8 Questions with Amanda Opperman, PhD — Chief Impact Officer, Equity & Holdings at Lion’s Share Strategies

Lion’s Share Strategies recently announced Amanda Opperman, PhD, as its new Chief Impact Officer, Equity & Holdings. In this role, Amanda will help steer the firm’s unique model that blends a private equity fund with a permanent holdings platform, offering founders and investors a differentiated path to growth.

We sat down with Amanda to talk about the firm’s structure, vision, and her perspective on building impact through equity and holdings.

Q1. Lion’s Share Strategies positions itself as both a private equity fund and a holdings platform. Can you explain how this blended structure works, and why it’s different from a traditional investment firm?

A: Most firms are either a fund or a holding company. Lion’s Share Strategies is both — under one umbrella. On one side, we operate as a traditional private equity fund, raising capital from limited partners and deploying it with a clear thesis. On the other, we act as a holdings company, which gives us the flexibility to acquire, grow, and hold businesses for the long term. That dual structure means we can match the right type of capital to the right opportunity — founders aren’t forced into an artificial timeline, and investors know we have multiple levers to generate returns.

Q2. As Chief Impact Officer, Equity & Holdings, how will you ensure that the firm not only delivers financial returns but also creates measurable, sustainable impact across its portfolio?

A: Impact for us isn’t a side initiative — it’s baked into how we evaluate opportunities. My role is to make sure every deal we pursue has both a strong commercial path and a real-world value proposition. That could mean supporting innovations in education that close equity gaps, healthcare companies that improve access and outcomes, or workforce solutions that prepare people for the future of jobs. The impact lens ensures that we’re building companies that endure, not just companies that exit.

Q3. What types of companies or sectors is Lion’s Share Strategies most interested in, and how do you see your role shaping the investment thesis moving forward?

A: Our sweet spot is in education, workforce, and healthcare — sectors where mission and market are deeply intertwined. These industries are facing disruption and, at the same time, present enormous opportunities for scalable, sustainable solutions. My role is to sharpen the thesis around where those opportunities exist and to connect capital with founders who are ready to build. Because I’ve worked inside universities, startups, and corporate ventures, I bring a 360-degree perspective on where the bottlenecks are — and how we can unlock growth.

Q4. You’ve worked across higher education, enterprise consulting, and fundraising. How does that cross-sector background shape the way you approach scaling companies within the Lion’s Share portfolio?

A: I’m a builder at heart. Over the years, I’ve launched campuses, scaled programs, repositioned divisions, and raised millions for groundbreaking research. What I’ve learned is that scaling requires both strategy and execution — you have to know how to tell the story to investors and partners, but you also have to roll up your sleeves and fix the systems that don’t scale. That combination is what I bring to Lion’s Share — the ability to sit with a founder, understand their vision, and then help translate it into an executable growth strategy that attracts capital and customers.

Q5. Many funds and holding companies focus narrowly on transactions. How will Lion’s Share Strategies, under your leadership, support founders and management teams beyond just capital?

A: We see ourselves as partners, not just investors. Yes, we bring capital — but what really sets us apart is the strategic lift we provide. That could be opening doors to public-private partnerships, helping a company rethink its go-to-market strategy, or positioning a business for acquisition. Founders today want more than a check — they want someone who understands their mission, their market, and their growth challenges. Lion’s Share Strategies exists to be that kind of partner, combining the resources of a fund with the staying power of a holding company.

Q6. How will you balance and manage relationships with both the portfolio companies you’re investing in and the limited partners who are entrusting you with capital?

A: It comes down to alignment and transparency. On the portfolio side, my job is to be a true partner — making sure founders and management teams feel supported not just financially, but strategically. On the LP side, I see my role as translating those growth stories into measurable outcomes and clear reporting, so investors know exactly how their capital is being put to work. The magic happens when those two groups are connected — when LPs see the real-world impact of their investment, and founders feel the strength of having seasoned investors behind them. That’s the ecosystem Lion’s Share Strategies is designed to create.

Q7. Many firms operate strictly as funds. Why was it important for Lion’s Share Strategies to also include a holdings company as part of the equation?

A: The holdings company gives us something most traditional funds don’t have — permanence. A fund has a set life cycle, which can create pressure to exit even when a business is still growing. A holdings company lets us take a longer view, acquire companies we believe in, and hold them as long as it makes sense. It also gives founders more flexibility — they know we’re not just financial engineers looking for a quick flip, but partners who can grow alongside them. By combining the fund with a holdings platform, Lion’s Share can offer investors the structured returns they expect while also building a stable of companies that create lasting value.

Q8. Why expand Lion’s Share Strategies now, at a time when many are saying to be conservative about investment and we see GPs and LPs holding back?

A: It’s true — a lot of capital is on the sidelines right now. But that creates opportunity. When markets tighten, strong companies with real fundamentals are often overlooked, and that’s when disciplined investors can step in and create outsized value. We’re not chasing hype cycles — we’re focused on mission-driven ventures in education, workforce, and healthcare, sectors that remain essential no matter the market. Our blended structure also gives us flexibility: we can move quickly as a holding company when we see a strategic acquisition, or deploy fund capital in a way that matches LPs’ appetite for risk and return. In uncertain times, agility is an advantage — and that’s exactly why Lion’s Share Strategies was built for this moment.

✨ Closing Thought

With its dual structure and impact-oriented focus, Lion’s Share Strategies is positioning itself as a new kind of partner for both founders and investors. Under Amanda’s leadership, the firm aims to scale ventures that deliver not just financial returns, but sustainable outcomes that matter.