Committee

David Acharya is the Managing Partner of Acharya Capital Partners (“ACP”) where he oversees all aspects of the firm’s investing, management, and strategic activities. He brings over 25 years of investing and transacting experience to ACP. He is a frequent speaker at industry events and is recognized by his peers for his expertise in private equity, capital markets, and portfolio value creation. He has served on the board of directors for Impact XM and On Location, portfolio companies which he has managed and was recently successfully sold to a global private equity firm.

Jonathan Barnes has more than 20 years of private equity investing and investment banking experience, including at Morgan Stanley.

Mr. Barnes was a Partner at Halyard Capital, a U.S. lower middle-market private equity fund manager where he spent 15 years. Mr. Barnes helped lead Halyard’s successful investment of over $600 million in the technology, business services, media and communications industries, backed by sophisticated institutional investors such as Goldman Sachs, Abbott Capital and the Bank of Montreal.

Mr. Barnes has a broad spectrum of private equity investing experience across technology-enabled services industries including Human Capital Management, Digital and Direct Marketing and IT/Cybersecurity Services. He has represented Halyard on the board of directors of numerous portfolio companies and has also actively worked with Halyard portfolio companies on negotiating and structuring finance solutions, advising on management changes and restructurings as well as helping find and integrate add-on acquisitions.

Prior to Halyard, Mr. Barnes was an Analyst at Aragon Global Management, a long/short public equities hedge fund affiliated with Tiger Management. Mr. Barnes began his career in Morgan Stanley’s Media Corporate Finance Group and subsequently worked at Consolidated Press Holdings, a Sydney, Australia based private investment company.

Mr. Barnes received an MBA with honors from Columbia Business School and an AB (cum laude) from Harvard University where he played JV lacrosse, among other activities.

Deborah leads a team of experienced commercial bankers in delivering all the resources of our global firm to emerging middle market companies and their leadership teams.

Robert (Bobby) Blumenfeld has over 30 years of experience working with business owners in a broad range of industry sectors, including manufacturing, business services, consumer, retail, health care and technology; providing corporate restructuring, investment banking, and mergers and acquisitions services.

Bobby serves as Managing Director of American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (www.aiac.com) acquiring non-core manufacturing businesses across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Bobby is also Managing Partner of the Blumenfeld Financial Group (www.blumenfeldgroup.com) providing growth advisory, restructuring and mergers and acquisition guidance to companies focused in B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to Consumer) industries.

As former Executive Director of ACG New York (2010-2019), Bobby has brought together over 100,000 dealmakers representing in excess of $100 billion in investable capital. ACG New York is a non-profit financial association in its 68th year whose 1,100 members engage and support one third of the US economy.

Brad is the Northeast Private Capital Consultant for Insperity, a national provider of human capital solutions. Brad partners with private equity firms, venture capital firms, and family offices to help their portfolios move beyond growth plateaus, optimize operational expenditures, & drive additional value creation. Brad joined Insperity in 2022 as a Business Performance Advisor in the New England. Prior to Insperity, he held business development and account management positions at Paycom and Volkswagen of America.

Brad also actively supports St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.

Pavel Chernyshov is a co-founder of Arkview Capital. Prior to Arkview, Mr. Chernyshov was a Managing Director and Investment Committee member at Ziff Brothers Investments, a prominent NY-based family office. At Ziff, Mr. Chernyshov was responsible for the private equity portfolio.

Before his tenure at ZBI, Mr. Chernyshov worked at a private equity fund, Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co., focusing on the technology and retail sectors. He successfully completed multiple transactions during his time at KKR.

Mr. Chernyshov started his career in finance at the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley, where he was involved in several public listings, acquisitions, restructuring, and financing transactions across various industry segments.

He holds a BA in Computer Science and Economics from Amherst College and was recognized as an Osathanugrah Scholar, as well as awarded the James R. Nelson Prize in Economics.

