Advisory · Charlotte, NC & Global

The technology partner
PE firms trust at the table.

Ortulum Advisory Partners helps private equity investors understand what they're buying — and portfolio companies deliver on what was promised. From first-call diligence through post-close value creation.

What I Do Start a Conversation
100+
M&A Engagements
PE-sponsored & Strategic
$300M+
Value Created
Tech-led initiatives
30+
Years Hands-On
Operator & Advisor

What I Do

From diligence to deployment

I work across the full investment lifecycle — bridging the gap between investment thesis and technology execution for PE sponsors and their portfolio companies.

M&A Technology Diligence

Multi-domain assessments that translate technical complexity into investment decisions. I focus on the deals where technology is the thesis — where architecture, roadmap credibility, and team capability are the investment.

  • Software & product diligence — SaaS, data platforms, AI/ML
  • Architecture, scalability & R&D maturity
  • Security, compliance & regulatory risk
  • Roadmap credibility & team capability evaluation
  • Risk profiles and investment recommendation reports

Value Creation & PMI

Post-close engagement that turns diligence findings into execution — technology roadmaps, integration strategy, and operating model design for portfolio companies that need to make good on the value-creation plan.

  • Post-merger integration (PMI) strategy & planning
  • Platform modernization & cloud transformation
  • Engineering org design, scaling & talent strategy
  • Interim C-level technology leadership
  • Value-creation milestone tracking & reporting

Healthcare & AI Strategy

More than a decade of direct domain experience at the intersection of clinical operations, AI architecture, and regulatory compliance — brought to bear on investments where getting healthcare technology right is non-negotiable.

  • HealthTech platform & product diligence
  • AI/ML strategy for clinical & operational workflows
  • HIPAA, HITECH & regulatory compliance architecture
  • Care coordination & revenue cycle technology
  • Fractional AI Officer (CAIO) engagements

Interim & Fractional C-Suite

Executive-level AI, technology, and product leadership for PE portfolio companies and early-stage businesses that need a seasoned technical operator without the timeline or cost of a full-time search.

  • AI product readiness & CAIO-level roadmap development
  • Build vs. buy strategy & architecture decisions
  • Investor-facing technical narrative & board reporting
  • Team structure, delivery & hiring processes
  • Bridge leadership during exec search or transition

Select Engagements

80+ PE-sponsored technology diligence engagements through Crosslake Technologies, working alongside top-tier private equity sponsors.

Blackstone KKR TPG Bain Capital IBM Wells Fargo Crosslake Technologies Lucent Technologies / Bell Labs UPS

About Steven

Investor. Operator. Technologist.

Steven founded Ortulum Advisory Partners after nearly 20 years at IBM and more than three decades as a hands-on technology leader across global enterprise, private equity, and early-stage ventures.

During his IBM tenure, he spent several years as an M&A technology strategist, leading and supporting 25+ strategic acquisitions within the IBM Software Group. Those engagements established the diligence and integration discipline he now brings to PE sponsors and their portfolio companies.

As a Certified Lead Practitioner in Technology Due Diligence & Value Creation at Crosslake Technologies, he has led 80+ PE-sponsored engagements — working alongside firms such as Blackstone, KKR, TPG, and Bain Capital — across software/SaaS, HealthTech, FinTech, logistics, and tech-enabled services. He specializes in the deals where technology is the thesis: where the architecture, the roadmap, and the team's ability to deliver are the investment.

In healthcare, he brings direct domain experience from IBM Watson Health — including designing and piloting a continuation-of-care application for Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease management — and fractional CPO and CAIO engagements with early-stage healthcare and digital health companies. He holds executive education credentials from Harvard Medical School (AI in Health Care, 2025) and MIT Sloan (Digital Transformation: Platform Strategies for Success, 2019).

Other career highlights include:

  • Member of Technical Staff at Bell Labs (New Ventures Group): Pioneered the commercialization of distributed operating system research and IP networking during the first wave of the Internet. Architected a 1997 "webphone" reference design with DEC and led the integration of the PersonalJava API with the native Limbo programming language for the Inferno RTOS to enable the first generation of "information appliances."
  • VP of Architecture & Strategy at Wells Fargo: Architected the multi-year modernization of a $200M GRC product portfolio, transforming legacy systems into a unified, enterprise-grade strategic asset.
  • System Engineer at UPS: Designed and delivered the logistics industry’s first "real-time" package tracking system, establishing the global standard for supply chain visibility.
Certified Lead Practitioner, Technology Due Diligence — Crosslake Technologies
AI in Health Care: From Strategies to Implementation — Harvard Medical School, 2025
Digital Transformation: Platform Strategies for Success — MIT Sloan
Charlotte, NC · Available globally for PE engagements
Steven Frank — Ortulum Advisory Partners
Steven Frank
Founder & Managing Partner
LinkedIn +1 704-575-9733

Let's Work Together

The right technology partner changes the outcome.

Whether you're evaluating a platform before close or trying to make good on the value-creation plan post-acquisition, I'd like to understand your situation.

Engagements typically start with a 30-minute conversation. No retainer required to have that call.

steven@ortulum.com +1 704-575-9733 linkedin.com/in/stevenpfrank