New Benchmark Examines How GTM, Expertise, Product and Expertise are Reshaping the Way forward for Worth Creation Throughout Funding Companies
Manchester, NH and Hanover, NH — January 28, 2026 — Synthetic intelligence (AI) is extensively anticipated to reshape how traders create worth in portfolio corporations, but new analysis from York IE, in partnership with the Magnuson Heart for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth Faculty, exhibits that the majority companies are nonetheless struggling to operationalize it.
In accordance with the 2026 State of Worth Creation Benchmark, 74.6% of worth creation leaders throughout personal fairness, progress fairness, and enterprise capital imagine generative AI may have the best affect on worth creation over the subsequent three years. On the identical time, 46.3% say implementing AI and automation throughout portfolio workflows stays a big problem – highlighting a widening hole between strategic ambition and execution readiness.
“Worth creation is not about ad-hoc assist or high-level technique alone,” stated Mike Veilleux, Managing Director, Working Platform at York IE. “What this knowledge exhibits is that companies know the place they should go, however many lack the working fashions, technical foundations, and capability to get there. The subsequent section of worth creation shall be outlined by leverage and execution, not intent.”
The benchmark examines how funding companies are evolving their worth creation methods amid longer exit timelines, elevated competitors, and rising expectations from LPs. Whereas worth creation has turn into a core working mandate, the information reveals a operate beneath rising stress, with lean groups dealing with increasing duties throughout go-to-market (GTM), product improvement, expertise, infrastructure, and expertise.
Different key findings from the benchmark present the evolution of worth creation, together with:
GTM is the first engine of worth creation. 74.6% of groups spend most of their time on GTM, 64.2% cite pipeline technology as the highest portfolio problem, and 44.8% say GTM has pushed essentially the most enterprise worth during the last 24 months.
Groups stay lean as mandates increase. Practically two-thirds of worth creation groups function with fewer than six FTEs, and solely 17.9% really feel very assured they’ve the sources wanted to satisfy KPIs.
Execution danger is transferring upstream. 29.9% of respondents cite product supply challenges and one other third cite scalable infrastructure as prime constraints, signaling rising stress past GTM.
Management stays a crucial execution multiplier. 47.8% of respondents level to management and recruiting gaps as a prime portfolio problem.
Whereas hands-on engagement stays the most typical method companies assist portfolio corporations, the benchmark suggests this strategy is changing into more and more tough to scale as portfolios develop.
“We’re seeing a transparent transition underway,” stated Joe Raczka, Managing Companion at York IE. “The companies that outperform shall be people who transfer past one-off interventions and construct repeatable, system-driven approaches to worth creation – aligning GTM, product execution, expertise, and expertise throughout the portfolio.”
The analysis was performed in partnership with the Dartmouth Faculty Magnuson Heart for Entrepreneurship as a part of its ongoing work to review innovation, working excellence, and worth creation in personal markets.
“This benchmark affords a uncommon, data-backed have a look at how worth creation is definitely practiced as we speak,” stated Jamie Coughlin, Founder and Government Director of the Magnuson Heart for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth. “It highlights each the rising complexity of the function and the chance for companies to rethink how worth creation groups are structured, resourced, and enabled going ahead.”
The report additionally options views from worth creation leaders throughout the business, together with Blue Star Innovation Companions, 5 Elms Capital, and Susquehanna Development Fairness.
“The subsequent-gen worth creation mannequin is much less about sitting in each assembly and extra about constructing techniques that constantly floor the appropriate work,” stated Roylee Sanchez, SVP, Worth Creation, Blue Star Innovation Companions (BSIP). “The companies pulling forward are operator-centric. By embedding operators on the core of agency technique, diligence, and portfolio execution—like we do at BSIP—worth creation scales outcomes throughout the complete portfolio by changing into a proactive working system moderately than a reactive service operate.”
To view extra 2026 State of Worth Creation Benchmark findings and obtain the total report, go to: https://york.ie/2026-state-of-value-creation
About York IE
York IE® is an funding and working agency that mixes a household of funds with a hands-on working platform to construct and again software program corporations. With a 250+ individual in-house crew, AI and automation expertise, deep ecosystem partnerships, and cross-functional insights from 1000’s of engagements, York drives worth creation for the personal expertise market. Gas® Your Strategic Development at York IE.
Concerning the Dartmouth Faculty Magnuson Heart for Entrepreneurship
The Magnuson Heart for Entrepreneurship at Dartmouth Faculty helps entrepreneurial pondering, innovation, and analysis throughout the Dartmouth neighborhood and past, serving to founders, traders, and operators flip concepts into affect.
