Private Funds CFO Data and Technology Forum | October 08-09

Shiraz Allidina

Managing Director, Citco Capital Solutions, Citco Fund Services

Shiraz Allidina is a Managing Director at Citco Capital Solutions, where he advises and lends to alternative investment funds. He has over 25 years of finance and investing experience as both a principal and advisor. Most recently, he was an Advisor at TPG Special Situations Partners and a Partner at Bridgeway Partners, a boutique advisory firm focused on commercial real estate debt and equity placement. Previously, he held positions as Head of Real Estate at GMO's Asset Allocation Group, Vice President at D.B. Zwirn & Co., Investment Officer at CapitalSource Finance, and Analyst at Farallon Capital. He graduated Magna Cum Laude earning a B.S. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

Chris Aronis

Chief Revenue Officer, Drawbridge

As Chief Revenue Officer, Chris Aronis is tasked with leading the Drawbridge sales, account management and business development teams to accelerate the company’s global growth, enhance client service and evolve its go-to-market strategy. He brings nearly two decades of fintech sales and marketing leadership experience to Drawbridge, including COO and General Manager roles spanning risk and compliance, trading and portfolio management, lending and data aggregation. He most recently served as CRO – Digital Banking for Bottomline Technologies in advance of the company’s sale to Thoma Bravo. Prior to that, he was CRO at VC-backed Numerated where he built the commercial function for a small business lending solution that became the backbone for nearly 10% of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), landing the company at #32 on the 2021 Inc. 5000. Throughout his career, Aronis has held senior sales and marketing roles at companies such as Charles River, Fiserv, Quovo, Plaid and Sungard.

As a premier provider of cybersecurity software and solutions to the alternative investment industry, Drawbridge simplifies the complex world of cyber security and transforms it from a growing worry to a source of ongoing business credibility. Its proprietary platform helps firms manage their governance, risk and compliance (GRC) requirements while combatting sophisticated cyber threats and third-party risks. Drawbridge’s platform connects business, compliance and IT to empower firms to centralize and manage their security programs, improve their risk profile and raise institutional capital. With a tested team focused on value delivery and a 1,000+ strong customer base, Drawbridge’s continuously optimized cybersecurity program assures firms’ credibility and boosts confidence before regulators, investors and boards. For more information, visit drawbridgeco.com

Ken Aseme

CFO, MaC Venture Capital

Ken Aseme is a highly experienced executive specializing in financial accounting and operations. With a career spanning over 20 years, he has accumulated extensive expertise in investment accounting, particularly in the domains of Private Equity and Venture Capital. In 2015, Mr. Aseme founded Hazic Fund Services and has since served as the Chief Financial Officer for numerous private equity and venture capital fund managers.

Before establishing Hazic Fund Services, Ken Aseme held pivotal positions at SS&C and BNY Mellon in their Private Equity departments, notably as an Accounting Manager. In these roles, he played a key role in investor relations, GAAP accounting, and the generation of management reporting packs. Throughout his tenure, he actively contributed to diverse funds, including the open-end core property fund, commercial mortgage fund, and various emerging manager funds.

From 2003 to 2009, Ken Aseme operated predominantly in London, where he held various positions within the Private Equity department and Treasury of RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland). This period allowed him to further enhance his skill set and gain valuable insights into the intricacies of the industry.

In terms of education, Ken Aseme holds an MBA from Cambridge University and a BSc (Honors) in Management Science from the University of Kent. His commitment to professional development is evident through his membership with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, which he has been a part of since 2006.

MaC Venture Capital is a dynamic seed-stage venture capital firm with a primary focus on investing in technology startups that harness the power of shifting cultural trends and behaviors. We seek out exceptional entrepreneurs who are poised to build and lead category-leading technology companies at the seed stage.

As investors, we go beyond providing financial backing. We firmly believe in the value of hands-on support in the journey of building and scaling remarkable companies. Our team offers comprehensive assistance in crucial areas such as operations strategy, brand development, recruiting top talent, and facilitating mission-critical introductions. Drawing on our diverse backgrounds in technology, business, government, entertainment, and finance, we are uniquely positioned to accelerate entrepreneurs on the brink of their breakthrough moment.

At MaC Venture Capital, we are passionate about partnering with visionary founders, providing the resources and guidance necessary to navigate the competitive startup landscape. We are committed to helping our portfolio companies realize their full potential and become leaders in their respective industries.

Brandon Baudin

Chief Financial Officer, The Sterling Group

Brandon joined Sterling in 2018 as Chief Financial Officer. He is responsible for all financial management aspects of the firm, as well as advising the firm’s portfolio company CFOs on certain financial issues and transactions. Previously, Brandon was Chief Financial Officer at Parkman Whaling, an energy focused boutique merchant bank. Prior to Parkman Whaling, he served as Chief Financial Officer of ESS Funds, a private equity firm focused on providing growth capital to the energy industry, with a focus on small and mid-sized businesses, ventures and projects. Brandon began his career in the Investment Management division at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Brandon received an MBA from Rice University and a BBA in Finance from Fort Hays State University. He is a CFA Charterholder and Certified Public Accountant. Brandon serves on the Board of the Ronald McDonald House Houston, an organization that provides a “home away from home” for families of sick children receiving medical treatment in the Texas Medical Center.

Founded in 1982, The Sterling Group is an operationally focused middle market private equity and private credit investment firm that targets investments in manufacturing, distribution, and industrial services companies. Typical enterprise values of these companies at initial formation range from $100 million to $750 million. Sterling has sponsored the buyout of 61 platform companies and numerous add-on acquisitions for a total transaction value of over $14.0 billion. Sterling currently has over $5.0 billion of assets under management.

Graham Bippart

Editor, Private Funds CFO & Private Equity International

Graham Bippart is a financial journalist with more than a decade of experience across a broad swath of the international financial markets.

Beginning his journalistic career covering commercial real estate securitization markets for Euromoney Institutional Investor in New York, Graham then took on editing the company’s securitization-dedicated news site while covering collateralized loan obligations. He then joined as fixed income editor and financial institutions editor at GlobalCapital in London, where he covered bank bond and capital issuance, capital markets regulations from Basel IV to MiFID II and more. Afterwards, he became an associate editor at the company’s flagship publication, Euromoney magazine, reporting on everything from sovereign restructurings, to accounting firms, to the impact of Brexit on capital markets, Libor transition and much else.

He now edits Private Funds CFO in New York, focusing on all things finance, accounting, compliance, human resources, technology, cybersecurity and fund finance for private markets CFOs, COOs and CCOs. His work often appears in Private Equity International and other PEI Group publications.

Graham graduated from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He lives in Brooklyn.

Tim Buchner

COO of Alpha for Private Markets, State Street

Tim Buchner is co-founder of Mercatus and COO of State Street Alpha for Private Markets. During his 20+ year career, Tim has helped both start-up and public companies to disrupt and create new markets and drive profitable growth, with leadership roles across Sales, Business Development and Finance. In 2009, Tim co-founded Mercatus, an investment data management platform serving the unique needs of private market asset managers and investors. In 2021, State Street acquired Mercatus to launch State Street AlphaSM for Private Markets, which allows investors to manage the entire lifecycle of their infrastructure, private equity, real estate and private debt investments through a fully integrated, front-to-back, single platform. Tim earned both his BS in Commerce and his MBA from Santa Clara University.

Mercatus is an investment data management platform for private market fund managers and asset owners. In September 2021, Mercatus was acquired by State Street to launch State Street AlphaSM for Private Markets solution, which allows investors to manage the entire lifecycle of their infrastructure, private equity, real estate and private debt investments through a fully integrated, front-to-back, single platform. Alpha for Private Markets solves data challenges in portfolio monitoring, deal management, valuation management, and ESG. It is the only platform that enables scenario analysis and valuations at scale at the asset and fund-level through its patented ModelSync Technology.

Steve Bullock

VP of Financial Services, Kyriba

Steve is currently VP, Financial Services at Kyriba. He has in excess of 35 years in treasury and finance, and has experience of working in both European and North American geographies.

Steve's background in finance, focused on liquidity management and risk management, equips him to guide and support customers as they seek to ensure adequate control and compliance in and around their enterprise liquidity management.

Kyriba empowers CFOs, Treasurers and their IT counterparts to transform liquidity as a dynamic, real-time vehicle for growth. With a secure, scalable SaaS platform that leverages artificial intelligence, Kyriba automates payments workflows, and enables thousands of multinational corporations and banks to maximize growth, protect against loss from fraud and financial risk and reduce operational costs.

For more than 2,500 clients worldwide, including 25% of Fortune 500 and Euro Stoxx 50 companies, Kyriba manages more than 1.3 billion bank transactions per year, and 250 million payments for a total value of $15 Trillion annually. Kyriba is headquartered in San Diego, with offices globally. For more information, visit www.kyriba.com.

Carolyn Campbell

Managing Partner and COO, Emerging Capital Partners

Carolyn Campbell is an experienced executive and board director with over 25 years of investing in tech-enabled energy, financial services, and consumer/logistics businesses. Ms. Campbell is a managing partner of Emerging Capital Partners (ECP), a private equity firm which has raised nearly $3.5 billion for investment in over 70 private and listed high-growth companies. She is a recognized expert in corporate governance, SEC/NYSE and global capital markets, M&A, corporate finance/audit, and enterprise risk/ESG. As a member of ECP’s Audit/Valuation, Investment and Executive Committees.

Ms. Campbell serves on the boards of the firm’s fintech, consumer and energy investments, from early- to late-stage traditional and fintech assets, assisting in expansion, IPO planning and supply chain and regulatory analysis. She is fluent in French and a board director of her group’s France-based energy platform as well as Burger King South Africa. She also serves on the Advisory Board of MEDA Investments, investing in medical devices, digital health and SaaS. She is valued for risk management and strategy and for guiding companies in highly-regulated industries and those looking to expand into new markets.

