Our Speakers
Axel Bruzelius
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
Gilion
Axel Bruzelius
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, Gilion
Axel is one of the co-founders at Gilion and in charge of everything related to the company's groundbreaking startup loans. Before starting Gilion, Axel was a pioneering force in startup lending, through his role as Head of Startup and Growth at Nordea. In this role, Axel was one of the first people in Europe to offer non-diluting loans to tech companies, and with over 200 startup loans under his belt he is one of the authorities and thought leaders in Europe on lending towards tech companies.Axel is motivated by the tangible impact his work has on helping companies scale and realize their visions. He believes that there is a perfect funding option for every company and emphasizes the need for transparency and predictability in the funding process. One instance of his ability to go above and beyond is highlighted where he secured necessary funds for a company’s acquisition within an incredibly tight 10-day deadline, showcasing his commitment and ability to deliver under pressure.What sets Axel apart in the industry is his blend of extensive experience and willingness to embrace innovative approaches.
Will Chappel
Managing Partner - Growth Credit at Palatine Private Equity
Palatine Growth Credit
Will Chappel
Managing Partner - Growth Credit at Palatine Private Equity, Palatine Growth Credit
Will Chappel is the Managing Partner of the Palatine Growth Credit Fund, which is based in Manchester and London, UK. The strategy supports high-growth businesses across the regions of the UK, whilst leveraging Palatine’s market leading sustainability credentials to drive social and/or environmental improvements. Will has over 15 years of Venture lending experience across Banks and Funds.
Brian Demmert
Managing Director, Debt Capital Markets
ThinkEquity LLC
Brian Demmert
Managing Director, Debt Capital Markets, ThinkEquity LLC
Brian has over two decades of commercial lending experience, focused primarily in venture capital and private equity backed life sciences, technology and health care services companies. He has completed in excess of $4 billion in loans and is an expert in structuring and negotiating growth capital, asset and equipment-based, subordinate and mezzanine financings. Before joining Think Equity, Brian was a founding partner at Armentum Partners (a debt advisory firm), prior to Armentum Brian was Head of Life Sciences for Comerica Bank’s national life science lending practice. Prior to Comerica, he was a Director at Oxford Finance LLC and headed their Northern California office. Brian also held various positions at Silicon Valley Bank and Accenture Technology Consulting. He holds a B.S. in both finance and economics and an M.B.A, all from Santa Clara University.
Dan Devorsetz
Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Investment Officer
Horizon Technology Finance
Dan Devorsetz
Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Investment Officer, Horizon Technology Finance
Dan co-founded Horizon Technology Finance Corporation and is its Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Investment Officer. Dan joined our Advisor in 2004 and is its Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Investment Officer and also serves as a member of its investment committee. Dan has more than 19 years of credit and portfolio management experience including more than 15 years in venture lending.
From 2003 to 2004, Dan was a Vice President in General Electric Capital Corporation’s Life Science Finance Group, where he was primarily responsible for the underwriting and portfolio management of debt and equity investments to venture capital-backed life science companies. From 2000 to 2003, Dan was a Credit Manager at GATX Ventures, Inc., the venture lending subsidiary of GATX Corporation, and was a member of GATX’s international credit committee. From 1999 to 2000, Dan was a Vice President and Director of Analysis for Student Loans with Citigroup. Dan's previous experience also includes positions at Advest, Inc. and Ironwood Capital. Dan earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Clark University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Fatou Diagne
Managing Partner/Co-Founder
Bootstrap Europe
Fatou Diagne
Managing Partner/Co-Founder, Bootstrap Europe
Fatou is a Managing Partner of Bootstrap Europe, a Growth Debt fund investing in Technology and Life Sciences, mainly in Europe and the US.
Prior to Bootstrap, Fatou was a founding partner together with Stephanie of The Real Economy Effect (TREE) in 2012 where she managed private equity and venture capital portfolios on behalf of family offices and multi-asset managers.
Fatou started her career as an investment banker at Citigroup in their London and Johannesburg offices, where she spent over five years advising European and emerging markets clients on cross border M&A, high yield debt and equity financing and leveraged buyouts.