Paul is a Director at MBX Group responsible for identifying and underwriting investment opportunities for the family office. He has 20+ years of experience in corporate credit, covering investment grade, emerging market, high yield debt and leveraged loans. Prior to joining MBX Group, Paul held senior research roles as Vice President at Schroders Investment Management and AIG Asset Management. Paul holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from University of Limerick in Ireland.

Jim is a senior industrials research analyst at PitchBook, where he lead’s the firm’s coverage of the industrials space, including aerospace and defense, construction and engineering and airlines, among other sectors. Prior to joining PitchBook, he had a 30 year career in public equity including director of industrials equity research roles at S&P Global and CFRA, and as a senior equity analyst at Argus Research.

Jim has a B.S. from the State University of New York at Albany where he graduated with a bachelors in finance and economics. He is based in PitchBook’s New York office.

Courtney De Beaucourt is a Vice President at Aon Connecticut. She’s worked at the company for 15 years in a variety of capacities and currently is a Relationship Director in Commercial Risk and Human Capital for her Private Equity clients providing them with guidance and expertise for their various insurance needs including Transaction Liability, Due Diligence, Cyber Risk Prevention & Mitigation, Portfolio Management, and more. Courtney has a Bachelor of Arts from Claremont McKenna College.

Kevin Deemer is a Managing Director of Brightstar's Horizon Fund, the firm’s lower middle market strategy.

Prior to joining Brightstar, Kevin was a Principal at Bregal Partners II, where he spent over a decade sourcing, evaluating, and executing investment opportunities primarily in the business services, industrials, and consumer sectors in the lower middle market. The majority of these were founder-led companies seeking not only capital but also operational support to scale their businesses organically and via strategic acquisitions.

Previously, Kevin was an Associate Consultant at LEK Consulting in Boston, where he supported acquisition due diligence and operational transformations for corporate and private equity clients.

Kevin holds a BA in Economics and a BA in Entrepreneurship & Technology Management from Brown University.

Vikram Devanga is a partner in the Transaction Advisory Services practice and leads India operations for the Advisory practices. He has over 20 years of diversified public accounting experience with an extensive background in helping strategic and financial buyers make informed decisions through the entire lifecycle of a transaction, including providing pre-deal and post-deal advice. He works with clients in a wide range of industries including, construction, auto components, life sciences, retail and consumer products.

Carrie DiLauro joined HRCP in 2009 and oversees all operations management, administrative functions, investor relations, and marketing initiatives. She brings over twenty years of experience in organizational processes, data-driven system improvements, fiscal responsibility, and global manufacturing.

Prior to joining HRCP, she was a fund administrator at a bio-tech hedge fund. She began her career running production for textile manufacturing facilities around the world.

Carrie received a B.S. from Cornell University and a Master of Liberal Arts, Finance from the Extension School at Harvard University.

Dan Eisemann serves as Senior Vice President at Fairfield-Maxwell leading deal execution and sourcing efforts as well as supporting portfolio company senior management Mr. Eisemann has over twenty years of experience in principal investing, mergers & acquisitions, restructuring and performance improvement. He has served as an investor, operator and strategic advisor to management teams, lenders, large public companies, private-equity-owned portfolio companies, private-family-owned companies and start-ups. Prior to joining Fairfield-Maxwell in 2015, Mr. Eisemann served as a Senior Vice President of Asgaard Capital, a boutique investment bank. Mr. Eisemann has also previously worked at FTI Consulting and Alvarez & Marsal advising clients across various industries on turnaround and restructuring.

Deborah Fell is Managing Partner for Chief Outsiders and brings a background of consistent value creation through sales and marketing plans, people, processes, organizations, tactical ability and measurement visibility. She identifies blocks and gaps, as well as the right fractional sales and/or marketing leader for immediate and enduring success.

Holbrook Forusz is a Managing Director of Tamarix Capital Partners. Holbrook has over 23 years of direct principal investing in both private credit and private equity. 