Ms. Campbell was awarded the PEA Women Impact Award and life membership in the Council on Foreign Relations. She has appeared on C-SPAN, Bloomberg and spoken at the National Economists Club, Brookings Institute, and the Harvard and Wharton Business Schools. Ms. Campbell received a BA/MA in Economics summa cum laude from the University of Connecticut, a J.D. from the University of Virginia, and a Ph.D. in Political Economy from Oxford University.

Emerging Capital Partners (ECP) is a private equity firm established in 2000 to invest in high-growth companies in emerging markets, raising in excess of $3.4 billion for investment across four pan-African funds, four regional funds, and various co-investment vehicles. ECP’s investments seek to achieve significant capital appreciation by making control or influential minority investments in portfolio of companies that operate primarily in industries that capitalize on the rapidly growing domestic consumer and business demand such as tech/telecom, financial services, consumer products & services and infrastructure & logistics sectors. ECP’s funds focus on investing in businesses with exceptional growth prospects to support both organic and acquisition-led growth through the enhancement of the product offerings and the expansion of their geographic footprint regionally, internationally and globally.

ECP has invested in 73 companies and achieved 58 exits. At the height of its operations, the firm built a diverse and cohesive team hailing from across the globe and speaking a multitude of languages, with a strong mix of operational, consulting, financial and legal experience operating across seven offices in the United States, Europe and Africa. Today the firm maintains its headquarters in Washington, DC with affiliated offices in Abidjan, Nairobi and Johannesburg.

In addition to investment experience, ECP has also built an institutional corporate organization including investor relations, legal, finance and ESG functions. Together, they enable ECP to meet leading international standards of operations. ECP is registered as an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and produces US GAAP-compliant financial reports audited by Deloitte and EVCA and ILPA-compliant quarterly reports. In addition, ECP adheres to international environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) standards and is a signatory to the UN Principles of Responsible Investing (“UNPRI”).

Kesha Cash

General Partner, Impact America Fund

Kesha is a General Partner at Impact America Fund, a venture firm with $177M of AUM dedicated to investing in founders disrupting injustices at the heart of billion dollar industries. Impact America’s mission is to increase economic power for marginalized communities in the US.

She is passionate about helping the next generation of founders navigate the challenges that inevitably arise when building a business—even when the idea is great, the model is strong, or funding is abundant. She was named one of Fast Company's "100 Most Creative People in Business" and is the subject of Stanford Graduate School of Business and Columbia Business School case studies on forming a successful impact venture capital firm.

Kesha has over a decade of experience in impact investing. She led investments at Jalia Ventures, a $5 million mission-driven seed fund she co-founded with Josh Mailman in 2010. She was also an investment associate at Bridges Ventures in the UK. Prior to this, Kesha worked as an operational consultant to small businesses in Los Angeles and as a mergers and acquisitions analyst at Merrill Lynch in New York.

She currently serves on the board of directors of CareAcademy, Aja Labs, and LoanWell, and is a member of the Columbia Entrepreneurship Advisory Council. She received her M.B.A. from Columbia University and her B.A. in Applied Mathematics from UC Berkeley.

Adam Childers

Chief Financial Officer & Chief Compliance Officer, Quad-C Management, Inc.

Adam Childers joined Quad-C Management in 2022 as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer and is responsible for managing Quad-C's financial operations including fund administration, accounting and financial reporting, tax, financial planning & analysis and treasury functions.

Prior to joining Quad-C, Adam spent over two decades working at The Carlyle Group in the Washington DC office. Adam held various positions at the firm including overseeing the Global Private Equity Fund Accounting team and working in the Fund Management function on the US Buyout and European Technology teams. Prior to joining Carlyle, Adam worked in the audit practice at Arthur Andersen. Adam received a B.S. in Accounting & Information Systems and Finance from Virginia Tech.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Charlottesville, Virginia, Quad-C is a middle market private equity firm focused on investing in established specialty distribution, industrials, transportation / logistics, business and consumer services, healthcare, food & beverage, and consumer products companies. In its three-decade history, Quad-C has invested more than $4.1 billion of capital in 81 platform companies. The Quad-C team is committed to partnering with entrepreneurs and management teams to accelerate growth and create long-term value. Learn more about Quad-C at www.quadcmanagement.com.

Ben Collins

Senior Director, Financial Services Industries Marketing, Sage

Ben serves as the Senior Director of Industry Marketing at Sage, where he focuses on driving growth in the Financial Services segment. Prior to Sage, Ben was the Senior Director of Product Marketing at SS&C Intralinks, a SaaS provider of collaboration tools for the financial services industry, where he spent 10 years leading the Product Marketing team for the Company’s largest business unit. He has a breadth of experience in the financial services sector, as he spent the first half of his career in investment banking, where he advised on M&A and capital raising transactions to companies in the technology space.

Sage offers a highly flexible, powerful financial management solution that adapts to workflows and reporting requirements. It connects easily with other best-in-class, industry-specific solutions to give you a truly tailored solution. They are the only cloud accounting software company to be appointed a preferred provider by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and recognized by finance professionals as the highest rated solution for customer satisfaction. Financial professionals from a wide variety of industries trust Sage Intacct to give them the time and insight they need to help their organizations grow.

Larry Cook

Senior Vice President of Global Operations and Finance, Flourish Ventures

As Head of Global Finance & Operations, Larry directs Flourish Ventures’ investment process, finance, portfolio management, technology, and facilities. Since the launch of the firm’s evergreen fund in 2019, he has built Flourish’s finance and operations structure from the ground up, recruiting a world-class team and supporting a growing portfolio of more than 70 companies.

Larry’s vision for a digital-first finance infrastructure enabled the Flourish team and its portfolio companies across six continents to seamlessly rise to new challenges in the COVID-19 environment. Under his leadership, operations became the nucleus of Flourish’s global network uniquely positioning the company to meet unprecedented economic turbulence, while maintaining the highest standards of compliance.

Larry brings a deep background in technology, operations, and venture capital to Flourish. Previously, he managed equity investments and M&A strategy for Intel Capital. As an investment advisor and board member, Larry has worked with numerous portfolio companies spanning multiple stages, verticals, and business models. He has an MBA degree from Case Western Reserve University.

Flourish Ventures is a leading early-stage venture capital firm investing in entrepreneurs whose innovations advance financial health and prosperity for individuals and small businesses. With $500M under management, Flourish deploys patient capital with a long-term perspective, partnering with fintech entrepreneurs as well as industry thought leaders in research, and policy to help foster a fair, more inclusive economy. Flourish has invested in more than 70 fintech startups that share this vision including
Alloy, ApnaKlub, Chime, Fair Money, Flutterwave, GrabFinancial, Heru, Hummingbird, Kin Insurance, M2P, Neon, ShopUp and ZestMoney, among other high-growth companies www.flourishventures.com

Amanda Coussens

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, P10

Amanda serves as the Firm's Chief Financial Officer. She is responsible for managing the Firm's financial operations, reporting and cash management.

Amanda has been in asset management for over 15 years serving in Chief Financial Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, SEC reporting and operational roles for private equity, hedge funds and venture capital funds. Prior to joining P10, Amanda was a Chief Financial Officer at PetroCap, White Deer Energy and several micro-venture capital funds as a consulting CFO. Prior to the CFO roles, Amanda served as an Accounting Director for a large family office and a publicly traded asset manager, Sanders Morris Harris/Edelman Financial Group. She started her career as an audit manager at Grant Thornton for publicly traded energy, hospitality and financial service firms.

Amanda received a BBA, Summa Cum Laude, in Accounting from the University of Houston-Downtown. She is also a Board Member of the Texas Chapter of the Private Equity CFO Association and serves on the Board of New Friends New Life, a nonprofit organization in Dallas. She’s also an Audit Committee Chair and Board member for NYSE company, Granite Ridge Resources.

P10 is a niche-oriented private markets investment firm located in Dallas, Texas. The firm believes the combination of RCP Advisors, Bonaccord Capital Partners, TrueBridge Capital Partners, Five Points Capital, Hark Capital, and Enhanced Capital creates the best-in-class franchise in private equity, venture capital, private credit, and impact investing, offering a comprehensive suite of niche-oriented, market leading private markets products and services to its underlying fund sponsors and limited partners around the globe

Louis Crasto

Sr. Director, RSM

Louis Crasto is a national co-leader for RSM US LLP's fund administration practice (RSM Fund Services+). He brings over 20 years of senior executive experience in the alternative asset industry, including 10 years as a chief financial officer for various private equity firms. Louis focuses on building and co-leading RSM’s private equity, venture capital and real estate fund administration business.

Louis brings an extensive background in the alternative asset and financial services industries. He spent the first decade of his career working for several large investment banks in various financial reporting positions, with a strong focus on fixed income securities. In 2000, he began working in alternative assets with a top-tier global hedge fund manager, where he eventually served as the chief financial officer for their private equity spinout and as executive vice president of their Asian-focused distressed debt and real estate joint venture.

At the onset of the 2008−09 financial crisis, Louis went on to serve as the chief financial officer of a well-known New York City-based private equity firm specializing in lower middle market buyout transactions. There he oversaw all aspects of fund and management company operations and played a leading role in actively working with the portfolio companies, implementing a comprehensive vendor procurement program across the portfolio. During his six-year tenure at the firm, he also played a leading role in registering the firm as a registered investment advisor and subsequently filled the role of chief compliance officer alongside his CFO responsibilities.

In 2015, Louis became a managing director for an early-stage private equity fund administration firm that was founded and led by former private equity CFOs. After two years, the firm was sold to a leading multinational fund administration and corporate service provider, where Louis eventually secured the position of head of private equity for North America. In that capacity, he led a team of over 50 professionals, overseeing the firm's U.S.-based private equity fund administration business.

Louis thrives on the entrepreneurial nature of his RSM role and is particularly passionate about having the opportunity to build and co-lead a team of dynamic, market-leading professionals. In his personal time, he enjoys nothing more than spending time with his family or partaking in an occasional round of golf or other sporting event.

RSM’s purpose is to deliver the power of being understood to our clients, colleagues and communities through world-class audit, tax and consulting services focused on middle market businesses. The clients we serve are the engine of global commerce and economic growth, and we are focused on developing leading professionals and services to meet their evolving needs in today’s ever-changing business environment.

