Introducing Jennifer Nelson: Executive in Residence

The Band is excited to introduce Jennifer Nelson, our newest Executive in Residence. She has joined the team with a goal to acquire solid B2B businesses operating within the IBM iSeries and zSystems space.

Jennifer has an extensive track record of strategic transformation in various roles within the IBM Mainframe space, notably at Rocket Software for 15 years where she successfully led a global team of engineers to modernize their legacy applications and drove the technical roadmap. She went on to become the VP of Engineering Operations at BazaarVoice, expanding the R&D organization internationally. Most recently, she concluded her role as VP and Global PMO in the Business Transformation unit at Diebold Nixdorf. 

zSystems and iSystems platforms remain important and pivotal today with approximately 10,000 zSeries and 50,000 iSeries customers globally. Efforts to modernize these platforms and their applications have been a big focus to not only evolve these systems for the future, but to also introduce new generations to these reliable and secure platforms. With the addition of Jennifer to our team, Big Band aims to create a cluster of mission-critical software applications that serve the core of the enterprises running on IBM zSystems and iSeries.

Jam with Jen

What opportunities do you see unfolding today in the iSeries/zSeries space?

First of all, a huge portion of enterprise computing still relies on these platforms and will for a long time because of the proven security and reliability for business-critical transactions. Second, there’s a big opportunity right now to revolutionize the SaaS pricing model in the enterprise software space for z/OS and Power Systems so that world-class software solutions are accessible to smaller companies. Our mission is to create a portfolio of high-quality enterprise software solutions from great founder-led companies so that we can continue to build upon their success and grow into the future. 

What do you look for in an investment opportunity within this space?

We’re looking for founder-led or founder-owned z/OS or Power Systems software companies whose revenue streams are smaller than most private equity companies would be interested in. We look for those with less than $10M annual recurring revenue who have great products and loyal customers that we can invest in and continue to grow. We want to partner with those founders/owners of software companies who don’t have a business continuity plan, a succession plan or who may need help with growth for the future. And I’m hopeful that they see, like I do, that becoming part of a holding company that is focused on long-term growth is the best path forward for their business, their customers and their employees.

What excites you about collaborating with Big Band?

I’m excited to join an exceptional team of experienced founders that embrace agility, value customer feedback and believe that investing in people pays dividends. Their excitement about investing in z/OS and Power Systems shows that they understand the criticality and longevity of these platforms, just like I do. I can’t wait to see what we can build together!  

ANNUAL EXIT PLANNING

We’ve put together a must-do exercise for Founders - Annual Exit Planning. This workbook will walk you through the various steps and questions you need to answer and document in order to get better prepared to sell your business. Grab the file, find some time work through it, and get in touch if we can help you think through any of the components along the way!

THE PLAYLIST (What We're Watching, Reading, and Listening to)

• Poor Charlie’s Almanack - “Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up.”

•  Your Next Five Moves - For entrepreneurs looking for inspiration and guidance within their next steps.

• The Private Equity Funcast - Tune into ParkerGale’s private equity podcast, where we will be featured soon!

UPCOMING IRL GIGS

• Jennifer will be attending the SHARE Conference in Orlando from March 3-7th. If you or anyone you know are planning to attend and want to connect, you can contact her at [email protected].

JOIN THE BAND

We’re building our database with the best leaders and operators out there. If you know exceptionally talented people that may one day want to work with us, please have them get in touch with us at [email protected] or fill out the form on our Connect page.

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