PE Maverick Stenning Schueppert on Alignment-Driven Returns

Stenning Schueppert, a former Bain consultant, has 20+ years in PE. He worked at HIG, he launched a fund with two partners, he was an independent sponsor with another partner, and now he spearheads Evolution Strategy Partners, a prolific independent sponsor based in Austin. Evolution has 5 platforms and also actively co-sponsors deals. With a deep track record that spans fund life cycles, deal-by-deal investing, and multiple verticals, Stenning brings a seasoned panoramic view to PE.

Radical transparency is a key tenet of Stenning's philosophy. At McGuireWoods you might spot him handing out flyers that present the exact mark-up of his portfolio companies, calculated by using the entry multiple multiplied by the current EBITDA and subtracting all debt. On aggregate, Evolution's portfolio sits at a stunning 10x cash-on-cash return. Ethoscapes, a landscaping roll-up, has surpassed 17x.

Where most sponsors point to flexbility as the best trait of the independent sponsor model, Stenning instead emphasizes alignment. He and his team typically provide 20–50% of the equity in each deal. He says he makes more money from his own equity than from the carried interest. That alignment fundamentally shifts his behavior: decisions are made with an investor's lens, not a fee-seeker's.

Stenning says he is balance sheet-rich and cash-poor, and he embraces frugality by flying Southwest and staying at Holiday Inn. This resonates with business owners and wins trust from limited partners. The money is real, the discipline is real, and the returns speak for themselves.