RSM US LLP is the U.S. member of RSM International, a global network of independent audit, tax and consulting firms with 48,000 people across 120 countries. For more information, visit rsmus.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and/or connect with us on LinkedIn.

Jackie Dao

CFO, Reach Capital

Jackie Dao, CPA joined Reach Capital as CFO in March 2021. Jackie manages all non-investment functions of the firm and its funds, spanning fundraising, treasury, portfolio valuations, investor relations, and annual tax/audit processes. She also oversees internal operations including the firm’s legal, compliance, IT and HR matters. Jackie’s breadth of experience across the asset management industry spans over two decades, working with family offices, hedge funds and other investment management firms. She has developed a wealth of knowledge in establishing operations and infrastructure for start-ups as well as streamlining accounting procedures and applying best practices for growing financial service firms.

Before joining Reach, Jackie was Vice President of BridgeviewCFO Solutions, a boutique white glove outsourced CFO accounting service firm customized to venture capital, private equity and hedge funds managers. Jackie previously held CFO/COO and Controller roles for family offices and hedge funds, including First Q Capital, Relational Investors, and CM Capital.

Jackie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. She is an active member of various CFO VC industry groups in the Bay Area. When not shuttling her daughter between school and activities, Jackie enjoys going to musicals and plays in San Francisco, running long-distance and practicing yoga.

Reach Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on education and workforce development. From early childhood through K-12, higher education and lifelong learning, our investments expand access to education and economic opportunities and inspire people to reach their full potential.

As one of the most diverse firms in venture capital with over 20 years of classroom teaching experience across the team, Reach Capital has backed over 130 education companies, including some of the biggest and most beloved brands in early childhood (Lovevery), K-12 (ClassDojo), higher ed (Handshake) and lifelong learning (Replit).

https://www.reachcapital.com/

Jamison Davis, CFA

Chief Financial Officer, Bow River Capital

Jamison "Jamie" Davis is Chief Financial Officer at Bow River Capital. He has more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience. Prior to joining Bow River Capital, Jamie was Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis at SFC Energy Partners, a Denver-based private equity firm investing in upstream oil and gas opportunities. Jamie is a CFA Charterholder and graduated with Highest Honors from the Business Honors Program at the University of Texas at Austin.

Founded in 2003, Bow River Capital is a private alternative asset management company based in Denver, Colorado with Software Growth Equity, Private Equity, and Real Estate platforms. The Bow River Capital platforms focus on the lower middle market across a geographic area referred to as Bow River Capital’s Rodeo Region®. Collectively, Bow River Capital has deployed capital into diverse industries, asset classes, and across the capital structure. For more information on Bow River, please visit www.bowrivercapital.com

Mike Derrick

Chief Financial Officer, ACME Capital

Mike Derrick is the Chief Financial Officer for ACME. Prior to ACME, Mike served as CFO at Sherpa Capital. He previously held a similar role Trident Capital which, together with spin-out funds Sunstone Partners and ForgePoint Capital, managed active fund capital commitments totaling $2 billion. Mike brings over 20 years of Private Equity/Venture Capital finance experience having worked in similar roles at Thomas Weisel Partners, Trust Company of the West and Apax Partners as well as fund administration stints at Mourant Fund Services and HSBC. Mike’s varied knowledge of the alternative assets industry enables the most efficient streamlining of office operations while improving the support of its investment team.
Mike trained with Ernst & Young in “Old” Jersey where he grew up as a lad. He strives to master the guitar fingerpicking styles pioneered by the English masters and enjoys being outnumbered by his lovely wife and two teenage daughters.

ACME is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in breakthrough technologies that drive platform shifts and innovative business models that capitalize on new platforms.

Simba Dutt-Mazumdar

Managing Director - Accounting & Reporting Advisory, Stout

Simba Dutt-Mazumdar is a Managing Director in the Finance Integration practice of the Transaction Advisory group. He has over 18 years of experience assisting companies across many industries and of different sizes, navigating complex liquidity events, transactions, restructurings, and transformations.

Prior to joining Stout, Simba spent the previous ten years at KPMG where he executed Finance focused M&A integrations, accounting standards adoptions and finance transformations including ERP implementations. He has demonstrated a commitment to excellence and an enthusiasm for activities throughout the deal life cycle. He is a proven subject matter expert in post-merger integration within the finance function across the industrial manufacturing, consumer goods, technology, and media & entertainment sectors.

Currently, Simba’s primary focus is facilitating companies' IPO/SPAC journey by upgrading their financial reporting, accelerating finance processes, and assessing the competency/capacity of the existing finance function.

As an M&A professional he provides counsel and execution on the complexities of integrating new businesses and capabilities, or conversely, achieving full separation of legacy assets and businesses targeted for divestiture.

Stout is a global investment bank and advisory firm specializing in corporate finance, transaction advisory, valuation, financial disputes, claims, and investigations. We serve a range of clients, from public corporations to privately held companies in numerous industries. Our clients and their advisors rely on our premier expertise, deep industry knowledge, and unparalleled responsiveness on complex matters.

Fred Ebrahemi

Chief Operating Officer, Partner, and General Counsel, Clearlake Capital Group

Fred Ebrahemi is a Partner, Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel at Clearlake Capital. Clearlake is an investment firm operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit, and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with experienced management teams by providing patient, long-term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlake’s operational improvement approach, O.P.S.® The firm’s core target sectors are technology, industrials, and consumer. Clearlake has over $70 billion assets under management, and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 400 investments.

At Clearlake Mr. Ebrahemi is responsible for general oversight of Clearlake’s operations and providing legal advice during the execution of private equity transactions and other investments, legal oversight of portfolio companies and the Firm. Before joining Clearlake, he was the Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Platinum Equity Advisors, President and General Counsel for NINJA Mobile and was previously a corporate associate at Morrison & Foerster and at Hughes Hubbard & Reed. Mr. Ebrahemi currently serves on the Board of Directors of Hi-Crush, Trinitas Capital Management and the National Association of Investment Companies. Mr. Ebrahemi graduated with a J.D./L.L.M. in International and Comparative Law from Duke University School of Law, and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Mr. Ebrahemi is admitted to the bar in New York and California.

Cesar Estrada

Private Markets Segment Head, Arcesium

Cesar Estrada is the Private Markets Segment Head at Arcesium, a financial technology providing data-centric cloud-based solutions to alternative investment managers.

Previously Mr. Estrada was Senior Managing Director and Alternatives Segment Head for North America at State Street — a role where he oversaw the growth agenda for a business with approx. $1 trillion in assets under administration across private equity, private debt, real estate, infrastructure, and hedge funds.

Before State Street, Mr. Estrada was a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan, where he led the launch of the Private Equity & Real Estate Funds Services business. He also has held investment banking roles in New York, London, and Hong Kong within M&A, equity capital markets, and debt restructuring.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Estrada was instrumental in the planning, launch and high growth of Merkafon, an outsourced customer contact center start-up. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering from ITESM and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Mr. Estrada serves as a member of the Kellogg Global Advisory Board and as the Membership Chair for the Kellogg Finance Network.

Arcesium delivers an advanced data, operations, and analytics platform used by some of the world's most sophisticated financial institutions, including hedge funds, banks, institutional asset managers, and private equity firms. We designed our elegant SaaS platform with industry-specific capabilities to harmonize massive amounts of disparate data and deliver unparalleled speed, accuracy, and decision-making capabilities. Our exceptionally consultative and collaborative approach coupled with deep domain expertise helps our clients achieve transformational business outcomes.

Arcesium launched with the mission to power the entire investment lifecycle. Building on a platform developed and tested by the D. E. Shaw group, we received additional equity backing from a second seed client, Blackstone Alternative Asset Management. J.P. Morgan, an early adopter of our technologies, later made a strategic investment in the company. Today, Arcesium services over $677 billion in global client AUM with a staff of over 1,950 software engineering, accounting, operations, and treasury professionals.

Paul Fielding

Chief Operating Officer, General Catalyst

Paul Fielding is the Chief Operating Officer at General Catalyst. Prior to joining GC, Paul served as Vice President of Products, Pricing, and Risk at SoFi. Paul was responsible for financial product design, loan features, and daily pricing for the company’s lending businesses. Paul also led Capital Markets for SoFi, launching its financing platform where he and his team raised over $12B through securitizations, loan sales, and other private transactions and oversaw $3B+ in borrowings. Earlier, Paul was a principal and cofounder at MeasureOne, a student lending focused data and analytics firm offering portfolio management, servicing oversight, and analytics services.

As Chief Operating Officer of GC, Paul oversees the firm’s financial and operations functions, with a focus on firm strategy, portfolio operations, and investment process. He is based on the West Coast.

Paul holds a B.A., magna cum laude from UCLA.

General Catalyst is a venture capital firm that invests in powerful, positive change that endures — for our entrepreneurs, our investors, our people, and society. We support founders with a long-term view who challenge the status quo, partnering with them from seed to growth stage and beyond to build companies that withstand the test of time. With offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York City, London, and Boston, the firm has helped support the growth of businesses such as: Airbnb, Deliveroo, Guild, Gusto, Hubspot, Illumio, Lemonade, Livongo, Oscar, Samsara, Snap, Stripe, and Warby Parker. For more: www.generalcatalyst.com.

Gadi Gefen

Chief Financial Officer, Next47

Gadi Gefen is the chief financial officer at global venture firm Next47. His primary responsibilities are financial reporting, portfolio management and finance and tax operation and oversee the firm’s financial strategy, policies and procedures. Since joining in 2021, he has led his team in successfully expanding the firms assets under management, upgrade of tools and business process to gain efficiencies.

Prior to joining Next47, Gadi held various senior management roles at Siemens spanning across 3 different continents--leading teams in Asia, Europe and the U.S. Other significant experience includes his leadership roles at Siemens PLM Software in Israel; and Head of Strategy for Siemens Energy sector in North & East Asia.

