OLAIDE LAWAL - Managing Partner
Olaide brings significant consulting and management experience to Barah Capital Partners. For the past 10 years, Olaide has helped to formulate and implement strategic initiatives at leading organizations within and outside of the United States. Olaide’s specialization includes Strategy, Finance, Organizational Performance, Change Management, Product Management, International Business and Customer Intimacy. Olaide’s consulting and management experience has spanned a number of industries including financial services, technology, media, manufacturing, oil & gas, construction and exposed him to the key growth drivers and risk factors in these industries.
Most recently, Olaide worked in the Released Products Group at Cymer where he facilitated the achievement of the organization's highest level initiatives such as customer intimacy, competitive upgrades pricing, product positioning and business process improvement. Prior to joining Cymer, Olaide worked for Accenture (one of the World’s Most Admired Companies on FORTUNE’s list) as a management consultant on various value creation engagements.
Olaide holds an MBA from the College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he was a Dean’s Fellow. Olaide also holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Lagos.
Jason brings a background of business development, marketing strategy, organizational leadership development, and customer service to the team. Most recently, prior to Barah Capital, Jason worked for Collegiate Marketing Inc., one of the leading providers products and services for residence halls in colleges and universities all across the nation with over 25,000 direct student customers. Jason reported directly to the president of the company, a successful entrepreneur that has invested in and grown a portfolio of middle market companies throughout his career. Jason's role in business development consisted of product positioning, CRM, operational management, and new product & program development.
Jason holds an MBA from the College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he was a recipient of both the Entrepreneurial Scholarship and Merit-Based Scholarship. Jason also holds a Masters in Organizational Psychology from seminary. Jason also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Development from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
JASON JACKSON - Managing Partner
INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS
BILL EGAN
Bill is founder and General Partner of Alta Communications and Marion Equity Partners, Massachusetts-based venture capital firms. He founded Alta’s predecessor firm, Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co. in 1979, and has identified and backed several of America’s leading growth companies in the information technology, life sciences, and communications industries. Prior to founding Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co., Bill was a Partner at TA Associates. He began his career as a Manager of Venture Capital for New England Enterprise Capital Corporation.
He is past President and Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association, a former trustee of Fairfield University and the University of Pennsylvania and a former member of the Board of Overseers of The Wharton School. He is a member of the Board of CRH plc, and a number of privately held companies. Bill is also a trustee of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Duniry Foundation.
Bill received a degree in Economics from Fairfield University and an MBA from The Wharton School.
MARK EGAN
Mr. Egan is a founder and Managing Partner at Marion Equity Partners, a Boston based investment firm. Prior to Marion, Mr. Egan focused on growth equity investments in the technology, healthcare, media, and business services industries at Polaris Venture Partners. Before Polaris, Mr. Egan began his career at Alta Communications where he executed investments in the media and telecommunications sectors. Mr. Egan also has previous experience with Comcast Corporation in business development and currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Penn Warranty Corporation.
Mr. Egan received a degree in Finance from Fairfield University and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
ALLEN HILL
Allen Hill is the former CEO and President of DPL Inc. and its subsidiary the Dayton Power and Light Co. Mr. Hill serves on the governing boards of Premier Health Partners, I-Net Interactive, the University of Dayton, the Dayton Early College Academy, Alliance Community Schools, Miami Valley Economic Development Coalition and the Dayton Business Committee. Mr. Hill received a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1967 and an MBA in 1972, both from the University of Dayton.
SERGEI KAMINSKIY
Sergei Kaminskiy is the President/CEO of Kaminskiy Design & Remodelling, Southern California-based high end remodeling firm. Sergei and his wife Elena founded Kaminskiy Design & Remodelling (originally known as “SDC Handyman Service Plus”) in 2005. Starting from scratch, they have since grown the company into a multi-million dollar organization with a reputation for excellence - serving a niche area of custom remodeling in Southern California. Sergei is a Certified Green Professional and is also the founder and CEO of a non-profit organization that focuses on helping the homeless. Sergei is passionate about real estate investing. He and Elena own rental properties as well as several luxury homes that they purchased and remodeled. Sergei enjoys mentoring and guiding other entrepreneurs to help them achieve success in what they are passionate about.
