial tool within the unique dynamics of private equity and the mid-market. Most importantly, it breaks the myth that brand is “fluff,” and replaces it with a measurable, stage-appropriate roadmap for building commercial value.
What’s Inside
Brand equity case studies
The evolution of growth acceleration and value creation in private equity
Looking at brand equity through the lenses relevant to private equity
How to build brand equity across portfolio companies
How to track and measure portfolio company brand equity
Because brand is not cosmetic. It’s commercial.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Claire Keet is the CEO of CAPITIL, where she partners with financial institutions to turn brand equity into a lever for portfolio growth, M&A integration, and premium exits. With a background in venture design and strategy, she builds insight-led, human-centred brands that drive meaningful commercial outcomes
Thalia Bruinders is CAPITIL’s COO, driving brand-led growth across M&A and private equity value creation. A strategic brand leader with deep expertise in communications, digital, and production, she’s delivered award-winning work for brands like Volkswagen, Doritos, and WWF. At CAPITIL, she builds brand assets that unlock commercial value, and teams that love doing it.
