A Leveraged Buyout (LBO) is the acquisition of a company using a significant amount of borrowed money to meet the purchase price. Private equity firms commonly execute LBOs. They partner with investment banks to raise loans and take over target companies, increasing their debt. Cash flow from the acquired company helps repay the debt over time. Companies purchased through LBOs are attractive targets for operational improvements and cash flow growth to pay off the loans. Improved performance also increases the value of the private equity firm’s equity stake. LBOs allow private equity investors to maximize returns through financial engineering. However, high debt loads incurred in LBOs also raise the risk of bankruptcy if cash flows falter.
he third edition of 0100 International — organized by Zero One Hundred Conferences in partnership with the Milan City Council’s Department of Economic Development and Milano&Partners — brought together the global private markets community for a high-signal, execution-focused gathering held from October 27–29.
François Candelon, Partner for Value Creation & Portfolio Monitoring at Seven2, shares how the firm aligns every investment around a clear “exit animal”—a vision of the company at exit—and uses disciplined execution, AI-driven transformation, and sustainability as levers for resilience and premium valuations. From reengineering core processes with AI to embedding decarbonization into business strategy, Candelon explains how Seven2 builds companies that are not just exit-ready, but future-proof.
Private markets are entering a new era where trust, compliance, and technology converge. While public markets enjoy automation and transparency, private assets still depend on paper-based, fragmented systems. Antonio Chiarello, CEO of Weltix, argues that the next leap forward is not just digitization, but the creation of digital infrastructures that redefine ownership. In this conversation, he discusses why friction is structural rather than technological, how regulation enables innovation, and how programmable liquidity and transparency can channel more private capital into real economic growth.
