People-first Private Equity: Alpine Investors’ Haley Van Cleve

Alpine Investors operates as a talent-first engine within the private equity landscape, prioritizing the recruitment and development of exceptional leaders over traditional deal-first underwriting. By placing CEOs-in-residence and utilizing internal talent teams, the firm builds durable, founder-owned businesses through a "buy and build" strategy. Partner Haley Van Cleve emphasizes that financial success stems from motivating teams and fostering career paths rather than relying solely on financial engineering. The firm maintains a rigorous, multi-step hiring process for both investors and operators to ensure alignment with their growth-oriented culture. Furthermore, AI serves as a critical lever to enhance human efficiency in labor-constrained sectors, ensuring portfolio companies remain competitive. This long-term commitment to human capital and operational excellence allows the firm to scale effectively while maintaining a consistent investment thesis across software and services industries.