Fatou is from Senegal, lives in Zurich with her husband and 2 boys who teach her patience and creativity every day!
Diane Earle
Chief Credit Officer
Horizon Technology Finance
Diane Earle
Chief Credit Officer, Horizon Technology Finance
Diane is Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer responsible for overseeing Horizon’s venture lending investment due diligence and underwriting, and portfolio management processes.
Diane has over 35 years of risk management and financial services experience. Diane previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer at Square 1 Bank, a division of Pacific Western Bank, and held senior credit positions at J. P. Morgan, Hercules Technology Growth Capital and GE Capital in their venture lending practices.
Zack Ellison
Founder, Managing General Partner, & Chief Investment Officer
Applied Real Intelligence (A.R.I.)
Zack Ellison
Founder, Managing General Partner, & Chief Investment Officer, Applied Real Intelligence (A.R.I.)
Zack Ellison, MBA, MS, CFA, CAIA is the Founder and Managing General Partner of Applied Real Intelligence (A.R.I.) and the Chief Investment Officer of the A.R.I. Senior Secured Growth Credit Fund, which provides debt financing to America’s premier innovators and technology companies.
Zack previously worked as a loan underwriter, investment banker, corporate bond trader, and fixed income portfolio manager at five publicly traded firms, including three with over $1 trillion in assets – Scotia Bank, Deutsche Bank, and Sun Life. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an MS in Risk Management from NYU Stern, and will complete his Doctorate in Business Administration at the University of Florida in 2025.
Haley Fiallo
Counsel
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Haley Fiallo
Counsel, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP
Haley Fiallo is counsel in Manatt’s financial services practice with a background at the intersection of financial services and innovation. She has extensive experience counseling lenders, commercial banks and borrowers on financing transactions, in addition to venture capital and real estate investments and contracts. Haley focuses on representing companies in documenting technology, life sciences and middle-market financing transactions, including traditional commercial leveraged debt financings, venture debt financings and bridge loans.
Ken Fugate
Managing Group Director, Venture Banking Group
Customers Bank
Ken Fugate
Managing Group Director, Venture Banking Group, Customers Bank
Since June 2023, co-founder and Managing Group Director Customers Bank Technology & Venture Banking Group, responsible for leading the Group, overseeing its strategy, performance and growth.
Previously co-founded the Signature Bank Venture Banking group in 2019 and led the group as Managing Group Director
Previously EVP, Technology Banking Central, PACW/Square 1 Bank, responsible for the technology and life sciences team in Square 1’s Central region including the Midwest, Rocky Mountain and Texas markets.
26 years of venture lending experience.
Co-founder team of Square 1 Bank in 2005, helping build the Square 1 brand and franchise to $4B in assets and a successful IPO prior to its acquisition by PacWest Bank.
Randy Garg
Founder and Managing Partner
Vistara Growth
Randy Garg
Founder and Managing Partner, Vistara Growth
Randy has passionately worked with dozens of emerging technology companies over the past 30+ years in various capacities as an investor, advisor, and board member.
In the early 90’s and 2000’s he worked closely with numerous earlier stage technology companies through their growth trajectories as a Principal in a venture capital fund. His experience also includes a number of years in the mid-2000’s on the sell–side as a Managing Director with PwC Corporate Finance leading M&A and financing mandates.
Rekindling his passion for investing in growing technology companies, he co-founded a family office fund in 2010 focused on providing flexible growth capital in the form of growth debt and growth equity to mid-later stage technology companies across North America. In early 2015, these efforts led to his founding of Vistara Capital Partners (now Vistara Growth) carrying on the same investment strategy and approach where he currently serves as its Managing Partner.
Randy has led a number of community initiatives including establishment of the Vistara Elevate Awards, to provide opportunities to underrepresented students from ethnic and racial minority groups in the areas of STEM and finance. He is also a long-standing member of Social Venture Partners (Vancouver) focused on vulnerable children and youth initiatives where he serves on the Development Committee, and where Vistara acts as a Community Business Partner. Randy also serves on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA)
Randy received his BBA from York University, his MBA from University of British Columbia, and is a CFA Charterholder.
