Private Equity, Decoded: Silver Lake’s CFO Explains the Industry

What does it take to manage $100 billion in global assets? Students in the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) recently learned firsthand during the latest Founders and Leaders speaker session, featuring Jason White ’99, P’26, P’31, P’33, P’36, managing director and CFO of the global equity firm Silver Lake. 

In a hands-on workshop titled "Inside Private Equity: How Firms Buy and Build Companies," White traded the boardroom for the classroom to demystify the high-stakes world of technology investment. Silver Lake, a global powerhouse, is renowned for building tech-driven giants across software and digital infrastructure.

White guided students through the mechanics of the industry, moving beyond theory to explore the practical "how-to" of modern finance, including leveraged buyouts, acquisitions, valuations, and more. 

By bridging the gap between classroom concepts and the real-world influence of private equity, the session provided CEL students with a masterclass in how technology and capital intersect to shape the global economy.

White, who also answered questions about his career path after CHA and Princeton, joined Silver Lake in 2006 and oversees the accounting and finance and information technology functions. He currently serves as a director and chair of the audit committees of Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc., and on the board of Achievers. Previously, he was a director of Ancestry.com, Smart Global Holdings, and Solarwinds, Inc.  

Previous Founders and Leaders have focused on everything from thriving in a crowded market to building nonprofit organizations from the ground up.

Pictured: Jason White ’99, center, with, from left: Julian McFadden '06, Ed Glassman '03, Paul Hines H'03, and Jim Talbot H'81.