Holbrook most recently served as a Managing Director with OFS Capital Management (BDC and SBIC), focused on deal origination, execution, and portfolio management for middle market transactions. Prior to joining OFS, Holbrook was a Senior Principal of Enhanced Capital (SBIC) where he helped form, raise, and deploy a $225 million SBIC fund focused on investing debt in lower middle market companies. Prior to joining Enhanced Capital, Holbrook was a Director of M&A for New York Life Investments where he focused on financial service transactions—including acquisitions, minority positions, and mergers. Previously, Holbrook was a Principal at Circle Peak Capital, a lower middle market LBO firm in NYC and was directly involved in the due diligence and structuring of six stand-alone leveraged buyouts, two minority investments, and nine add-on acquisitions.

Before receiving his MBA, Holbrook was an Associate VP at Provident Bank where he worked in structured finance and portfolio management, and was a Senior Associate at the Walnut Group, a lower-middle market private equity firm (SBIC).

Holbrook graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Cincinnati with a BBA and attended the University of Nagoya in Japan. Holbrook also graduated with an MBA in 2005 from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Lionel Foster is Head of Platform at Camber Creek and supports the firm’s relationships with key constituents, including current and prospective investors, team members, and portfolio companies. Prior to joining Camber Creek, Lionel was Communications Director at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, where he focused on topics such as urban development. He also has prior work experience at the Baltimore City Department of Planning and with Merrill Lynch’s Investment Banking group. Lionel has a BA from Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree in urban planning from the London School of Economics, where he studied as a British Marshall Scholar. He earned a JD at Georgetown Law.

Ms. Gladstone has been with the Gladstone Companies since August 2001. She serves as a Managing Director, Private Finance, of our New York office, where she works with our mezzanine debt and syndicated loan team. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Gladstone worked as an Associate in equity research at ING Barings, where she was responsible for covering companies in the telecommunications industries. Ms. Gladstone also worked for Salomon Smith Barney as an Assistant Analyst in equity research and HSBC, an international bank, as an analyst in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She received her BBA from The George Washington University. She is the coauthor of two books on lending to small business: Venture Capital Handbook and Venture Capital Investing, both published by Prentice Hall.

Etienne is a distinguished entrepreneur and leader with a robust track record in propelling innovation and corporate growth through cutting-edge product development, sales, and marketing strategies. As the guiding force behind Grignard Company, LLC, Etienne has steered the company into new markets and product categories, ensuring sustained growth for this specialty solutions producer.

A central theme of Etienne's innovation lies in parallel technologies, where his keen understanding of market dynamics has enabled the successful launch of new products across various sectors. His work spans numerous industries, including Infection Control, Biological Nutrient Removal, Mineral Scaling Control, Corrosion Protection Systems for Marine and Bridge Super Structures, and Eco-friendly Solutions in the Cleaning and Lubrication markets.

Etienne's extensive experience includes collaborations with leading academic institutions such as Johns Hopkins, Harvard, Babson, Oxford, Lehigh, Rutgers, NYU, Columbia, and CUNY, as well as engagements with major corporations like Disney, JB&B, Weidlinger, Parsons, Oceaneering, Tyco, DOD, Naval Air Warfare Center, and Rustoleum.

Rob Grimaldi is chief operating officer of Viscogliosi Brothers, a leading investor and innovator in the med-tech space, and co-founder and CEO of Ad Infinitum Cell Preservation Technologies, a firm creating novel cryopreservation solutions for medical research applications. He has been directly involved in many entrepreneurial led companies across multiple sectors from seed and venture stage to exit/IPO.

Pradeep is a Technologist and Investor. He brings over two decades of experience from Silicon Valley - building and investing in technology-led businesses. Pradeep worked as an executive at Sun Microsystems, where he led Sun-Motorola partnership and the rollout of wireless infrastructure and services across US, Europe and Asia. Pradeep has two patents in the field of telecommunications and artificial intelligence. His research on Tech Buyouts (Private Equity) was published at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Pradeep started Maxis Capital - collaborating with former Deputy Dean of MIT Sloan. At Maxis, he focusses on opportunities rising from simultaneous "Green" and "Digital" transition - TwinTech that is creating a industrial renaissance since the post-world war II industrial boom. He leads investments in climate-tech - such as green hydrogen, battery tech, decarbonization; digital technologies - such as AI/ML, Robotics; and advanced digital infrastructure for smart-cities and industry4.0.