John Hale
Senior Counsel
Cooley LLP
John Hale
Senior Counsel, Cooley LLP
John B. Hale is a Senior Counsel at Cooley LLP. He did his first venture debt closing in 1987, and has since represented banks, non-bank lenders, companies and investors on lots of deals. His practice focuses on capital call, subscription and management company facilities, in addition to the range of venture debt products. He represents banks, venture debt funds and companies in connection with the making and unmaking of credit arrangements, including simple and not simple loans, warrants and related matters.
Andrew Kahn
CEO and Co-Founder
Partners for Growth/PFG
Andrew Kahn
CEO and Co-Founder, Partners for Growth/PFG
Andrew Kahn CEO and Co-Founder.
Andrew co-founded Partners for Growth with Don Campbell in 2004 and has been structuring custom financing for technology companies for the past 35 years. Prior to forming PFG, Andrew and Don together managed Hambrecht & Quist Guaranty Finance (HQGF), the lending practice of San Francisco technology focused investment bank Hambrecht & Quist. Andrew held a variety of senior roles during his tenure at Hambrecht & Quest including General Partner of Access Technology Partners (a venture capital fund), a Managing Director of the H&Q Investment Bank, and President of HQGF.
Following Hambrecht & Quist’s acquisition by Chase and merger with JP Morgan, Andrew was a General Partner with JP Morgan’s buyout and growth equity practice, JP
Morgan Partners. He also managed two of the firm’s venture capital funds totaling over $400 million of invested capital. Earlier in his career, Andrew was a Manager at the Massachusetts Industrial Finance Agency where he had responsibility for bond financings to small businesses as well as managing the firm’s direct lending program.
Andrew holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan.
BJ Lackland
Partner
Equal Capital
BJ Lackland
Partner, Equal Capital
25 years experience funding and operating startups. I have helped pioneer alternative growth capital for tech companies, funding over 300 companies over the past dozen years with revenue-based financing and growth debt. Raised $50M+ in venture capital, $400M+ in investing capital, and been Managing Partner, CEO or CIO of leading providers of alternative capital for startups.
Currently - Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Equal Capital LLC, a $200M fund providing $1M-$6M in growth debt to tech companies in the U.S. - Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of IBI Spikes Fund, a $200M fund providing $1M-$6M in Revenue-Based Financing to tech companies in Israel
Previously - CEO of Lighter Capital for 7 years, pioneered Revenue-Based Financing and completed over 650 financings of $50k-$3M+, raised $220M in funding capital and $26M in venture capital, 5 straight years on the INC 5000 fastest growing companies in the US - Vice Chairman of Founders First Capital Partners, the leading provider of Revenue-Based Financing for diverse founders historically excluded from traditional sources of growth capital - VC at Summit Energy Ventures (Seed and Series A energy tech deals) - CFO of Power Efficiency, a public energy tech company
Mike Lederman
Senior Managing Director, Technology Banking Group
Bridge Bank
Mike Lederman
Senior Managing Director, Technology Banking Group, Bridge Bank
Mike Lederman is senior managing director in Bridge Bank’s Technology Banking Group, responsible for relationship management and business development, and is a member of the Bank’s credit committee. Mike has over 23 years of experience in various positions with Bridge Bank, SVB, and Horizon Technology Finance. He has a Business degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and graduated from Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.
Christopher LiPuma
Managing Director
Fortress Intellectual Property Group | Fortress Investment Group
Christopher LiPuma
Managing Director , Fortress Intellectual Property Group | Fortress Investment Group
Mr. LiPuma is a Managing Director in San Francisco in Fortress’s Intellectual Property Group, where he focuses on a wide variety of investment opportunities in connection with intellectual property, life sciences, and academic institutions.
