The private equity (PE) space is evolving rapidly, with greater pressure on firms to streamline operations, increase visibility across portfolio companies, and deliver measurable growth. But between fragmented tech stacks, inconsistent reporting, and manual data transfers, many PE firms find themselves relying on guesswork.
In SmartBug Media’s latest vidcast episode, “Maximizing Portfolio Oversight: How Private Equity Firms Can Leverage HubSpot for Growth and Transparency,” Paul Schmidt, VP of Marketing at SmartBug, sat down with Casey Peddicord, SmartBug’s Senior Director of Channel Sales and HubSpot expert, to explore how PE firms can unify their portcos under a centralized CRM strategy without losing autonomy or creating technical debt.
Table of Contents
Why Visibility Matters More Than Ever
Consolidate Siloed Systems and Cut Soft Costs
Ditch “Default to Salesforce” Thinking
Choose the Right HubSpot Portal Setup
Consider Business Units for Centralized Teams
Watch Out for Integration Complexities
Use AI for Operational Leverage
Real-World Impact: From Spreadsheets to Streamlined Dashboards
Choose a Partner Who Knows the PE Space
Why Visibility Matters More Than Ever
Private equity firms are investing heavily in improving operational oversight across their portfolios, but many still rely on messy spreadsheets and disconnected systems to get there.
Paul’s insight: Companies struggle to get accurate dashboards for their own metrics, let alone across 10+ portcos.
Casey’s insight: The soft costs of manual reporting are enormous. Firms need real-time, accurate reporting that doesn’t require five spreadsheets and a guessing game.
HubSpot makes it possible to see how each company is performing—without the data chaos.
Consolidate Siloed Systems and Cut Soft Costs
Portcos often come with legacy systems and duct-taped tools. CRM systems, email platforms, reporting software, and ERP solutions—all disconnected.
Casey’s insight: We’ve worked with portcos running 15+ different tools. HubSpot lets you reduce tech bloat, streamline workflows, and dramatically cut the time and cost of data reconciliation.
This kind of simplification not only lowers hard costs but also increases portfolio agility and enables standardization across brands.
Ditch “Default to Salesforce” Thinking
Many firms automatically default to Salesforce because it’s widely recognized as the enterprise standard. But that choice often comes with downsides.
Casey’s insight: Salesforce is powerful, but it’s a blank slate that often requires a dev team to make it usable. HubSpot, by contrast, is crafted—not cobbled together—and is much easier to configure without starting from scratch.
For firms that want to move fast and reduce reliance on technical teams, HubSpot offers a streamlined alternative.
Choose the Right HubSpot Portal Setup
There’s no single “right” way to set up HubSpot across portfolio companies—but there are four main approaches.
Casey’s breakdown:
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Individual portals for each portco: Good for autonomy and varying sales models
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One central portal with business units: Best when there's a centralized marketing or operations team
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A “mothership” reporting portal: Keeps portcos in separate portals but syncs data to one central dashboard
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One portal just for the PE firm: Tracks investor relationships and firm-level activity
The best setup depends on your internal structure and your need for centralized versus decentralized control.
Consider Business Units for Centralized Teams
Some PE firms operate with shared services teams, especially marketing.
Casey’s insight: If you have a centralized team creating content and campaigns for all your portcos, using business units inside one portal is a huge win. It allows for asset reuse, easy duplication, and simplified reporting.
Just be sure your setup includes strong permissions and team segmentation to avoid cross-company data leakage.
Watch Out for Integration Complexities
Portcos often have their own tools—NetSuite, QuickBooks, Salesforce, and more. Trying to merge these into one CRM can get tricky.
Paul’s question: How should firms think about integrations when deciding on one versus multiple portals?
Casey’s insight: You have to map data flow first—what’s shared, where it lives, and how often it syncs. Otherwise, you’ll end up with misaligned systems and costly rework.
The right implementation partner will help you weigh the trade-offs and build a system that supports long-term growth.
Use AI for Operational Leverage
Although most firms think of workflows when they hear “automation,” HubSpot’s new AI agents offer a more strategic opportunity.
Casey’s insight: AI agents inside HubSpot can now triage support cases, prospect leads, and streamline service operations. PE firms can use this as a value-add in deals, offering smarter infrastructure post-acquisition.
Automation is no longer just about saving time; it’s about creating a competitive advantage.
Real-World Impact: From Spreadsheets to Streamlined Dashboards
Casey shared the story of a PE firm that had five portfolio companies—each with its own processes, platforms, and people.
Casey’s story: In under four months, we migrated all five portcos into a single HubSpot portal. Now, the PE firm’s leadership team can log in and see real-time performance data—without pulling a single spreadsheet.
Not everyone at the firm needs access to the portal. For those who don’t, automated email dashboards deliver weekly updates without logging in.
Choose a Partner Who Knows the PE Space
Implementing HubSpot across multiple companies isn’t a light lift. Choosing a partner with relevant experience is essential.
Casey’s checklist for PE firms:
✅ Look for experience across private equity and portfolio operating models.
✅ Confirm the partner can handle complex integrations.
✅ Ensure they understand centralized and decentralized structures.
✅ Ask to see PE-specific case studies and success stories.
✅ Make sure they can customize solutions based on your firm’s goals.
Pro tip: If your partner can't confidently guide you through portal structure, data governance, and reporting setup, keep looking.
Final Thoughts
For PE firms looking to modernize operations, increase visibility, and create scalable growth strategies, HubSpot is more than a CRM—it’s a centralized control tower.
Whether your firm manages three portcos or thirty, the right configuration of HubSpot can bring clarity, efficiency, and speed to your oversight strategy.
With an experienced partner like SmartBug, your firm can move from manual reporting chaos to automated, data-driven decision-making—without the tech debt.