He is also Managing Director at Skale10 Advisors, where he helps global leaders reinvent businesses with Digitalization, Circularity and Decarbonization. Pradeep serves as a Re-industrialization expert to leaders of global companies, multilateral institutions and government agencies including Sovereign Wealth Funds.

He received his MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology with specialization in Corporate Finance and Strategy, and BE in Computer Science and Engineering from College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University.

Sarah is a Director of Business Development at Trivest. Trivest is a private equity firm focused on the support and growth of founder-led & family-owned businesses in the middle market. Sarah is responsible for business development initiatives at the firm, including the origination and evaluation of investment opportunities. She is based in New York and covers the Northeast region, managing Trivest’s deal relationships in that geography. Prior to Trivest, Sarah spent 10 years at The Riverside Company.

I’m the firm’s New York City Private Equity Group Leader, a member of our firmwide private equity group leadership team, and a leader within our manufacturing and distribution industry. With a focus on serving commercial clients, I help leaders enhance their operations, implement internal control improvements, and stay on the forefront of industry trends and financial best practices. I primarily work with middle-market, private equity-owned and family-owned businesses throughout the United States who have international aspects in Europe, Mexico, and China.

I also assist owners and management teams in performing procedures relating to mergers and acquisitions, including business valuations, business reviews, financial analyses, and due diligence.

Clients appreciate my strong background in identifying internal control weaknesses and recommending accounting system improvements. They count on me to be responsive to their needs and equip them with solutions that work best for their unique situations.

I belong to and am a board member for ACG Cleveland and served as Treasurer of ACG Cleveland for 4 years.

Arun Jethani is a Healthcare entrepreneur and operator. He has spent most of his career operating companies from founder/origination to exit. Currently, he is the CEO of Northstar VETS with the vision of building the best multi-specialty / ER practice in the country. Our goal is to build a timeless practice where we develop opportunities for each team member to be an owner and leave a legacy where each generation is better off than the last.

Previously, he was the CEO /Founder of Medical Imaging Specialists where we grew the company from scratch to an exit in 2019 returning 17X (51% ARR over 7.25 years to investors). Once acquired, he was the COO of Rezolut where he led acquisitions, integrations, and operations that doubled the company's size in one year. Prior to MIS, he started and exited two other healthcare organizations. Overall, he enjoy taking different organizations/ divisions and building a unified culture of both clinical and financial performance. What's most satisfying is helping people take ownership of their careers and achieve outcomes, for both our company and their careers as it provides dignity and additional financial security for their families.

Lee is managing partner of Smart Business Network Inc., a national events, media and marketing company founded in 1989, primarily responsible for expanding the company’s Aspire deal-making conference throughout the U.S. He plays a key role in establishing corporate policies and developing long-term strategy and growth plans. Previously, he founded and chaired the Growth Group at national law firm Arter & Hadden LLP (now Tucker, Ellis & West), which focused on working with middle-market and high-growth technology companies. 

Robert Landis is a Founding Partner, Origination in the New York office of The Riverside Company, a private equity firm investing in premier companies at the smaller end of the middle market. Robert joined Riverside in 2002 and has over 42 years of commercial and investment banking experience gained at Deutsche Banc Alex Brown (18 years) and its predecessors, and at Citibank/ Chemical Bank.

At Deutsche, he created and led the Aerospace and Defense Group in North America. He previously headed the firm's North American corporate finance group as it transitioned to an investment bank in the mid 1990's 1992-1987). the Multi-National Group. Prior to that, Robert was a Major (ret.) in the U.S. Army, serving 6 years active duty and 14 years active reserve with the 42nd Infantry Division, NYARNG.