Prior to joining Fortress in 2018, Mr. LiPuma headed business development for Kastle Therapeutics, a private equity-backed biotechnology company acquiring ultra-orphan drugs. Before joining Kastle, he was with OrbiMed Advisors, a life sciences-focused asset management firm. At OrbiMed, he worked on royalty monetizations, direct lending to late development stage and early commercial stage life sciences companies, and several private equity transactions focused on acquiring legacy assets from big pharma. He started his career as an investment banker at Leerink Partners.
Mr. LiPuma holds a B.A. from Hamilton College.
Heidi Lipton
Founding Partner
Rock Creek Advisors
Heidi Lipton
Founding Partner, Rock Creek Advisors
Heidi Lipton, a founding partner of Rock Creek Advisors, has many years of experience in banking and consulting. She worked over 10 years at Goldman Sachs in their investment banking and asset management divisions and additional years in management consulting for McKinsey & Company in their New York based Financial Institutions practice. Heidi is very talented in identifying a company’s strengths and issues, developing a strategy for improvement, building consensus with all key constituents, and leading a process to obtain a positive outcome. Heidi has extensive experience with clients in many industries and helps guide them through tough financial issues, restructuring, liquidity constraints, sale processes and insolvency matters.
Heidi has an MBA from the Wharton School and a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts from University of Pennsylvania.
Sean Lynden
President, Venture Banking Group
Banc of California
Sean Lynden
President, Venture Banking Group, Banc of California
Sean Lynden is President of Banc of California's Venture Banking Group. In his role, he leads a national team of venture and fund bankers. He is also a member of Banc of California's Executive Leadership Group.
Mr. Lynden is an accomplished executive with more than 30 years of experience. He began his banking career at Silicon Valley Bank and was also a founding Partner at Gold Hill Capital.
Paul Marino
Partner
Sadis & Goldberg
Paul Marino
Partner, Sadis & Goldberg
Paul Marino is a partner in the Financial Services and Corporate Groups. Paul focuses his practice in matters concerning financial services, corporate law and corporate finance. Paul provides counsel in the areas of private equity funds and mergers and acquisitions for private equity firms and public and private companies and private equity fund and hedge fund formation.
Paul works on a variety of M&A transactions, including leveraged acquisitions, divestitures of business divisions, going-private transactions, and other strategic acquisitions and dispositions, in the following industries: manufacturing, telecommunications, consumer products, hospitality, healthcare, and technology, among others. His practice also includes joint ventures and general company representation matters.
Paul has represented national and multinational corporations, ranging from telecoms to tech companies, as well as real estate syndication and financial investors and investment advisors. He has also negotiated and structured a number of U.S. domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures.
John Markell
Managing Partner
Armentum Partners
John Markell
Managing Partner, Armentum Partners
John has over 20 years of technology industry experience across roles in engineering and debt, equity, and M&A transactions. He has previously worked at investment banks Seven Hills Partners, CIBC World Markets, and JP Morgan in New York, London, Toronto, and San Francisco. John is also a Licensed Professional Engineer. He received his Master of Business Administration from York University and his Bachelor of Science in Engineering and Mathematics from Queen’s University in Canada. John has two daughters and is an elite masters runner with West Valley Track Club and a world-ranked beer miler.
A. J. Martinez
Partner and Chief Legal Officer
Serengeti Asset Management
A. J. Martinez
Partner and Chief Legal Officer, Serengeti Asset Management
AJ Martinez is the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Serengeti Asset Management.
Prior to joining Serengeti in 2018, A.J. was an attorney in the litigation department at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where his practice focused on the litigation and negotiated resolution of disputes relating to distressed debt, corporate governance, and the financial services industry.
A.J. began his career as an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP and clerked for Judge John T. Noonan, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Ryan McCalley
Founder & Managing Partner
SQN Venture Partners
Ryan McCalley
Founder & Managing Partner, SQN Venture Partners
Ryan McCalley is the Managing Partner and Founder of SQN Venture Partners with lead responsibilities for the day-to-day operations of SQN VP and its Funds, the sourcing and investment process, and portfolio construction. Ryan brings over 20 years of portfolio management and startup operational experience to SQN VP.
