What happens when a forward-thinking investment firm partners with a technology company to build the fund management platform of the future?

Knox Lane, a tech-savvy private equity firm managing several strategic investments, joined forces with Maybern’s product team for an intensive two-day collaboration.

By the Numbers:

• 2 days of intensive collaboration
• 6 working sessions
• 3+ new product features
• 10+ innovation opportunities identified

Knox Lane: Beyond Traditional Fund Finance

Led by CFO Ivor van Esch, Knox Lane represents a new generation of investment managers who view technology as a strategic advantage, not just an operational necessity.

"I want my team to be proactive strategic decision-makers, not just reactive to data requests," explains van Ech.

This vision drives everything from performance reporting that unlocks new insights to scenario modeling that directly informs the firm’s financial  strategy.

Knox Lane has built a sophisticated tech stack combining Chronograph for portfolio management, AI-powered research tools, and now Maybern for integrated fund operations and intelligence. Knox Lane actively partners with technology companies to shape product development. 

Van Esch recognized that Maybern could unlock new levels of analysis and insights for his team.

"Maybern has spent time making sure the math works, now we use that to enable more interesting insights and visualizations."

To bring that vision to life, Maybern’s product team joined the Knox Lane team on-site in San Francisco for a two-day product innovation workshop.

Collaboration in Action

The two teams worked side-by-side to reimagine what fund operations could look like:

1. Live Prototype Testing  - Maybern brought working prototypes of scenario modeling and hybrid waterfall features. Knox Lane's team provided immediate feedback that led to design iterations in real time.

2. Workflow Shadowing  - Maybern observed Knox Lane's actual operations: from quarterly IRR bridge analysis to investor reporting workflows. This revealed how manual, time-intensive processes can be replaced with system automation in the future.

3. Data Mapping  - Together, both teams analyzed Knox Lane's technology ecosystem to identify integration opportunities for seamless data flow and unified workflows.

4. Whiteboard Innovation Sessions - Teams collaborated on whiteboard sessions to envision a more intelligent future of fund operations, identifying opportunities for AI integration, advanced analytics and configurable insight dashboards, and operational automation.

New Features, Shaped by Real Use Cases

The workshop went beyond addressing immediate needs, uncovering new product opportunities.

Dynamic Scenario Modeling (New Product) 

Knox Lane's lean portfolio revealed how scenario modeling could be dramatically simplified. Their feedback shaped a revolutionary approach using just three investment-level inputs: cost basis, performance multiples, and exit dates—to power sophisticated analysis that transforms quarterly planning from spreadsheet marathons into strategic conversations. They also highlighted the value of being able to create different versions of the fund model based on changes in assumptions and compare performance outputs.

Maybern Intelligence Layer (AI Integration) 

The group brainstormed  intelligent features including automated insights with key performance callouts, a Maybern modeling agent to suggest hypothetical scenarios and compare projected performance, and a Maybern reporting agent that frees finance teams from routine requests.

IR Self-Service Dashboards (New User Experience) 

Recognizing that investor relations teams have different data needs than controllers, the teams designed dashboards with charts, insights, and digestible metrics. This empowers better LP communications while freeing finance teams from manual IR data requests.

Integrated Performance Reporting (Workflow Automation) 

The team gathered blueprints for performance metrics to be implemented with MXL – the Maybern Execution Language – for automated calculations, transforming a time-intensive manual process into real-time insights that support strategic decision-making.

Real Impact

With this collaboration Knox Lane gained:

• Future access to cutting-edge scenario modeling capabilities perfectly suited to their streamlined portfolio
• Direct influence on product development ensures features solve their actual problems
• Pathway to operational transformation through purpose-built technology rather than forced adaptation to rigid software
• Enhanced team capabilities through tools designed around their strategic vision

Ready to Shape the Future?

Join the ranks of forward-thinking fund managers who are co-creating the next generation of fund operations technology. Whether you want to improve existing processes or pioneer entirely new approaches, we're ready to collaborate.

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