Gadi’s vast knowledge of venture capital, mergers and business valuation began during his four-year tenure at Ernst & Young--during which he was engaged in M&A and transaction advisory consulting. He speaks five languages and is an avid runner, a mindful yogi, and a dedicated volunteer. He has written and published 5 books about various topics, from children books, mindfullness and history.

A qualified CPA for the past decade, Gadi also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Accounting from Tel Aviv University; and an MBA from INSEAD.

Next47 is a global venture firm built for enterprise founders. Based in Silicon Valley, and with offices in the US, Europe, and Israel, we lead investments in early and expansion stage companies, with focus on SaaS, AI/ML and Developer Tools, Enterprise IT and Cybersecurity, and Deep Tech. We have a passion for products that power the world, build conviction in the categories we invest in, and are deeply committed to founders who choose to partner with us. Our global team provides the domain expertise, specialized resources, and deep network founders need to go from idea to category-leading business. For more information, visit http://www.next47.com

Michaele Gobel

CFO, Equilibrium Capital

As Equilibrium’s Chief Financial Officer, Michaele Gobel is responsible for all the company’s financial operations functions, including planning and analysis, accounting, audit, tax, treasury, and corporate finance. She is also responsible for the financial operations functions for Equilibrium’s investment products and is a staff participant on the associated Fund Management and Investment Committees. Her career spans more than 18 years of varied experience in financial management, financial reporting, accounting, audit, and tax.

Michaele joined Equilibrium in 2015 and grew the financing and accounting team from 2 people to 11 people over the course of 7+ years, incrementally building out each function along the way – from corporate and management company accounting, to fund accounting, tax, property accounting, and portfolio monitoring. She’s supported Equilibrium through its high growth periods (from $184 million under management to $2 billion in a period of 3 years).

Michaele holds a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Accounting and Information Systems from Portland State University. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant (In Active) and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Oregon Society of CPAs.

Elise Gray

Head of CFO & Accounting Service Delivery, IQEQ

Elise Gray is the Head of CFO & Accounting Service Delivery at IQEQ. In her 5-year tenure, she has served as an Outsourced CFO for 25+ Asset Managers ranging in AUM from 30M to 11B across Hedge Funds, Fund of Funds, Private Equity and Venture Capital. She also leads the Regulatory Reporting Group that is responsible for the preparation and submission of Form PF and Annex IV filings for 500+ fund structures.

Prior to joining IQEQ, Elise worked in the private equity group at Fortress Investment Group, a $45 billion-dollar investment manager, directly overseeing the operations and day-to-day accounting of 20+ credit fund structures and preparing all the associated regulatory filings including Form PF and Annex IV.

Elise started her career in Public Accounting in the Financial Services Audit group at Anchin LLP providing both Audit and Tax services to clients in the Hedge Fund & Fund of Fund space.

Elise received her BBA in Accounting & Management from the University of Georgia. She holds a Certificate in International Business from Grenoble Ecole de Management in Grenoble, France. She has an active CPA license with the Georgia State Board of Accountancy and is a member of the AICPA.

IQ-EQ is a leading investor services group that brings together that rare combination of global expertise and a deep understanding of the needs of clients. We have the know-how and the know you that allows us to provide a comprehensive range of compliance, administration, asset and advisory services to funds and asset managers, private wealth and institutional investors and global banks, insurance companies and corporations.

With a strategic focus of growing our operations in the U.S. we acquired leading service providers in 2020 and 2021, adding further strength and depth to our existing U.S. operations. We have a growing U.S. based team, currently 650+ employees, who operate from offices in 13 locations across seven U.S. states, including: New York (HQ), Dallas and Los Angeles.

Adam Handlos

Chief Financial Officer, Galvanize Climate Solutions

Adam is the Chief Financial Officer at Galvanize Climate Solutions. He has a proven record of rapidly growing and scaling newly launched investment firms and has extensive experience in alternative investment management. Adam was the Chief Financial Officer at Franklin Templeton Private Equity, a joint venture focused on global private equity investing. Previously, Adam served as Director of Operations at Sixth Street Partners. Prior to joining Sixth Street, Adam was a manager in the investment management assurance practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Adam holds a BA in Accounting from Fordham University and is a San Francisco native residing in the city with his wife and three children.

Galvanize Climate Solutions (“Galvanize”) is a climate-focused global investment firm delivering capital and expertise to accelerate climate solutions. Founded by Katie Hall and Tom Steyer, Galvanize invests across asset classes including venture capital and growth equity, public equities, and real estate. We integrate expertise across investment, climate impact, measurement, market development, talent, technology, and policy with the aim of driving material climate impact and creating long-term value for our investors.

John Herr

Chief Financial Officer, Francisco Partners

John Herr is the Chief Financial Officer of Francisco Partners, responsible for all finance, accounting and tax matters for the firm and its private equity funds. Prior to joining Francisco Partners in 2009, John was the Controller and Chief Compliance Officer at Pantera Capital Management. Earlier in his career he was an Audit Manager with Ernst & Young’s Asset Management Practice in San Francisco. John earned his BA in Accounting and Business Administration - Finance from Carroll College in Helena, Montana.

Francisco Partners is a leading global investment firm that specializes in partnering with technology and technology-enabled businesses. Since its launch over 20 years ago, Francisco Partners has invested in more than 400 technology companies, making it one of the most active and longstanding investors in the technology industry. With more than $45 billion in assets under management, the firm invests in opportunities where its deep sectoral knowledge and operational expertise can help companies realize their full potential. For more information on Francisco Partners, please visit www.franciscopartners.com.

Ted Hill

General Partner and Chief Financial Officer, B Capital Group

Ted Hill is a General Partner and the Chief Financial Officer at B Capital. He is responsible for leading the Finance and Portfolio Analytics teams and collaborates with the Partnership in other areas as needed. Ted is based in B Capital’s Los Angeles office.

Prior to B Capital, he was CFO for Santander Bank’s US Consumer & Business Bank. Previously, Ted held several roles in Digital Strategy, Corporate Development, and Finance for JPMorgan Chase, Nationwide Insurance, and Bain & Company. He began his career as an Investment Banker in NY and London.

Ted graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Economics and Spanish from Bucknell University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Ted has lived and worked in Argentina, Spain, and England and in his spare time enjoys trail running and playing soccer.

B Capital Group is a multi-stage global investment firm founded in 2015. Investing in companies transforming large traditional industries across borders and geographies, B Capital leverages an international team of seasoned experts, as well as its strategic partnership with BCG. The firm helps founders navigate business challenges, raise capital, and attract talented leadership at every stage of the startup lifecycle. B Capital invests in enterprise software, healthcare, financial services, consumer enablement, and industrial and transportation companies. The B Capital portfolio includes global, industry-leading companies like Atomwise, Carro, Dailyhunt, Datarobot, Evidation Health, Icertis, Innovaccer, Ninja Van, Tuhu, and Yalo.For more information, visit bcapgroup.com.

Stella Ho

Partner, CFO & CCO, LightBay Capital

Stella Ho is a Partner at LightBay and serves as CFO and CCO, with responsibilities including accounting and finance, compliance, information technology, and human resources. Ms. Ho has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. Previously, Ms. Ho was a Senior Vice President in the Business Management Group at Moelis & Company, where she oversaw operations, recruiting, and talent development for the Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and San Francisco offices. She was also responsible for developing a number of Moelis & Company’s business processes including new business review, conflict clearance approval, and pipeline management. Prior to joining Moelis & Company, Ms. Ho was a Director in the Business Management Group and an Associate Director in the Investment Banking Division at UBS Investment Bank. Ms. Ho started her career in the Financial Advisory Services Group at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Ms. Ho graduated with Honors from Claremont McKenna College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics-Accounting. She also holds an M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

LightBay Capital is a Los Angeles-based growth-focused private equity firm that applies a flexible capital approach to middle-market investing. Primarily focused on the healthcare, consumer, and business services industries, LightBay invests across the capital structure and in all market environments to help accelerate the growth of high-quality companies. For more information, please visit www.lightbay.com.

Frank Hodas

Senior Vice President – Finance, Paladin Capital Group

Frank Hodas has worked with Paladin Capital Group since 2005 scaling the operations team as the firm has grown and expanded. He is responsible for overseeing all accounting, reporting, and fund administration functions for the firm and its affiliates, including treasury and tax. Prior to joining Paladin, Frank held a variety of positions with a public accounting firm in Washington, DC where he focused mainly in the private equity and real estate industries. Frank holds a Bachelor of Accountancy degree from The George Washington University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Paladin Capital Group was founded in 2001 and has offices in Washington DC, New York, London, Luxembourg, and Silicon Valley. As a multi-stage investor, Paladin’s core strength is identifying, supporting and investing in innovative companies that develop promising, early-stage technologies to address the critical cyber and advanced technological needs of both commercial and government customers. Combining proven investment experience with deep expertise in global security, cyber technology and cutting-edge research, Paladin has invested in more than 60 companies since 2008 and has been a trusted partner to investors, entrepreneurs and governments for over two decades.

Chris Iorillo

Chief Financial, Legal & Compliance Officer, Freeman Spogli

Chris Iorillo joined Freeman Spogli in 2021 and serves as the firm’s Chief Financial, Legal and Compliance Officer. Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Iorillo served in a number of financial and legal capacities at Platinum Equity, Variant Equity and CounterPoint Capital. Mr. Iorillo received his bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Pennsylvania and earned a juris doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Priya Iyer

Chief Executive Officer and Board Member, Concertiv

Priya is a proven, high-growth entrepreneurial CEO with demonstrated success in scaling industry leading SaaS software platforms and delivering exceptional stakeholder value.

She was awarded New England Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014; ranked on the 2015 top 100 Entrepreneur list by the Boston Globe and was awarded The Top Women Leaders in SaaS 2018 by TSR (The SaaS Report) and named “Top 3 highly accomplished Women CEOs in SaaS” for 2018. Priya holds a bachelor’s and master’s in Computer Science and an MBA from the Sloan Fellows program at MIT Sloan School of Management. Priya is also an Entrepreneur in Residence at Babson College and serves on several boards, women executive panels, and is a regular guest speaker at various business schools in the Greater Boston area.