Prior to establishing SQN VP, in partnership with SQN Capital Management, he was the Senior Vice President of ATEL Ventures, a San Francisco based private equity firm, managing $2BN in assets. Mr. McCalley’s tenure spanned over a decade with ATEL where he provided venture debt financing to emerging technology companies and also held various other responsibilities such as: portfolio management over multiple funds, deal origination and underwriting and was the head of Clean Energy Investments.
His extensive experience financing emerging technology companies led him to the cofounding of PURE Energies, Inc. in 2010. Mr. McCalley was part of the founding senior management team and board responsible for taking PURE from concept to the largest VC backed exit for a Canadian company in 2014. While with PURE, Mr. McCalley raised over $20 million in venture capital financing from multiple funds, including New Enterprise
Associates. He was also responsible for key strategic acquisitions that resulted in the sale of PURE to NRG Energy the largest VC backed exit in Canada in 2014.
Mr. McCalley holds a BA in Economics and accounting from the University of California Santa Barbara and resides in Charleston, SC with his wife and
three children.
Bernie Murphy
Senior Managing Director
Sherwood Partners Inc.
Bernie Murphy
Senior Managing Director, Sherwood Partners Inc.
Bernie Murphy has more than 28 years of financial and operational experience, including executive management positions with several technology companies and an international accounting firm.
Mr. Murphy has been with Sherwood Partners, Inc. for more than 14 years where he is primarily focused on developing relationships in the venture, lending and legal communities and assisting challenged companies through their lifecycle. He has worked with hundreds of companies that are struggling, in transition or distressed due to transactions, market conditions, or growth toward the next stage of development. He has led the restructuring of corporate obligations on many projects and has managed more than 150 sale transactions for distressed companies, including their intellectual property. Mr. Murphy has extensive experience with venture backed technology companies and has been involved in over 200 corporate wind-downs, including assignments for the benefit of the creditors for which he is recognized as one of the industry’s leading experts.
Prior to Sherwood Partners, Inc., Mr. Murphy was the Chief Financial Officer of an Internet based corporate training company, where he managed all corporate functions, including finance, human resources, legal and administration. Prior to that, he held senior finance positions with public and private companies and lead the equity and debt financings of more than $290 million, including the initial public offering of a software company. Mr. Murphy was also responsible for all accounting and finance activities of a $200 million public company, including the merger and acquisition of more than 20 companies, closure of non performing operations and the spin-off of a division.
Mr. Murphy was also a manager in the business advisory practice of one of the largest international accounting firms, primarily working with technology, distribution and manufacturing companies. He managed engagements for private and public companies, including several initial public offerings.
Mr. Murphy is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Jennifer Post
Partner
Thompson Coburn, LLP
Jennifer Post
Partner, Thompson Coburn, LLP
Jennifer Post counsels venture funds, BDCs, and other direct lenders in a variety of finance transactions with a focus on technology and life sciences industries. She assists her lender clients in structuring secured credit facilities, as well as documenting equity enhancement instruments and investment rights. In addition to counseling lenders on commercial transaction matters, she assists her clients in structuring funds, co-investment entities, joint ventures and account management structures often including leverage and warehouse lines. In connection with the documentation of credit facilities, she supports her clients in due diligence, documentation, syndications, participations, portfolio management, intercreditor agreements and distressed and turnaround matters. She has over thirty years of experience in venture debt transactions working in both the east coast and west coast venture markets. She serves as the Co-Chair of Thompson Coburn’s Emerging Companies Group.
Mehak Rashid
Managing Partner
Legal Scale, LLP
Mehak Rashid
Managing Partner, Legal Scale, LLP
Mehak Rashid is a partner at Legal Scale and head of the debt finance practice. She primarily focuses on representation of private credit funds and corporate borrowers in a wide range of financing transactions, including asset-based, leveraged acquisition, working capital and factoring financings, and other secured and unsecured financings.