David Lane is CEO of Sports Illustrated Tickets at sitickets.com. A market leader and one of the largest secondary ticket marketplaces aim North America. Considered an expert and avid speaker in the media, ticket and sports betting industries. David has been named to the top 25 media executives in 2024 and featured in several publications and shares his perspective industry-related topics and trends. Prior to SI Tickets, David’s professional experience includes twenty five years of C-level experience. He has lead business units with a number of well-known sports and media businesses such as FanDuel, TouchTunes, and Outfront Media. Lane founded and built market-leading organizations in the wireless communication and digital media industries which he received multiple patents for wireless transmission of digital media.

Scott is the CFO of All Metals Industries a Steel Service Center with locations in New Hampshire and New Jersey. Scott has an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business. is a licensed CPA, and has experience in a variety of industries including steel, real estate and a broad spectrum of financial services. Previously he served as the regional CFO of a publicly traded property management company where he led financial management, human resources, risk management and operating departments while piloting impactful improvements in revenue and EBITDA growth.

Michael Livanos is a Managing Director and founding member of Stellex Capital Management. Stellex is a private equity firm that invests in middle-market companies in North America and Europe through its offices in New York, Pittsburgh, Detroit and London. We seek to identify opportunities where we can deploy capital to provide stability, catalyze operational improvement and foster growth. We work closely with high quality management teams to unlock and enhance the value of the underlying franchise.

Mr. Livanos currently serves the boards of the A. Stucki Company, Custom Glass Solutions, Fenix Parts, FerroWorks and is a board observer of AF Global. He previously served on the boards of Continental Global Material Handling and Dominion Hospitality. Prior to Stellex, Mr. Livanos held various roles at Barclays, Houlihan Lokey and Citigroup.

Mr. Livanos received his BS in Computer Science and Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University and his MBA from Columbia Business School. He has served on the advisory board of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science and as a lecturer and advisor to Columbia Business School's Private Equity Program.

For the past 25 years, Dan has been helping startups and large companies shape their online product strategy. His startup work includes launching Foursquare, Rent The Runway, The Skimm, Blade and Skift. He's also redefined the digital strategy and designed the experiences for more staid organizations such as The New York Times, CNN, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, TD Ameritrade, The Tate Galleries, Saturday Night Live, Eurobank, Booking.com and The Wall Street Journal. One of his most noted projects was creating the original strategy and user experience for Hulu. Prior to Charming Robot, Dan co-founded the design agency Hard Candy Shell. He is the host of the podcast Story in a Bottle and the author of Audible Original book The Barstool MBA. Dan received his Master’s Degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and his Bachelor of Arts from Colby College in English and Performing Arts. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Behzad Mansouri is a Division Executive at Charles Schwab where he helps lead the growth of the firm's UHNW and Institutional client business, across all asset classes. He serves on the Board of a VC Fund and clean energy company, complimenting his background in capital markets and investment management. An alumni of Columbia University and Harvard Business School, he has previously worked for both US and International firms including Merrill Lynch, Barclays Captial, BNY Mellon and Credit Agricole.

Meahgan is the Head of Business Development and Originations for Palladium Equity Partners. Prior to Palladium, Meahgan was Vice President and Head of Global Business Development for KPS Mid-Cap. Meahgan also serves as a limited partner for Dash Fund – a micro-cap venture capital fund looking to invest in the next phase of industry leading entrepreneurs. As Head of Business Development, her primary focus is on new investment generation and intermediary, founder, executive and corporate relationship management across North America and Europe. Furthermore, Meahgan assists portfolio companies with add-on acquisition strategy development and the sourcing of tuck-in opportunities.

Jack McGovern is the Area Managing partner with SeatonHill Partners, LP for the Northeastern U.S. where he is responsible for new business, engagement oversight and Partner management.

Jack is a senior executive with deep experience in multiple industries and including healthcare services and technologies, FinTech, consulting, manufacturing, and technology. Jack has held the roles of CEO and CFO for numerous private and public companies and was a significant contributor to various corporate boards, including the Chairmanship of a public company and multiple audit committees. Earlier in his career, he was a senior member of Merrill Lynch Interfunding, Inc. an investor in middle market leveraged buyouts.

