The Firm · Who we are
Born from private equity. Built for value creation.
Vokal was built to solve the unique challenges of the mid-market: under-invested digital channels and tech stacks, in-house teams struggling to scale impact, and fragmented spend across partners that still leave gaps. We deliver a single source of truth, the plan to act on it, and the team to execute it.
Where Vokal came from.
The origin
Our founder Reid Lappin grew up watching his father, one of Blackstone's first operating partners, help pioneer private equity as we know it. Richard Lappin saw early that returns weren't just about LBOs and financial engineering. You had to build and operate to increase enterprise value.
The legacy
When Reid's father passed away, that legacy became something more. Vokal became our way of honoring that vision: to reimagine what value creation looks like in the digital era, where the same gap now sits between the fund and its fastest growth lever.
What it pushed us to build
The only digital agency built intentionally for private equity. We understand the needs of the fund: thesis, hold period, exit multiple. And we partner with operating executives to deliver Digital Value Creation Plans, then embed the team that executes them.
Sponsors have an operating partner for every lever except digital.
Digital is missing from underwriting
Diligence covers QoE, commercial and IT. Almost nobody scores the digital estate, so the thesis is priced without knowing whether demand, conversion and data can carry it.
Digital is missing from the value creation plan
The 100-day plan has line items for pricing, procurement and add-ons. Digital shows up as a marketing budget, not a sequenced set of EBITDA levers with owners and timing.
The mid-market struggles to attract the talent
Elite digital operators go to big tech, large brands and the platforms. A $50M to $500M company can't attract, afford or retain a full bench, and its team is too thin to scale.
The partners on offer don't fit the fund
Brand agencies don't understand a hold period. Consultants plan but don't execute. Nobody reports in EBITDA, CAC payback and exit multiple, and the 18 to 36 month clock keeps running.
Digital experts who have done it before.
LinkedIn ↗Reid Lappin
CEO + Founder
Reid launched Vokal 16 years ago to bring disciplined, ROI-focused digital execution to the world of private equity and mid-market growth.
LinkedIn ↗Henry Byrne
Chief Financial Officer
A former investment banker, Henry brought deal-side discipline to Vokal, running the business financially and operationally the way the funds we partner with run theirs.
LinkedIn ↗Deb Myszynski
Chief Customer Officer
25+ years as a solutions-driven marketing executive with a proven track record for driving growth and impact for clients and brands.
LinkedIn ↗Joe Girolamo
Chief Technology Officer
15+ years as a high-growth tech leader building tech infrastructures that support both user experiences and business goals.
LinkedIn ↗Brent Van Horne
Executive Creative Director
20+ years of digital creative agency experience helping build brands and deliver integrated growth campaigns and experiences.
LinkedIn ↗Lance Muranaga
Head of Performance
15+ years helping CXOs and marketers think through and solve growth problems with data-driven performance media engines.
LinkedIn ↗Pierre Le Veaux II
EVP of PE + Strategic Partnerships
20+ years of experience as a finance and investment professional, founder and martech executive with deep experience in PE/VC relationships.
Outcomes over optics.
Transparency
We operate with full visibility. Every decision is backed by shared data, real-time dashboards and open dialogue. No smoke and mirrors, just clarity that drives confident action.
Collaboration
We build with you, not around you. Our cross-functional teams plug directly into yours, aligning strategy, creative, media and analytics to move faster and smarter together.
Value Creation
We focus on ROI that compounds. From efficiency gains to long-term growth levers, our systems are designed to turn marketing investment into measurable business outcomes.