Mehak received her J.D. and M.B.A. from Cornell Law School and her B.A. in Political Science and Math from Rutgers University (New Brunswick). She is admitted to the bar in New York, New Jersey, D.C., Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Ruslan Sergeyev
Managing Director
Hercules Capital
Ruslan Sergeyev
Managing Director, Hercules Capital
Ruslan is a Managing Director for Hercules Capital, leading technology origination out of New York City and responsible for sourcing and executing investment opportunities. Prior to Hercules, Ruslan was a Managing Director for the Stifel Venture Lending team helping run origination and structuring efforts across the east coast for the venture bank. He also spent the prior five years at PacWest where he led the credit team across the PacWest east coast venture banking portfolio. Ruslan has over 12 years of credit investing experience across all stages of debt and company profile, previously working on the Direct Lending team at Golub Capital, a middle market private credit fund. He began his career in Investment Banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Leveraged Finance Group.
Parag Shah
Founding Managing Director & CEO
K2 HealthVentures
Parag Shah
Founding Managing Director & CEO, K2 HealthVentures
Parag has over 25 years of experience in finance, operations, and venture capital, and is highly experienced in providing comprehensive capital structure solutions to private and public companies in the life sciences industry.
Parag previously served as the Senior Managing Director and Group Head of the Life Sciences practice at Hercules Capital. Over approximately 10 years, Parag and his team committed around $2 billion in capital to venture and growth stage companies in the life sciences industry. Prior to that, Parag was Senior Vice President and Group Head of Imperial Bank’s Life Sciences practice, which was acquired by Comerica Bank. He also served as an Assistant Vice President at BancBoston (acquired by Fleet), where he focused on mergers and acquisitions finance.
Parag currently serves as Chairman of eCare Vault, an early-stage software company that bridges privacy-compliant communications between the education and health sectors. He is also a charter member of TiE, one of the leading entrepreneurial organizations in the country.
Parag is a graduate of MIT where he received an M.S. in Technology, Management, and Policy and B.S. in Molecular Biology, and continues to be involved with the Whitehead Institute at MIT.
Brian Slough
Of Counsel, Corporate and Business Transactions
Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Brian Slough
Of Counsel, Corporate and Business Transactions, Morgan Lewis & Bockius, LLP
Brian P. Slough serves as a trusted advisor and outside counsel to a broad array of clients on various governance and operational issues. His practice focuses on corporate governance, debt and equity offerings, majority and minority investments, private capital markets and venture investments, recapitalizations, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Brian assists clients throughout the business cycle, from initial company formation and general governance to financings, M&A, and initial public offerings. He also represents buyers and target companies in public-private and private-private business transactions.
Brian advises clients from a broad variety of industries including technology, software, artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology, cybersecurity, fintech, retail, finance, and healthcare. Brian helps institutional, sovereign wealth, family office, venture capital, corporate venture capital, private equity, and angel investor clients across these industries to structure and implement investments and manage portfolio companies. He also represents private and public companies, providing general corporate and strategic advice on financings, partnerships, joint ventures, and M&A transactions, as well as inbound, outbound, and cross-border transactions.
Mark Solovy
Co-Head, Technology Finance Group
Monroe Capital
Mark Solovy
Co-Head, Technology Finance Group, Monroe Capital
Mr. Solovy is a Managing Director of Monroe Capital. He is responsible for co-leading relationship sourcing and the origination of new business opportunities within the software, technology and tech-enabled services industries. Mr. Solovy has 25 years of private equity, venture capital, and investment banking experience. Prior to Monroe, Mr. Solovy was a Managing Director at Hercules Capital. Mr. Solovy earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his B.S in Business Administration (summa cum laude) from Washington University’s Olin Business School in St. Louis. Mr. Solovy is Co-President of the Wharton Private Equity & Venture Capital Alumni Association.
David Spreng
Chairman, Founder, CEO, and CIO
Runway Growth Capital
David Spreng
Chairman, Founder, CEO, and CIO, Runway Growth Capital
David founded Runway Growth Capital in 2015 and is the chairman of the firm’s investment committee.
David is a seasoned and respected Silicon Valley-based investment executive, with 30 years of experience as a venture capitalist and growth debt lender. As a VC, he has been active in the formation and development of nearly 50 technology companies with 18 IPOs and 14 trade-sales. He was ranked four times by Forbes magazine on their annual Midas List as one of the top 50 venture capitalists; in 2006 he was ranked the #8 VC.