Concertiv has spent the past decade solving the most critical strategic spend and procurement transformation goals for leading mid-market Private Equity Firms. Leveraging a holistic suite of people, process, and technology-empowered offerings we simplify the least transparent, most friction-intensive process in business, freeing up your critical resources to focus on growing your core business.

Brent Kelley

CFO and CCO, North Hudson Resource Partners

Brent Kelley is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of North Hudson and has 13 years of private equity and energy experience. Prior to joining North Hudson, Mr. Kelley was the Controller at White Deer Energy, a private equity firm with over $2.2 billion of committed capital, where his responsibilities included financial reporting, accounting, treasury functions, and fund administration. Prior to joining White Deer, Mr. Kelley was the Assistant Controller at The Sterling Group, a middle market private equity firm. Mr. Kelley began his career working in public accounting as a Senior Assurance Associate at both MaloneBailey and Ernst & Young LLP, where he focused on clients in the energy, mining, and manufacturing sectors. Mr. Kelley received an MBA from the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University and a BS in Accounting from the Marriott School of Management at Brigham Young University. He is a licensed CPA in the State of Texas.

North Hudson Resource Partners LP is a Houston-based energy investment firm focused on opportunistic upstream and midstream energy investments in North America. With over $900 million of assets under management, North Hudson's private equity platforms own both non-operated and operated oil and gas assets. Its current portfolio includes interests in over 4,500 wells primarily located in the Permian Basin, DJ Basin, San Juan Basin, and Haynesville Shale. For more information, please visit North Hudson's website at www.northhudsonrp.com.

James Kerr

General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, Bow River Capital

James Kerr is General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Bow River Capital. Prior to joining Bow River Capital, James served as Senior Counsel at Janus Henderson Investors, Associate at the law firm K&L Gates LLP, and Assistant Vice President/Associate Counsel at Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. James began his career as a Law Clerk to the Hon. Janis M. Berry at the Massachusetts Appeals Court and thereafter, served as Assistant District Attorney for Middlesex County, Massachusetts.

Founded in 2003, Bow River Capital is a private alternative asset management company based in Denver, Colorado with Software Growth Equity, Private Equity, and Real Estate platforms. The Bow River Capital platforms focus on the lower middle market across a geographic area referred to as Bow River Capital’s Rodeo Region®. Collectively, Bow River Capital has deployed capital into diverse industries, asset classes, and across the capital structure. For more information on Bow River, please visit www.bowrivercapital.com

Sophia Lee

Senior Vice President, Riverwood Capital

Sophia Lee is the Operations Controller and a Senior Vice President at Riverwood Capital. Prior to Riverwood, Sophia served as Controller and VP of Finance at various software companies in the Bay Area. Sophia started her professional career at Arthur Andersen LLP in both the Taiwan and San Jose offices, where she provided auditing and consulting services to manufacturing and technology companies for five years.

Sophia obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in National Taiwan University, a Master of Science in Accounting at Oklahoma City University, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

David Ludwig

Regional Director, Americas, EWM Global

Dave is a Regional Director in the Americas for EWM Global, responsible for digitally transforming the carried interest, co-investment, carry waterfall calculation, deferred cash and equity compensation plan experience for private capital firms, banks, asset managers, and insurance companies.

Dave brings a wealth of experience in private equity and fund administration services from his past roles at FIS Investran and Vistra.

Dave has a Bachelor’s degree in Business and a Spanish minor from Brigham Young University. He received academic/athletic honors as a member of the BYU football team.

His native language is English, but he learned to speak fluent Spanish while living in South America for two years.

EWM Global specializes in the administration of executive compensation and investment plans, serving financial services firms globally. Through its flexible platform and dedicated end-to-end support, EWM works with clients to design sophisticated share plans, deferred cash, carried interest and co-investment vehicles without the imposition of pre-defined products or services. Our plan administration package, comprising our proprietary IT platform and global administration team, is highly flexible and versatile. With participants in over 70 countries, EWM Global provides administration services to many of the world's largest banks, asset managers, and private equity firms.

http://www.ewmglobal.com/

Johnny Minassian

Partner, Financial Services and Investment, Withum

With over 25 years of experience, Johnny provides assurance, accounting and consulting services to clients who serve as investment advisers to investment companies. He specializes in working with private funds that operate in the hedge, commodity, private equity, venture capital, loan and real estate space, providing accounting services to these entities through the various stages of the advisers’ and the funds’ life cycles.
Johnny previously worked at a national and Big Four firm, serving as an Audit partner and supporting PE practices.

Withum’s Financial Services Team helps our clients navigate the intricate nuances of the financial services industry. When working with funds, we can assist with understanding the challenges of starting a fund, navigating the complexities of growth through the emerging manager phase and even provide the necessary support a large, sophisticated manager requires. Our private equity accountants and tax advisors can perform simple to complex private equity audits of a fund or portfolio company and even explain the impacts of how tax reform will impact your business and investors. There’s a reason Withum is ranked nationally among the top advisory and accounting firms servicing venture capital firms, hedge fund managers, private equity firms, mortgage bankers, broker-dealers, credit unions, banking institutions, and regulated investment companies.

Kevin Neubauer

Partner, Seward & Kissel

Kevin Neubauer is a partner in the Investment Management Group at Seward & Kissel LLP. Kevin works with sponsors and managers of various private investment funds and other pooled investment vehicles, including private equity funds, hedge funds, funds of funds, commodity pools, and various "hybrid" funds. In particular, Kevin focuses on fund formation and structuring, the offering of interests by private investment funds, and the negotiation and documentation of such investments. Kevin has significant experience in organizing both domestic and offshore partnerships and other investment vehicles, including separately managed accounts and funds-of-one. Kevin also represents fund sponsors in connection with seed-capital investments, and funds of funds and other institutional investors in connection with their investments in private funds. Kevin regularly counsels investment advisors on regulatory and compliance matters, including the development of comprehensive compliance programs and in connection with regulatory examinations. He also has significant experience counseling investment advisers and private funds on Hart-Scott-Rodino compliance. Kevin previously worked in the Legal & Compliance group of Providence Equity Partners L.L.C./Benefit Street Partners L.L.C.

In 2020, Kevin was named to Private Debt Investor’s (PDI) 2020 Rising Stars list. The list recognizes industry figures who PDI believes have the potential to shape the future of the private debt asset class.

Mr. Neubauer received a B.A. from Fairfield University and a J.D. from Boston College Law School.

Catherine Ollwerther

Vice President, Compliance and Counsel, AB CarVal

Ms. Ollwerther is vice president of compliance and counsel for AB CarVal. She joined AB CarVal in 2019 and currently manages AB CarVal’s compliance matters across the globe, including marketing requirements, compliance audits, and monitoring regulatory proposals and final regulations from global authorities including the SEC, FCA, and MAS. Ms. Ollwerther was previously in corporate compliance at U.S. Bank, specializing in HR compliance and employer regulation. She received her J.D from the University of St. Thomas and a B.S. in Math and Economics from Lafayette College.

About AB CarVal:
AB CarVal is an established global alternative investment manager and part of AllianceBernstein’s Private Alternatives business. Since 1987, AB CarVal's team has navigated through ever-changing credit market cycles, opportunistically investing $143 billion in 5,680 transactions across 82 countries. Today, AB CarVal has approximately $17 billion* in assets under management in corporate securities, loan portfolios, structured credit and hard assets. Since 2017, AB CarVal has deployed over $4 billion in clean energy investments. Additional information about AB CarVal may be found at www.abcarval.com.

*As of June 30, 2023. AUM is comprised fee-earning AUM and fee-eligible AUM. Fee-earning AUM includes those assets currently qualified to generate management fees. Fee-eligible AUM includes capital that is committed to an AB CarVal Fund but is currently uncalled or recallable. The number represented here excludes assets under AB CarVal’s management that are not generating management fees due to the maturity of the Fund but includes amounts that do not generate management fees solely due to AB CarVal's decision not to charge management fees.

Ryan Parker

Chief Financial Officer, Mercato

Ryan Parker is the Chief Financial Officer at Mercato Partners, a multi-strategy investment firm that pursues investments in rapidly expanding technology, branded consumer, and food and beverage companies. Ryan has been with Mercato Partners since 2017, and is responsible for financial reporting, compliance, and fund management across the firm’s venture, growth capital and buyout practices.

Previous to Mercato, Ryan led legal entity reporting at Synchrony Financial during their 2014 IPO and 2015 $20B equity exchange offer—one of the largest in SEC history. Also while at Synchrony, Ryan oversaw the valuation for $30B+ in annual asset sales to securitization vehicles.

A Utah native, Ryan received a B.S in accounting and a Masters of Accountancy from the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business, and holds Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) designations. He is an avid boater and takes great pleasure from spending time traveling with his wife and three children.

Based in Salt Lake City, Mercato Partners is a multi-practice investment firm that provides funding, guidance and support for rapidly expanding technology, branded consumer, and food and beverage companies. Mercato Partners has over $1.6 billion in assets under management and an active portfolio of 43 investments. Notable past investments include Central Logic, Cotopaxi, Cradlepoint, DOMO, Ephesoft, Fusion-IO, Galileo Financial Technologies, Goal Zero, Mediconnect, SaltStack, Simplus, Skullcandy, Stance, Swig, and Venafi.

Andrew W. Petri

Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, Pfingsten Partners, L.L.C.

Andrew joined Pfingsten in 2008 and is responsible for all financial, tax, compliance and administrative activities of the firm. Prior to joining Pfingsten, Andrew worked with private equity, hedge fund, and broker-dealer audit clients in the Financial Services Office at Ernst & Young, L.L.P. in Chicago. A Wisconsin native, Andrew holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from University of Wisconsin, a Masters in Accounting from University of Wisconsin and is a registered Certified Public Accountant.

