John DiCola joined Advent in 2019 and is a Managing Director in Boston. He advises on investments in the business & financial services sector. John has advised on nine investments during his career, two while at Advent.
Prior to joining Advent, John worked at TA Associates, where he invested in technology and technology-enabled businesses. Before TA Associates, he was an investment professional at Hellman & Friedman. John earned a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
How do you identify interesting companies in your area of focus?
My focus is on the business & financial services (BFS) sector. This sector is dynamic, covers a huge portion of the economy, and there are multiple macro considerations at play. Although we always maintain a sharp focus on external factors that will shape potential investments, we also place an emphasis on fostering relationships with founders and management teams, allowing us to keep a pulse on compelling opportunities. Cultivating trust with management teams via individual relationship building and effective execution is critical to helping drive our collective success.
What would you like external stakeholders to say about the experience of working with Advent?
I want our stakeholders to think of us as great and trusted partners – people who focus on long-term goals, build successful companies, and deliver on the value creation plans we set out to accomplish together. Hopefully, they will say we help grow businesses collaboratively, remain partnership-focused, and are their first call.
How have your colleagues at Advent helped you to improve your skillset?
I value Advent’s collaborative culture, which resonates on a global scale. One area where I have benefited is my colleagues’ challenging my thinking during the deal-making process and offering diverse perspectives on what business growth looks like. We maintain flexibility when navigating complex deals and, as a result, can achieve meaningful transformation. Sometimes, the path forward isn’t clear, and being surrounded by the right thought partners and gaining different viewpoints has helped me tremendously.
“At Advent, I value the focus on constructive collaboration, recognizing that private equity is a team sport rather than an individual one.”
John DiCola
Managing Director, Advent
What’s a mistake you made early on in your career, and what did you learn from it?
Early in my career, I focused on having all the answers without utilizing the broad spectrum of available Advent resources or inviting others to support the process. Shifting from being overly focused on the investment to valuing a great team has been a stepping stone to growth. At Advent, I value the focus on constructive collaboration, recognizing that private equity is a team sport rather than an individual one.
What is the best career advice you have received?
“Always stay humble.” We are in a very fortunate position with the trust our LPs and portfolio companies place in us, and to have the resources at hand to help drive the direction of our investments because of this. Therefore, a degree of reflection and humility is crucial.
Another piece of advice I value is: “Don’t be passive; take control of your career.” Only you can drive change, so be the author of your journey. Life can be full of big goals, and while that remains important, it’s also important to establish incremental steps to achieve those goals, whether day by day or setting up individual tasks and having the discipline to follow through on them to reach larger milestones.