Jack has extensive experience and relationships within the Investment Banking, Private Equity and Banking industries with many successful debt and equity raises. Jack also has an extensive background in mergers and acquisitions including negotiation, closing and post-closing integration. He is known as a big picture strategic thinker adept at leading successful ventures within high growth, fast paced environments.

Jack holds an MBA degree from Columbia University and a BS in accounting from Monmouth University. He is a CPA in the state of New Jersey (inactive).

Martha Mistretta currently serves as a Risk Advisor with HUB International Northeast. Based out of the New York City office, Martha specializes in leveraging her extensive background to help individuals and businesses achieve their personal and professional goals. Whether through strategic consulting, tailored insurance solutions, or effective risk mitigation strategies, Martha is committed to delivering results that ensure long-term success.

Sidney N. Nakahodo is the Founder and General Partner of Seldor Capital, a NYC-based Venture Capital firm specializing in SpaceTech. A thought leader, he blends his investment expertise with scholarship as a Columbia University faculty member and operational excellence as a co-founder, advisor, and mentor of several startups and entrepreneurial organizations.

Michael Nolan is the Development Director – Private Equity and Quality of Sales at Sales Xceleration. He is responsible for building relationships with private equity sponsors and helping their portfolio companies grow their topline performance to build value creation and accelerate performance. Michael and his team leverage a collective of 110 sales leaders with portfolio company experience to help their companies grow 32% in year 1, resulting in $1.7B in revenue growth. Their focus is to drive significant growth through strategy formulation, process development, and effective execution in pre-acquisition due diligence, value acceleration during the hold period, and value maximization to support successful exits.

Michael is the President of the National Christian Foundation’s New York office, which serves the NYC Tri-State region, New England, and the Northeast. NCF is one of the ten largest donor-advised funds in the USA. Prior to this, he was the CEO of Stewardship, a donor-advised fund based in the United Kingdom. He served on the senior team of Redeemer Church in NYC with the Rev. Dr. Tim Keller, where Michael was responsible for the church's mercy and justice work. He has served on the boards of local, national, and international charities.

Joshua Pang is a Managing Director and the Head of Digital Infrastructure for Carlyle Global Infrastructure. He is based in New York.

Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Pang served as Managing Director at Blackstone. Throughout his career, he has been investing in and partnering with leading businesses and management teams across digital infrastructure asset classes, including data centers, bandwidth/broadband and mobile infrastructure, and adjacencies such as communications IT, services, and software.

Before Blackstone, Mr. Pang was a Principal in the U.S. Buyouts group at BC Partners, where he primarily focused on telecom. He began his career as an analyst at Blackstone. He received his B.S. in Finance and Financial Accounting from the Stern School of Business at New York University, where he graduated magna cum laude.

Jeffrey Perlman is the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Bright Power. An experienced energy auditor, energy analyst, and solar-energy-system designer, Jeff is as happy in a boiler room or on a rooftop as he is in a corporate boardroom.

As CEO, he built Bright Power from a single rented desk in a shared office into an industry leader. Jeff was named to Crain's New York 40 Under 40 Class of 2018, listed as a 2019 Environmental + Energy Leader 100 honoree, recognized as a top power player by City & State’s Energy & Environment Power list in 2019 and 2020, recognized as a RealLeaders Earth Advocate in 2021, and recognized as a top impact CEO by the MO 100 Awards in 2022 and 2023. In 2023, he moved into the role of Chief Strategy Officer to focus on the growing opportunities that are emerging from city, state and federal initiatives as well as driving the sustainable buildings industry forward through policy activities and thought leadership.

Oscar N. Pinkas is a leader of the firm’s Global Restructuring & Bankruptcy Practice, and a member of the Corporate and Finance Practices. He focuses on M&A and debt transactions (front-end and back-end) as well as turnarounds and workouts, including in-court practice and estate representations. His clients include investors, purchasers, lenders/noteholders, companies, indenture trustees and collateral agents, and creditors’ committees.