Pfingsten is an operationally focused private equity firm formed in 1989. From its headquarters in Chicago, IL and representative offices in ChangAn, China, New Delhi, India and Chennai, India, the firm builds better businesses through operational improvements, professional management practices, global capabilities and profitable business growth rather than financial engineering. Since completing its first investment in 1991, Pfingsten has raised five investment funds with total commitments of approximately $1.3 billion and has acquired 155 manufacturing, distribution and business services companies.

Tom Pierce

Partner, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, Sorenson Capital

Tom Pierce joined Sorenson Capital in 2010 and currently leads the firm's finance and compliance departments, and oversees all financial and tax reporting to Sorenson Capital's investors as well as reporting to the SEC. Since joining the the firm in 2010, Tom has held various positions, including Tax Director and Vice President of Finance and Tax. Tom has served as a Partner since 2022 and CFO of Sorenson Capital since 2016. Prior to joining Sorenson Capital, Tom was a Tax Director at PwC. Tom loves spending time with his family outdoors, where they enjoy hiking, backpacking, fly fishing, snowmobiling, and cycling. He received a Master of Accountancy and Bachelor of Science in accounting from Brighman Young University graduating magna cum laude.

Rama Ramachandran

Chief Technology Officer, Black Diamond Capital Management

Rama Ramachandran is the Chief Technology Officer at Black Diamond Capital Management, and has had a phenomenal career in leading, architecting and building large scale enterprise solutions for mission critical environments in the Hedge Fund industry as well as consulting companies in software technology and global marketing research companies. He has led project teams as CIO, CTO and VP Global Applications

Rama is a C-level Technology Executive with deep FinTech experience in driving transformative change, growth and innovation for the Buy Side & Private Equity Financial Services Industry. Prior to joining Black Diamond in 2011, Mr. Ramachandran was the CIO, US Operations at DKR Capital. In the past, Mr. Ramachandran has had technology leadership positions at GFK Custom Research and Imperium Solutions. In addition to holding an MBA and M.S. in Computer Science degrees, Rama is a published author and acts as a catalyst for change and is responsible for promoting a culture that is open to new technologies and changes in operations for greater automation and better efficiency.

Black Diamond Capital Management is a privately held Alternative Asset Management firm specializing in high yield credit, stressed and distressed credit, restructurings and business turnarounds. Founded in 1995, the firm manages over $9 billion in performing credit, stressed and distressed credit, and private equity across four integrated platforms. For 25+ years and through multiple market cycles, Black Diamond’s investment professionals have produced consistent risk-adjusted returns to investors using a core investment approach.

Michele Reing

Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Compliance Officer, LongRange Capital

Michele Reing joined LongRange in 2020 as Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Compliance Officer. Ms. Reing is a member of LongRange’ s Investment Committee, Valuation Committee, Management & Compliance Committee and the Technology Risk and Information Security Committee.

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Reing was a Managing Director at The Carlyle Group. She was with Carlyle from 2011-2020 and held several positions across the firm. Most recently, she was the Deputy Global Head of Fund Management. As part of leading the business operations across the Private Equity, Real Assets and Credit segments for the firm, she oversaw Carlyle's Luxembourg platform and was a board member for their Alternative Investment Fund Manager (AIFM). She also served as the Interim CFO of their Global Credit segment which managed nearly $50 billion in assets. Previously, she was the firm’s Global Corporate Controller and oversaw its corporate accounting teams in the U.S., London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sao Paulo. From 2011-2014, she oversaw the Global Real Assets Partnership Accounting team.

Prior to joining Carlyle, Ms. Reing was Senior Vice President and Corporate Controller of Interstate Hotels & Resorts and was responsible for corporate and joint venture accounting, external and regulatory reporting as well as corporate budgeting and forecasting. Prior to joining Interstate, she was Chief Financial Officer for CapStar Hotel Company, a hotel investment company. Previously she was Vice President and Corporate Controller for Analex Corporation. Ms. Reing also held senior management positions with NVR Inc. and MeriStar Hospitality Corporation. She began her career with the public accounting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP.

Ms. Reing was a board member and Treasurer of McLean Youth Soccer and was also a board member and Treasurer of Calvary Women's Services, a non-profit organization, that provides housing and support services for homeless women. She holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland.

Founded in 2019, LongRange Capital was formed to take a longer-term approach to investing and building middle market businesses through a company-focused and customer-first philosophy. The firm’s investment professionals have a long track record of demonstrated success and collectively bring 50+ years of investing experience. LongRange is currently investing a highly flexible, committed capital pool backed by long-term institutional holders.

Paul Schoper

Managing Director, Head of Fund Finance Group, Wells Fargo Corporate & Investment Banking

Paul Schoper is head of Wells Fargo's Fund Finance Group (FFG). FFG provides a broad range of fund financing solutions to our alternative asset management clients.

Paul joined Wells Fargo in 2002. Paul was previously head of Portfolio Management and Underwriting for Wells Fargo’s Financial Institutions Group (FIG). Paul’s team was responsible for the origination, structuring, underwriting and managing of risk exposures to bank and non-bank financial institutions globally.

Before joining FIG, Paul was a managing director and senior credit officer in Asset Backed Finance (ABF). In that role, he was responsible for credit risk management for Consumer Finance, Preferred Capital, Strategic Auto Investments, Corporate Debt Finance, Subscription Finance, Mortgage Finance, Mortgage Banker Finance and Transportation portfolios within ABF.

Previously, Paul was responsible for credit risk management for the Subscription Finance Group within ABF from 2012 to early 2015. Before joining ABF, he worked in Principal Investing from 2008 to 2012 with responsibility for investments in the financial sector. He also worked in Corporate Banking as a relationship manager.

Paul received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota and his M.B.A at the University of Chicago.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets, proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S., and is a leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 41 on Fortune’s 2022 rankings of America’s largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial health and a low-carbon economy.

Derek Shanahan

Strategic Partnerships Director, Juniper Square

Derek serves as the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Juniper Square, where he manages an ecosystem across fund formation attorneys, CPA firms, banks, and other professional services organizations. He works closely with clients to understand their needs and get them situated across partner firms.

He has over a decade of experience that ranges from financial services to cybersecurity to fintech. Specifically, he worked at the nation's largest RIA to support the growth of their private wealth practice, and went on to sit on the leadership team of a cybersecurity startup that created a national software/insurance product with a multi-billion dollar carrier.

Most recently, he has spent several years across private markets - Derek ran fundraising and IR for a peer to peer lending platform, where he oversaw $300M+ in investments from high net worth and boutique investment funds into structured notes tied to private lending. He has since worked across fund technology and administration in an effort to bring more transparency and technology to the space.

Mark Shang

CFO, Banneker Partners

Mark Shang is the Chief Financial Officer at Banneker Partners and is responsible for the firm's finance, accounting, compliance and administrative activities.

Mark was previously the CFO at Serent Capital, a middle market private equity firm. He was a member of the founding team and spent over eight years there overseeing finance and administrative activities, as the fund grew from 3 to 33 people and raised two funds. Immediately prior to joining Banneker, Mark led the Venture and Private Equity Group on the West Coast for Boston Private, a leading provider of wealth management, private banking and trust services.

Mark started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers. He was a Director in the Transaction Services Practice, leading due diligence engagements for private equity firms and strategic buyers. Prior to that he was a manager in the audit practice, focused on financial services.

Mark graduated from the University of Virginia and is a Chartered Financial Analyst and former CPA (inactive).

Vicky Shum

Chief Operating Officer, WiL (World Innovation Lab)

Vicky is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at WiL, bringing over two decades of operational experience from building products and teams, from the ground up and at global corporations.

Previously, Vicky led Global Retail Products at Sling Media, including product design, development and marketing for all Slingbox hardware and software. Together with her team, she received a Technology & Engineering Emmy, a National Design Award, and was named Innovation Winner at CES.

In her early career, she co-founded eHow.com and led product planning and business development at Sony PlayStation. These products continue to engage millions of users worldwide.

Vicky holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of California, Berkeley. There, she has guest lectured at the Haas School of Business on Entrepreneurship and Product Management. She is an ardent traveler, VR producer, and improv newbie.

Founded in 2014, WiL (World Innovation Lab) is a venture capital firm that partners with leading global corporations and government entities in Japan and Asia. With offices in Palo Alto, California, and Tokyo, the firm’s mission is to serve as a bridge between startups and corporations in the United States and Asia, with a particular focus on Japan. WiL supports its portfolio companies by establishing corporate partnerships that enable U.S. and European startups to scale globally, and Japanese startups to innovate and globalize. WiL invests in emerging technology spanning AI & Machine Learning, SaaS (fintech, insurtech, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure, developer tools), Industry 4.0, and Healthcare Tech. Notable WiL investments that have exited to public markets from Fund I and Fund II include Asana, Mercari, Raksul, Wise and Auth0 — whose acquisition by Okta was completed in May 2021. WiL also invests in exceptional venture funds, and supports its LPs in corporate venture investment efforts.

Aaron Simkovich

Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, Maranon Capital, L.P.

Aaron Simkovich is a Managing Director and the Chief Financial Officer of Maranon Capital L.P. and leads the accounting function and is responsible for managing external audits, loan operations, financial analysis and reporting. Prior to joining Maranon in 2013, Aaron worked as an Assistant Controller at TA Associates, and had previously worked in the PrivateEdge group at State Street Corp. Aaron holds a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Business from Yeshiva University and an M.B.A. with a concentration in Finance from Boston University.

Maranon Capital, L.P. is an investment firm focused on private credit investments. Maranon’s competitive edge is its multi-product strategies that span the balance sheet with value-added financing and equity co-investments. Since 2008, Maranon has committed over $11 billion of capital across over 350 investments. Based in Chicago, Maranon focuses primarily on portfolio companies headquartered in the United States. For more information about Maranon Capital, please visit www.maranoncapital.com.

Christopher Smith, CFA

Partner & CFO, SER Capital Partners

Christopher Smith (45). Mr. Smith joined SER Capital Partners in 2019 and serves as a partner. He has demonstrated track record in sustainably focused investment over almost two decades, he joined SER Capital Partners to investment in this underserved but important asset class.