Beginning in 2010, David transitioned from venture capital to growth lending as a Co-Founder of Decathlon Capital Partners, a provider of revenue-based loans to small, fast-growing, bootstrapped companies. His experience at Decathlon opened his eyes to the opportunity to use debt as an alternative to equity to finance the growth of both venture-backed and non-venture backed growth companies. In 2015, he formed what is today Runway Growth Capital to pursue this vision.
David’s commitment to the entrepreneurial ecosystem is unwavering. He has served on the board and as Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee of the National Venture Capital Association (“NVCA”) and has been an active member of the World Economic Forum (“WEF”) community—including as a frequent panelist in Davos, as a member of the Technology Pioneers Selection Committee, the Steering Committee for Entrepreneurship and Successful Growth Strategies, and as an adviser to the Alternative Investments 2020 and Mainstreaming Impact Investing initiatives.
- Founder Runway Growth Capital
- Co-Founder Decathlon Capital Partners
- Co-Founder Crescendo Ventures
- Previously: SVP, Head of Strategy $20B asset management subsidiary of Lloyds Bank plc
- Ranked four times on Forbes Midas List; #8 VC in 2006
- NVCA board and Chairman of Government Affairs Committee
- Panelist at the World Economic Forum in Davos
- Member of WEF Technology Pioneers Selection Committee + Steering Committee for Entrepreneurship and Successful Growth Strategies
- Graduate of the University of Minnesota
Sean Stone
Co-Head of Investor Coverage and Business Development
SVB/First Citizens
Sean Stone
Co-Head of Investor Coverage and Business Development, SVB/First Citizens
Sean Stone Co-Leads the Investor Coverage and Business Development Group at Silicon Valley Bank where he has worked since 2003. Mr. Stone has over 30 years of experience in working with both traditional and online financial services companies. He joined SVB from Capital Advisors Group, a Registered Investment Advisor where he served as Vice President of Business Development for the Southeast and Southwest regions. Prior to Capital Advisors Group, he was the Vice President of Business Development for Financial Passport, Inc., an online financial services firm that was acquired by Ameritrade in 2001. Mr. Stone earned an MBA from Georgetown University and a B.A. in Economics from the College of William and Mary. Mr. Stone has served on the Board of Directors for the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association, The Northern Virginia Technology Council, and The Association for Corporate Growth.
Kai Tse
Managing Partner
Structural Capital
Kai Tse
Managing Partner, Structural Capital
Kai is a Co-Founder & Managing Partner with Structural Capital and has excelled for over 20 years as an entrepreneur in Financial Services and brings substantial lending and investing experience. As a Co-Founder of Structural Capital, Kai is heavily involved in all aspects of the firm including setting and executing the investment strategy, marketing and capital raising, and hiring key members of the firm from its inception. While at Structural, Kai has invested in and assisted various portfolio companies with capital raising, business development, corporate strategy, and recruiting. Some of the successful portfolio companies Kai has been involved with include Beyond Meat, Beauty Counter, Epic Creations, IMVU, InMobi, Kilopass Semiconductor, Sunfed Ranch, Ephesoft, BYJU’s, Noom, and Manscaped.
Kai is a Co-Founder & Managing Partner with Structural Capital and has excelled for over 20 years as an entrepreneur in Financial Services and brings substantial lending and investing experience. As a Co-Founder of Structural Capital, Kai is heavily involved in all aspects of the firm including setting and executing the investment strategy, marketing and capital raising, and hiring key members of the firm from its inception. While at Structural, Kai has invested in and assisted various portfolio companies with capital raising, business development, corporate strategy, and recruiting. Some of the successful portfolio companies Kai has been involved with include Beyond Meat, Beauty Counter, Epic Creations, IMVU, InMobi, Kilopass Semiconductor, Sunfed Ranch, Ephesoft, BYJU’s, Noom, and Manscaped.