TODD SANDOZ
Todd Sandoz is currently a Managing Director at Credit Suisse and responsible for the Global Currencies business and Short Term Interest Rate Trading. Prior to his current role he was Co-Head of the Equity Department for the Americas as well as responsible for equity capital markets risk globally. He is the co chair for the committee that governs and commits capital to illiquid equity exposures (such as financial market structure holdings and pre-IPO exposures) for the Investment Bank. After graduating from Yale with a BA in Economics, he started his career at Citadel Investments in Chicago focusing on convertible bond arbitrage strategies, convertible credit trading, and equity derivatives trading. Todd moved from Citadel to Credit Suisse in Hong Kong where he spent 9 years and held a number of roles in the Credit Suisse Equity Department culminating with responsibility for all of the bank's equity derivatives and convertibles business as well as equity trading and execution across Asia Pacific. In 2006 Todd relocated to New York with Credit Suisse where he assumed global responsibility for equity share trading across block trading, program trading, electronic trading, syndicate block risk, as well as the convertible bond group in 2007.
JON STAENBERG
Jon Staenberg is the founder of Hand of God Wines, a boutique premium winery that produces world renown wines from the best winemaker in Argentina. Before Hand of God Wines, Jon worked with venture-backed technology companies for 20 years in several capacities: a founder, manager, and venture capitalist. As an entrepreneur he has established two companies, served on the senior management team of several early stage organizations, and provided venture capital funding to more than 100 start-ups. He is one of the most experienced venture capitalists in the Pacific Northwest, having raised three funds totaling over $300 million. Early in his career, Jon established several marketing groups at Microsoft where he worked from 1988 through 1994. He then joined the senior management team of Virtual i-O, a venture-backed startup, as VP of Sales & Marketing. Pursuing his passion for helping to establish and grow great companies, he has spent the last ten years raising and deploying venture capital with a focus on Silicon Valley and Seattle-based startups. In 2004, Jon joined Rustic Canyon Partners, heading up their Seattle office. Jon currently is a director on the boards of ePartners and Limelife, and serves on the advisory boards of New Vine Logistics, Vista Broadband, Prime Advantage, Efficient Frontier, and uReach.com. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University, where he received his BS, MA, and MBA.
KENT WEAVER
Kent Weaver is currently executive Chairman and former CEO of Progressive Home Care, a Northern California-based health care company . Previously, Mr. Weaver held executive positions in marketing and product management for a VC-backed marketing automation startup, as a regional CFO and business analyst in Pepsico’s Pizza Hut Division, and as a management consultant at Ernst & Young.
He received his MBA from the Fully Employed Program at the University of California, Los Angeles and BS in finance from the University of Southern California. He is a member of the Board of Directors at Integra Partners, Change Academy Lake of the Ozarks, T-Base Communications, and Neuro International.
HOUSATONIC PARTNERS
Housatonic Partners is a leading private equity investment firm founded in 1994, with a total capital under management of $1 billion. Housatonic Partners invests in profitable companies and prefers to make equity commitments of $5 million to $20 million. Housatonic Partners invests in companies with enduring growth and profitability in the recurring services, media and communications industries. Housatonic Partners have partnered with exceptional management teams in more than fifty small to mid-sized companies in these industries over the last thirteen years. Housatonic Partners'primary focus is to invest capital for long-term appreciation.
Will Thorndike
Mr. Thorndike founded Housatonic Partners in Boston in 1994 and has been Managing Director since that time. Prior to that, Mr. Thorndike worked with T. Rowe Price Associates where he did investment research in the nascent field of business services and Walker & Company where he was named to the Board of Directors.
Mr. Thorndike is a graduate of Harvard College and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a Director of Access Information Management; Alta Colleges; Continental Fire & Safety Services, LLC, Carillon Assisted Living, LLC; Liberty Towers, LLC; OASIS Group Ltd.; QMC International, LLC; White Flower Farm, Inc., a Trustee of Stanford Business School Trust, the College of the Atlantic (Chair) and a founding partner at FARM, a social impact investing fund/collaborative. He is the author of The Outsiders, which Forbes named one of the most important business books in America.
Tushar Shah
Mr. Shah co-founded and is a Managing Partner of Kinderhook Partners, an investment partnership focused on making long-term investments in public and private companies started in 2003. Prior to Kinderhook, Tushar was a Principal at Geocapital Partners, a venture capital firm, and prior to that, a strategy consultant with the Monitor Group. Tushar has been a director of a number of public and private companies. Tushar is a CFA charterholder and received a B.A. in Economics from Williams College.
Kinderhook Capital Management is a registered investment adviser founded in 2003, focused on making long-term investments in small public companies and to a lesser degree promising private companies.
KINDERHOOK PARTNERS
David Carver
David Carver is a co-founder of Search Fund Partners. He spent thirty years as an executive in the high tech industry, and has extensive experience in all phases of business, including M&A, fund-raising, corporate strategy and operations. He was CEO of HiFive!, an application service provider; CEO of Hipbone Networks, an online collaboration company; EVP and GM at Network Associates; COO of Network General; EIR at Institutional Venture Partners; and an executive at Hewlett-Packard, including ten years in the professional service/software divisions of HP.