Prior to joining SER Capital Partners, Chris was Senior Vice President of Sunnova Energy Corporation, an Energy Capital Partners portfolio investment. He joined Sunnova in 2018 and led the firm to a successful IPO in 2019 as chair of the IPO committee, and was responsible for nearly $2 billion equity, tax equity and debt financing.

From 2015 to 2018 he was Senior Vice President and Treasurer of Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure (NYSE: HASI), a globally recognized, sustainably-focused investment firm with over $5 billion in managed assets. While at HASI he worked side by side with Mr. Wooten, where annual investment grew to over $1 billion per annum during their tenure. Mr. Smith was active in all aspects of the firm management and held responsibility at Hannon Armstrong for investment finance and portfolio risk. He worked with Mr. Wooten to sponsor Hannon Armstrong’s investment in Counterpointe Sustainable Real Estate, a sustainable real estate financing joint venture.

From 2009 to 2018, Mr. Smith was Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of EMI, a boutique private equity firm with industry leading investments in environmentally focused venture and operating energy related business. Under his leadership, EMI completed over $1 billion of capital investment and received international recognition for innovation and excellence, including a Project Finance International Deal of the Year Award. He continued to work with Mr. Advani on a variety of investment opportunities.

Mr. Smith’s previous experience includes Director of Global Principal Investments, Merrill Lynch’s $28 billion on balance sheet principal fund. There he was responsible for energy and power investment in North America, completing Merrill Lynch’s first investment in US renewables. He was previously Vice President of Constellation Energy Commodities Group, one of the largest wholesale commodity trading firms globally. While there he supported Energy Capital Partner’s first investment, FirstLight Power, working with Mr. Advani and was responsible for energy efficiency, renewable energy and commodity risk investment globally. Finally, he was a Director of Enron Corporation in the Principal Investments group, where he was a portfolio management for the Enron’s alternative energy portfolio.

He has an B.A. in Political Science with a Chemistry Minor in 1998 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an M.B.A from Harvard Business School in 2001.

SER Capital Partners is an independent, middle-market private equity firm dedicated to investing in North American sustainable industrial, environmental, and renewable businesses. Over the past two decades, its team members have amassed successful experience in its targeted sectors as private equity investors and senior executives at both private and public businesses. The firm’s strategy is to actively create attractive investments underpinned by critical assets while also authentically measuring and improving key sustainability metrics in line with the UN Principles for Responsible Investing. SER is also committed to aligning interests across its investors, team members, portfolio company management teams, and communities. More is available at www.sercapitalpartners.com.

Chris Sparenberg

Director, Commercial Strategy, S&P Global Market Intelligence

In his role as Director, Commercial Strategy, Chris is responsible for go-to-market, new software and data offerings, and strategic partnerships at S&P Global. Chris spent 5 years at Cambridge Associates in portfolio monitoring and quantitative due diligence, where he was also responsible for the production and distribution of Cambridge’s Private Investments benchmarks. Chris also held roles in Product and Data Strategy at eVestment/Nasdaq and Juniper Square.

At S&P Global Market Intelligence, we understand the importance of accurate, deep and insightful information. Our team of experts delivers unrivaled insights and leading data and technology solutions, partnering with customers to expand their perspective, operate with confidence, and make decisions with conviction.

Our private markets data, software, and tools enable you to gain visibility and control over your investment data.

Albert C. Tan

Partner and Co-Head of Fund Finance, Haynes Boone

Albert Tan is a Partner and Co-Head of the Fund Finance Practice Group with Haynes and Boone, LLP. Additionally, he serves as a member of the firm’s (i) Executive Committee, (ii) Board of Directors and (iii) Partners Compensation Committee. He previously served on the firm’s Appointments Committee, which appoints and oversees the firm’s strategic leadership and executive management committees and roles.

During Albert’s career at the firm, he has represented investment and commercial banks, as agents and arrangers in more than $190 billion of subscription secured credit facilities to domestic and global real estate, infrastructure, debt, buyout and energy private equity funds, including to some of the first real estate private equity funds in Japan, Greater China, Singapore and Korea. During the global financial crises, Albert was one of few fund finance attorneys who represented lenders in the successful enforcement of subscription financing defaults against PE funds and their investors.

The National Law Journal selected Albert to its inaugural 35-person list of Finance, Banking and Capital Markets Trailblazers; and Euromoney Expert Guides listed him as a “Leading Practitioner” in its Guide to Leading Practitioners: International Private Equity, United States.

The Minority Corporate Counsel Association recognized Albert with its “MCCA 2021 Rainmakers Award” and the State Bar of Texas’s Asian Pacific Interest Section recognized Albert with its “Justice Wellington Chew Award,” for the outstanding achievements, commitment, and leadership of a lawyer who has paved the way for the advancement of other Asian Pacific American attorneys and made substantial and lasting contributions to the APA legal profession, as well as the broader APA community.

Over the course of Albert’s 29 years at HB, he was stationed in Hong Kong from 1997 to 2000 while on a secondment from Haynes and Boone and served as Chief Counsel of Greater China for Caltex Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ChevronTexaco, overseeing all legal affairs for Greater China. In 2012, he spearheaded the launch of HB’s Shanghai office. Albert currently splits his time between the Dallas headquartered office and their NY office.

Albert received his BA from San Diego State University and his JD and LLM from Southern Methodist University and Georgetown University; and speaks Chinese (Mandarin)

Haynes and Boone, LLP is one of the leading U.S. corporate law firms with offices across Texas, in New York, California, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Washington D.C., London, Mexico City and Shanghai, representing agent banks in Fund Financings in Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. With more than 600 lawyers, Haynes and Boone is ranked among the largest U.S.‐based firms by The National Law Journal and The American Lawyer.

The firm was instrumental in developing the structure and documentation for subscription financing in the early 1990s. With over 30 years of industry experience in the global subscription financing market, our Fund Finance Practice has worked through numerous business cycles, taking a multi‐disciplinary approach to working with clients and their customers on each transaction, preserving the lender‐borrower relationship by conducting all negotiations with an understanding of the fund’s business issues, while preserving each fund’s relationship with its investors.

Our work in the global subscription financing market has been recognized by The Drawdown as Fund Finance Advisory Firm of Year and by Private Equity International’s Global Annual Awards as one of the top law firms in the “Transactions” category for both Asia and North America. Our global team’s focus is a collaborative team approach with an emphasis on partner‐led deals.

Our fund finance team of over 65 attorneys and specialists advises on all types of fund finance including subscription financing, NAV/Hybrid, unencumbered asset pool financing, employee co-invest, GP support and management fee financings.

Lance Taylor

Partner and Chief Financial Officer, HGGC

Lance leads the Firm’s finance and accounting operations, provides leadership over the Firm’s human capital efforts and is involved in the day-to-day management of the Firm’s operations. Lance is a member of HGGC’s Management Committee and Valuation Committee. Lance previously served as a member of the Board of Directors for HGGC Fund II’s investment in Dealer-FX.

Prior to joining HGGC, Lance was Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Calera Capital. Prior to Calera, he was the Chief Financial Officer of Legacy Venture, a venture focused philanthropic fund-of-funds. Lance also worked at Lightspeed Venture Partners as their Director of Finance from 2000 – 2004. He was a Senior Audit Manager at Ernst & Young and began his career in the audit practice of Arthur Andersen in San Jose, CA.

Lance is the Vice Chairman of the U.S.A. Board of Directors for Right to Play, a global organization that uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity.

Education:
M.B.A. from Duke University, Master of Accountancy and B.S. in Accounting from Brigham Young University

HGGC is a leading middle-market private equity firm with over $5.6 billion in cumulative capital commitments. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., HGGC is distinguished by its Advantaged Investing approach that enables the firm to source and acquire scalable businesses through partnerships with management teams, founders and sponsors who reinvest alongside HGGC, creating a strong alignment of interests. Since its inception in 2007, HGGC has completed more than 200 platform investments, add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations and liquidity events with an aggregate transaction value of over $30 billion. More information, including a complete list of current and former portfolio companies, is available at www.hggc.com.

John M. Van Der Wal

Senior Director, Compliance Advisory, COMPLY

John M. Van Der Wal is a Senior Director based in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2014. John brings over 20 years of compliance and industry related experience to his position at COMPLY, delivering comprehensive compliance solutions and services to all types of investment management firms. Working closely with senior management and staff, John strives to identify regulatory obligations, compliance opportunities and solutions. He also assists firms in developing, implementing and testing comprehensive compliance programs tailored to the firm’s unique practice and business activities, considering resources and initiatives of the firm.

Prior to joining COMPLY, John was President of Compliance Advisory Services, LLC, providing compliance consulting services to registered investment advisors for 12 years. John also spent 3 years with FINRA, conducting reviews and oversight of member firms from the San Francisco District Office.

He has worked in a variety of securities and investment related environments, including asset management, financial services, brokerage and consulting. John’s industry experience provides a unique perspective offering clients compliance solutions that consider the big picture without ignoring attention to detail.

John earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Davis and received an MBA from the University of San Francisco. John is a lecturer, and current certificate holder of the Investment Adviser Certified Compliance Professional Program (IACCP) co-sponsored by NRS and the Investment Adviser Association (IAA), and regularly speaks at conferences and webinars.

As a global market leader in regulatory compliance solutions, COMPLY combines the power of regulatory technology, services and education to empower Chief Compliance Officers (CCOs) and compliance professionals to easily navigate the regulatory landscape. COMPLY enables firms to scale their growth, while remaining vigilant in their compliance efforts, by providing solutions designed to manage the burden of complex compliance tasks. Our deep bench of industry expertise – which includes expansive knowledge in technology enablement and regulatory compliance protocols and processes from our product portfolio offerings ComplySci, RIA in a Box and NRS — supports more than 7,000 clients, including private equity firms, hedge funds, broker-dealers, registered investment advisers and other financial service sector participants.

COMPLY continually supports clients in their work to proactively address core compliance challenges – minimizing risk, addressing critical priorities and meeting new demands as the industry evolves and the firm scales.