Prior to Structural Capital, Kai was a Managing Director at TriplePoint Capital, a leading venture debt firm in Silicon Valley, where he was instrumental in building and launching the firm. TriplePoint Capital was involved (in many cases with Kai as lead investor) in financing the growth of breakout companies such as Facebook, YouTube, Riot Games, Gaikai, Ruckus Wireless, Beyond Meat and Krux, among others. Kai joined TriplePoint Capital in 2005 as a key initial hire shortly after its Founding.
James Turner
Founder & CEO
5th Line
James Turner
Founder & CEO, 5th Line
James Turner is the Founder and CEO of 5th Line, a financial advisory firm specializing in non-dilutive capital solutions and financial operations for growth-stage companies. With deep expertise across technology and consumer goods sectors, he helps businesses secure strategic debt and develop financial strategies to fuel growth. James is a trusted advisor and sought-after speaker known for simplifying complex financial concepts into actionable insights.
Simon Weintraub
Partner, Executive Member
Arnon, Tadmor-Levy
Simon Weintraub
Partner, Executive Member, Arnon, Tadmor-Levy
Simon Weintraub is a senior partner in Arnon, Tadmor-Levy’s High Tech as well as Banking and Finance Group, specializing in venture lending, venture capital, and start-ups.
He advises foreign clients, including venture capital funds and multinational corporations, on cross-border lending transactions and equity investments in Israel.
Recognized by IFLR1000 and Legal 500, Simon is praised for his business-minded approach and excellent communication skills.
With over two decades of experience, he provides strategic counsel to clients navigating complex financial and regulatory landscapes.
Andy Weyer
Partner
Spinta Capital
Andy Weyer
Partner, Spinta Capital
Andy Weyer is a Partner with Spinta Capital – a debt advisor that leverages a network of ~500 lenders and ~$3bn of loan transaction experience to help startups quickly raise debt on optimal terms. With over 20 years of experience in the venture debt space, Andy previously held positions with Runway Growth Capital, Pacific Western Bank, Square 1 Bank, Escalate Capital Partners, and Comerica Bank.
Laurel Wittman
Managing Director, Head of Special Situations
Oxford Finance, LLC
Laurel Wittman
Managing Director, Head of Special Situations, Oxford Finance, LLC
Laurel has spent her career financing growth-oriented companies in the healthcare and technology spaces. Currently, she manages special lending situations for Oxford Finance, a $4.5 billion specialty lender. She brings two decades’ experience overseeing Oxford’s life sciences lending in the eastern United States, Canada, Europe, and Israel to this role. Prior to joining Oxford, she was a senior analyst at a boutique investment bank focused on venture-backed and middle-market tech companies. Laurel has a B.S. in Commerce with a Finance concentration from the University of Virginia.
Benjamin Wu
East Coast Head
ORIX Growth Capital
Benjamin Wu
East Coast Head, ORIX Growth Capital
Benjamin Wu is Managing Director and Head of East Coast for ORIX Corporation USA’s Growth Capital business. He has over 20 years of experience in direct investing across private credit, growth equity and special opportunities investing. He joined the firm in 2023 and is based in New York.
Prior to joining ORIX USA, Mr. Wu was CEO of Brex Asset Management, where he launched and managed Brex Technology Opportunities Fund I. Prior to Brex, he also served as Managing Director and Business Services sector head for TPG Sixth Street Partners, Senior Managing Director at Macquarie Principal Finance, Principal at General Catalyst’s Growth Equity group, and Vice President/Associate at Fortress Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund.
Mr. Wu holds an MS in Computer Science and a BSE/BSE summa cum laude from the Management & Technology Program at the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from the Wharton School, and a JD from Harvard Law School.
Troy Zander
Partner
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP.
Troy Zander
Partner, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP.
A Financial Services partner in the Firm’s San Diego office, Troy Zander has extensive experience representing banks and other lenders, companies, and agents across a range of sophisticated venture debt and other commercial lending matters within technology, life sciences and middle-market financing transactions. Troy advises clients on leveraged and venture debt financings, bridge loans, restructurings, and asset acquisitions. He has extensive experience in asset-based and cash-flow lending, including complex global syndications.