Rich Kelley
Rich Kelley is a co-founder of Search Fund Partners. He has been involved in numerous small businesses and start-up companies as an operator, owner, and investor. His varied experience includes: CFO of Score Learning Centers, CEO of San Jose Giants, General Partner of the Stanford Terrace Inn, developer of houses and subdivisions, owner of office buildings, investor in successful tech start-ups (Coinstar, PLX Technology, Corcept Therapeutics). He has also invested in many limited partnerships, including venture funds, and has been involved as a search fund investor since 1994.
Jim Edmunds
Jim Edmunds brings practical search fund and portfolio company management experience to Search Fund Partners. Jim’s search fund, Ephesus Capital, acquired Celebrity Kids Portrait Studios, a leading provider of upscale children’s photography in 2005. Jim served as President and CFO of the company. He is on the boards of Ascentia, Consumeraffairs.com and UCIT Online.
Search Fund Partners invests in small, profitable companies with $5 million to $30 million in revenue. The firm works primarily with Search Funds, partnering with entrepreneurs to find, acquire and build successful businesses. The firm’s team has over 40 years of management and investment experience in a wide spectrum of industries.
SEARCH FUND PARTNERS
Jim Southern
Jim Southern is a founding partner of Pacific Lake Partners, a private equity firm focused exclusively on the search fund model. Earlier in his career, Jim led a team of operators and investors using the search fund model to acquire Uniform Printing, a $43 million printer of specialty insurance documents, where he served as CEO and chairman for 10 years. Investor returns from distributions and exit exceeded 30x the acquisition capital. Jim currently is a director of multiple search fund companies including Arizona College, Raptor Technologies, Fastspring, Vector Disease Control, Alphacredit, Scottish American Capital, and Little Sprouts. Jim holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Coley Andrews
Coley Andrews is a founding partner of Pacific Lake Partners, a private equity firm focused exclusively on the search fund model. Since starting Pacific Lake in 2009 Coley has worked with over 35 search funds. He is currently a director at Out of Home America and Data Fusion Technologies and a board visitor at several Pacific Lake portfolio companies. Prior to forming Pacific Lake, Coley worked at Tech For Less, a small growing company owned by two search fund entrepreneurs. He also was an associate at Golden Gate Capital and The Parthenon Group. Coley holds an MBA from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and a BA from Dartmouth College.
Pacific Lake Partners is a $35 million private equity fund focused on small cap buyouts exclusively through the search fund model. Search fund investing consists of providing search and acquisition capital to promising entrepreneurs whose intent is to acquire a small, established company with revenues of $10 million to $30 million and a history of profits and growth.
PACIFIC LAKE PARTNERS
Scott Alderman
Scott is a Managing Director of Trilogy Search Partners. Most recently, he was on the investing team of Trilogy Equity Partners, where he is still a Partner. Previously, Scott spent 11 years at Western Wireless Corporation in various roles, including Chief Financial Officer of Western Wireless International which operated mobile networks in Europe, Africa, South America and the Caribbean. Scott graduated from Whitman College, where today he serves on the Board of Overseers, and he has an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Cregg Baumbaugh
Cregg is a Managing Director of Trilogy Searh Partners. Previously, Cregg served as Executive Vice President – Finance, Strategy and Development for VoiceStream Wireless (now T-Mobile US). In addition, he served as SVP – Corporate Development of both VoiceStream and Western Wireless Corporation. Prior to his wireless career, Cregg worked at The First Boston Corporation. Cregg received his BS and MBA degrees from Indiana University. He lives in Marin County, California and is a trustee of Marin Academy. Cregg is also a Partner of Trilogy Equity Partners and serves on the boards of Asurion and ResponseLink and on the advisory board of HarvestWest Investments.
Mitch Cohen
Mitch is a Managing Director of Trilogy Search Partners. Mitch was a Managing Director of Hellman & Friedman from 1989 until 2008, where he sourced and oversaw portfolio investments, as well as lead the firm’s fundraising and client relations. Mitch worked closely with other Trilogy partners while representing Hellman & Friedman on the boards of Western Wireless and VoiceStream. Prior to Hellman & Friedman, he was an Associate at Shearson Lehman Hutton. Recently, Mitch has been managing his family office, investing in a range of private companies. He graduated from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. Mitch lives in Marin County, California and serves on a number of for-profit and non-profit boards.
Trilogy Search Partners is a closely-held investment firm that invests in acquisitions of small, profitable companies, sourced primarily through the search fund model. Our roots include the formation and leadership of some of the largest mobile operations in the US as well as other global technology and wireless companies. We partner with search fund entrepreneurs, providing them with expertise and capital through the process of sourcing, acquiring and operating companies that meet our criteria.