Michael Walfish

Founder, Walrus Security

Mike has a rare combination of practical business experience and deep technical expertise.

Mike is the founder of Walrus Security, whose flagship product, DoubleCheck, is a new technology that lets users easily and securely obtain payment instructions from counterparties. DoubleCheck addresses the exploding threats of fraud from business email compromise and impersonation in payment processes. DoubleCheck is the solution of choice for many leading funds.

Mike is also a tenured professor of Computer Science at NYU in the Courant Institute. He is an international expert in verifiability and integrity of computation. He has published papers on many topics including computer security, applied cryptography, and systems. Mike's research implemented, systematized, and popularized probabilistic proofs, catalyzing the recent explosion of interest in zero-knowledge proofs. He has received numerous honors for his academic research, including the Sloan Research Fellowship.

He received his B.A. from Harvard and his Ph.D. from MIT, both in Computer Science.

Walrus Security was founded in 2016 by forward-thinking technical experts who recognized that payment processes lacked adequate authentication, which leaves trillions of dollars vulnerable to fraud. In response, they developed DoubleCheck, the leading platform for verifying payee identity and wire instructions to prevent fraudulent transfers. DoubleCheck allows recipients to efficiently verify themselves and provide payment instructions online without cumbersome logins or government ID scans. Incorporating sophisticated AI, DoubleCheck’s identity verification and validation removes the vulnerabilities of manual confirmation methods that are prone to spoofing. Firms can instantly collect wire data from partners and vendors in an intuitive site, accompanied by a guarantee.

DoubleCheck saves hours wasted on wire verification while reducing fraud risk, preventing reputation damage, and maintaining compliance. Purpose-built for private equity and VC payment flows, DoubleCheck is the best-practice solution for protecting transfers from fraud and error.

Eric Wauthy

Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, Caltius Capital Management

Eric oversees all aspects of financial operations, accounting and financial reporting, taxes, investor relations and reporting, information technology, SEC and SBA compliance, and human resources for Caltius Capital Management and its funds.

Prior to joining Caltius Capital Management in 2020, Eric was a Partner at EY. His experience spans the private equity fund life cycle, from fund formation and capitalization to portfolio company acquisitions, mergers, restructurings and dispositions, tax planning and compliance, and fund liquidation. Eric is well-versed in reviewing complex partnership agreements and interpreting and applying investor allocation, distribution and liquidation provisions.

Eric received his Master’s Degree in Business Taxation from the University of Southern California and his B.A., summa cum laude, in History with a minor in Accounting from the University of California at Los Angeles. He is a Certified Public Accountant and active supporter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the American Heart Association.

Caltius Capital Management is a private equity firm based in Los Angeles with over 25 years of investment success providing debt and equity solutions for middle market private companies.

Brianna Wener

CFO, Avante Capital Partners

Brianna Wener is the Chief Financial Officer of Avante Capital Partners. Based in Florida, Ms. Wener is responsible for the accounting and financial reporting of the firm.

Ms. Wener has over 17 years of experience in financial reporting and accounting. Prior to joining Avante, Ms. Wener was the Chief Accounting Officer - Investment Funds at Monroe Capital, where she was responsible for developing accounting policy and overseeing financial reporting and accounting for all of the fund products. Prior to joining Monroe in 2016, she was a Controller at Greenbriar Asset Management, responsible for the accounting and financial reporting of an event driven special situations credit fund. Ms. Wener was a Vice President in Financial Control at Northern Trust Hedge Fund Services, formerly Citadel Investment Group’s fund administrator Omnium, overseeing the financial accounting and reporting for third party clients. Ms. Wener began her career as an Audit Senior at Deloitte.

Ms. Wener earned her B.S. in Business from the University of Kansas. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Avante Capital Partners is a 100% women and minority-owned private credit and structured equity fund. We invest in the form of unitranche debt, mezzanine debt and minority equity in high-quality, lower middle market businesses generating at least $3 million in cash flow.

Matt Whelan

CFO & Managing Director, Finance Group, Gryphon Investors

Matt Whelan joined Gryphon in 2020. In his role, Mr. Whelan oversees Gryphon’s finance and accounting activities. Prior to joining Gryphon, Mr. Whelan served as the CFO and CCO of Brentwood Associates, a Los Angeles based middle-market private equity firm focused on business services and consumer businesses. Prior to his 18-year tenure at Brentwood Associates, Mr. Whelan held CFO roles at multiple organizations including, Entrepreneur.com, Lau Capital Funding and PCI International. Mr. Whelan also spent six years at Price Waterhouse. Mr. Whelan is a Certified Public Accountant in California (inactive) and earned his B.S. in Business Administration from University of Southern California.

Gryphon Investors is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing companies in partnership with management. As of December 31, 2022, the firm has over $9 billion of Assets Under Management. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with founders, owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon’s capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise. For more information, please visit www.gryphoninvestors.com.

Bessie Wu

CFO and CCO, NewView Capital

Bessie is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at NewView Capital. She’s a seasoned financial executive, with expertise in financial reporting, finance operations, and regulatory compliance. At NewView Capital, Bessie acts as the financial strategic lead, guiding day-to-day finance, accounting, and compliance for the firm. She is also responsible for the design and oversight of the infrastructure required to support NewView’s growing portfolio of investments and global investor base. Prior to joining NewView, Bessie led the finance team at AI Fund and also worked at Greenoaks and Venrock.

NewView Capital is driven by a proven investment team. It invests in high-growth technology companies through both flexible direct investments and curated portfolio acquisitions from other venture funds. Every NewView Capital’s portfolio company benefits from comprehensive operational support from its in-house partners and bench of expert advisors and mentors. It partners closely with its community of CEOs and teams to provide counsel and support on the road to IPO or acquisition.

Elizabeth Yates

Director, Investor Relations, Thoma Bravo

Elizabeth Yates is a Director on the Investor Relations team at Thoma Bravo. Based in San Francisco, she joined the firm in 2016. Previously, Elizabeth was part of the private equity project management and origination team at Park Hill Group (Blackstone) in New York. She started her career as an investment banking Analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group at UBS Investment Bank in New York. Liz holds a BS degree in Economics from The Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania.

Weiheng Zhang

CFO, AngelList

Weiheng Zhang serves as Chief Financial Officer at AngelList Venture. Prior to AngelList Venture, Weiheng served as Head of Finance at high-growth companies Notion and Stripe between 2017 and 2021. Before his operating career, he was an investor at Silver Lake and Goldman Sachs. Weiheng holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Georgetown University.

AngelList is building the infrastructure that powers the startup economy, providing startups and investors with the connected tools they need to launch and scale a startup or fund—and invest in both. AngelList currently supports nearly $16B in assets under management with 20k+ funds and syndicates and 12,000+ active startups (including 100s of unicorns) leveraging the AngelList platform.

AngelList's newly released unified software suite provides real-time insights and unparalleled efficiency for venture & private equity firms. Covering everything from investor relations to portfolio management and financial services, AngelList's software is designed for funds at any stage, regardless of their back-office provider.

Driving success through data and technology

Bring your team of senior executives and save | CPE credits available

2023 keynote speakers

Kesha Cash General Partner Impact America Fund

Fred Ebrahemi Chief Operating Officer, Partner, and General Counsel Clearlake Capital Group

Chief Financial Officer, The Sterling Group

General Partner, Impact America Fund

CFO, Avante Capital Partners

Chief Operating Officer, Partner, and General Counsel, Clearlake Capital Group

CFO and CCO, Knox Lane

CFO and CCO, NewView Capital

2023 agenda highlights

2023 attendees included:

What our attendees love about our Forum

Kristine O'Connor

Franklin Park

Joseph Riley

Psilos Group

Jesse M Burwell

RLJ Equity Partners LLC

Kristine O'Connor

Franklin Park

2024 agenda

Agenda

Day One - Tuesday 8th

Registration – breakfast

PEI & chairperson’s welcome

PEI data presentation

Keynote interview

Understanding today’s CFO: maintaining normalcy while adjusting to technological advances

Networking Break

Enlisting technology and data for fundraising and LP relations

Track A Moving away from Excel: methods and resources for performing valuations while appeasing to external parties

Track B Assisting CFOs with balancing fund and management company workloads

Networking Luncheon

Track A Compliance AUM <$4B Utilizing technology to assist with ongoing regulatory updates

Track B Compliance AUM >$4B Utilizing technology to assist with ongoing regulatory updates

Portfolio company monitoring

Fund administration

Investor reporting

Networking break

Panel A Assembling a robust technology infrastructure for private equity firms

Workshop A:

Panel B Assembling a robust technology infrastructure for venture capital firms

Workshop B

Cocktail reception

Agenda

Day Two - Wednesday 9th

Breakfast

Private Funds CFO Network Membership Breakfast Circles Delegates will enjoy exclusive pre-conference breakfast meetings based on membership circle involvement.

CFOs & COOs GP Only

Senior Finance & Operations Executives GP Only

Chairperson’s opening remarks

Keynote interview

Session A Cybersecurity AUM <$4B

Session B Cybersecurity AUM >$4B

Networking Break

Track A Enlisting data for developing strategic fund finance approaches in today’s market

Track B Carried interest complexities: employing technology to maintain and produce fair and equitable programs

Strategically scaling while keeping up with industry innovation

Closing Remarks

Lunch

Pre-Event Resources

By Private Funds CFO

By Private Funds CFO

By Private Funds CFO

By Private Funds CFO

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2023 Speakers

Managing Director, Citco Capital Solutions, Citco Fund Services

Chief Revenue Officer, Drawbridge

CFO, MaC Venture Capital

Chief Financial Officer, The Sterling Group

Editor, Private Funds CFO & Private Equity International

COO of Alpha for Private Markets, State Street

VP of Financial Services, Kyriba

Managing Partner and COO, Emerging Capital Partners

Kesha Cash
General Partner
Impact America Fund

Fred Ebrahemi
Chief Operating Officer, Partner, and General Counsel
Clearlake Capital Group