Oscar has been named one of The Best Lawyers in America, a Top Restructuring & Turnaround Professional, and an Emerging Leader in M&A, Financing and Turnaround. In addition, many transactions or restructurings Oscar has led have received awards due to the outsized results obtained. Those accolades equally show the breadth and depth of skill and experience of his practice groups at the firm, with Greenberg Traurig’s Restructuring and Bankruptcy Group named “The Elite” and Corporate/M&A Group named “Highly Regarded” by Chambers USA.

Sunil brings over 20 years of leadership experience across Banking, Corporate Finance and Venture Capital. Sunil specialises in strategy execution, operational excellence, financial risk management and business profitability. He is passionate about building profitable businesses whose solutions have a significant impact on human productivity. He is currently the COO and CFO with Plum Alley Ventures Company.

Stanley is a Partner at Crate Capital, an investment firm focused on buying, building, and operating exceptional small businesses.

Prior to founding Crate Capital, Stanley worked at Clairvest, a private equity firm investing out of its $1.2B Fund VII, where he was responsible for investments in distribution and industrial services businesses. Stanley joined Clairvest from Evercore, where he was a Vice President in the M&A group.

Earlier in his career, Stanley led the growth of a national surface coverings distributor, working with the owner to professionalize the business, strengthen the management team, and expand into adjacent products and markets, ultimately doubling the company's sales over four years.

Stanley earned an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he graduated as a Zell Fellow, and his HBA with distinction from Ivey Business School at Western University in Canada.

Rafael is a Principal at Emigrant Capital Corp. and has responsibilities for deal origination, transaction execution, and portfolio management. Prior to joining ECC in 2016, he was an Investment Professional at Prospect Capital Management, a $5 billion publicly traded business development company where he was responsible for originating, executing and managing private equity and debt investments in a variety of industries.

Prior to joining Prospect, he was an Analyst at Rockwood Equity Partners, an operationally orientated private equity fund, where he was responsible for transaction sourcing, analysis, due diligence and financing of lower-middle market industrial and service companies.

Rafael received a B.A. in Business Administration from Augustana College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Kristin Savilia is a retail and ecommerce industry leader with a wealth of experience in building online platforms to support marketplace transactions. Under Kristin's leadership, JOOR has grown to become the world's largest digital wholesale platform in fashion, with more than 14,000 brands and 650,000 curated retailers transacting on the site. Prior to JOOR, Kristin was President of the Local Marketplace at XO Group Inc., parent company to The Knot, and has also held buyer and regional director positions at Macy's and Linens N' Things.‍

Erina Shan is a Principal on the structured capital team, where she is focused on credit and structured capital investments across a wide range of industries. Prior to joining Viking in 2023, Erina was a Senior Associate at Athyrium Capital Management and an M&A Analyst at PJT Partners. Erina received a B.S. in economics and a B.A. in chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania.

Matt is the Chief Marketing Officer of Vytalize Health, a leading value-based care platform helping primary care doctors strengthen relationships with their patients through data-driven, holistic, and personalized care. Vytalize helps over 5,000 providers and manages over $4 billion in medical spending. Matt previously was the Founder and CMO of MedPilot, which Vytalize Health acquired after helping navigate over 1 million patients through their healthcare experience.

Experienced banker with broad and extensive background in all aspects of lending. Industry expertise includes: media, communications, business services, transportation, mining, power generation and manufacturing. Deep lending experience in leading origination, structuring, capital markets and portfolio management teams. Demonstrated success in growing lending groups focused on origination, portfolio management, private equity coverage and syndications.

Specialties: Origination, private equity coverage, capital markets, leveraged loans, investment grade loans, structuring, credit, relationship management, work-out.

Tom has spent the last 22 years at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch where he considers himself an “Intra-Preneur”. He is the founder of a 9 person boutique within the company called Singh & Associates.

He and his team specialize in pre-exit planning for business owners looking to sell their company in 12-36 months. By using their Proprietary financial Modeling Process, they run various simulations and prescribe strategies to help owners maximize their desired outcome.

He also oversees the Avalon location of Merrill Lynch managing 9 Billion of client assets and has been named the top 13 “Best in State Wealth Advisors” list by Forbes Magazine – 4 years in a row.

Irina Sirota is a Senior Vice President and Market Executive with Bank of America managing a team that is responsible for acquiring, expanding and retaining a commercial banking portfolio, generating revenue from new and existing clients. She leads a group of experienced professionals delivering world class solutions to commercial clients in the lower middle market segment. Irina’s mission is to support local businesses by providing holistic banking solutions and afford them the power to fuel continued growth.

Mark Vecchio, the Chair of Venable's New York Corporate Practice, is an attorney representing clients in corporate a commercial transactions, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions for privately held companies. Hi clients include entrepreneurs, family offices, corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, private equity firms and institutional investors. He is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia Law School and Columbia Business School, where he teaches a course entitled Strategic International Commercial Transactions.

A founder of Pine Street in 2004, Tim is involved with all activities at the firm, including deal sourcing, deal structuring, portfolio management, fundraising and administration. Tim currently serves as a board member on Pine Street portfolio companies Express Medical Transporters, Filterworks USA, NPL HomeCare, and DeIorio Foods, and is a board observer on Pine Street portfolio company Alexis Russell.  He is also active as a board member of several other for profit and not for profit entities. Tim's career has included a variety of roles, including as Chief Operating Officer and board member of Colonial Data Technologies, a $75 million revenue publicly traded provider of telecommunications equipment; Chief Financial Officer of First Albany Companies Inc., a $300 million publicly traded investment banking and brokerage firm; and more than 12 years as a senior investment banker providing advice and capital raising services to small and middle market companies in various industries. Tim began his career as a corporate and securities attorney at Cahill Gordon & Reindel in New York City. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany and Albany Law School.

Kyle Widrick is the founder of Win Brands Group. A multi-brand portfolio of leading consumer brands, with lifetime sales in excess of $500M across Shopify, Amazon and retailers including Walmart and Dick’s Sporting Goods. Prior to WBG Kyle co-founded leading Shopify agency BVA (sold to Accenture). Kyle is a founding partner of early-stage venture firm Pari Passu Venture Partners (www.ppvp.com).

Mr. Tien Wong is a tech investor, entrepreneur, and CEO. He is Chairman & CEO of Opus8, Inc., a private investment and advisory firm investing in exceptional life science and tech enabled services companies, as well as specializing in raising capital for promising tech companies and alternative investment fund managers.

He is Founder of CONNECTpreneur, a global community of 25,000+ founders, investors, CEOs, and business leaders. CONNECTpreneur organizes the world’s largest monthly virtual investor pitch events as well as in-person Forums with upwards of 500 attendees, featuring VIP guests, speakers, exciting presenting companies, and the best CXO to CXO networking on the East Coast. Since 2012, over 1200 companies have presented, half of whom have received funding from investors from the CONNECTpreneur investor network.

Mr. Wong is also a Venture Partner in IronGate Capital Advisors, a VC and Fund of Funds manager investing in dual use technologies; Investment Advisory Board member of Virginia Venture Partners; and Chairman of Lumious, an ed tech company which provides learning & development services to Fortune 500 customers.

Mr. Wong was appointed by Governor Martin O'Malley to the 9-person Maryland Venture Fund Authority which oversees $84 million in VC allocations; he serves on the Boards of Directors of the Austin Venture Association, Association for Enterprise Growth (Chair), Frederick Innovative Technology Corp., Inc. (FITCI), and Junior Achievement, as well as on the Council of Advisors for the Washington Institute for Business, Government, & Society and the Entrepreneurship Advisory Council of The Universities at Shady Grove. He is a Mentor at the Mach37 Cybersecurity Accelerator and Conscious Venture Labs.

Adam is a Market Executive leading a team of bankers in the NYC Business Banking market. With 15 years of experience at Bank of America and previously at JPMorgan Chase, he specializes in partnering with small to emerging middle market companies. Adam supports businesses in securing capital and optimizing operations through enhanced financial controls and cash flow management, fostering growth and long-term success.