Investors & Operators

ATI Partners is a public and private infrastructure fund manager that focuses on middle market investment opportunities in transportation, digital, and social community infrastructure. In this episode of Investors & Operators, David Cibrian sits down with Jordan Selleck to discuss:Seizing opportunities when they present themselvesWhat it means to be a first generation AmericanWhy infrastructure is more than toll roads and bridges…and much more.David Cibrian is CEO, CIO, and Co-Founder of American Triple I.  He is responsible for developing and directing overall business strategies; building trusted relationships with asset and investor partners; leading high-quality investment decisions; and enforcing adherence to compliance, legal, and operating guidelines and policies.  David was formerly a Managing Director with Brevet Capital, a New York City-based investment firm founded in 1998.  Among other responsibilities, he headed Brevet’s firm-wide Government Financing Programs.  He is experienced in various facets of fund management, including originations, underwriting/structuring, and asset management.  David also served in a variety of roles during his career – lawyer, accountant, corporate executive, and investment professional.  David was formerly a CPA with Ernst & Young, Los Angeles and was a practicing international and corporate attorney for 25 years, including his experience in public finance at O’Melveny & Myers, Los Angeles.  David formerly served on the Board of Mirage Energy Corporation, a start-up developer of natural gas storage facilities outside of the United States, and the Board of Onko Solutions, a development stage medical device company.  He was also a Senior Advisor to Civitas Capital Group, an alternative investment firm.David is a former member of the Texas Finance Commission and the Texas Credit Union Commission having been appointed by then-Texas Governor Rick Perry.  David holds a Juris Doctor with honors from Georgetown Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting with honors from Loyola Marymount University.

Co-Founder & Managing Partner David Perez sits down with Jordan Selleck on this episode of Investors & Operators to discuss…David’s journey from Cuba, to East Germany, to AmericaLearning to be uncomfortableHow to bring meaning into your lifeand so much more…..David Perez is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Avance Investment Management, LLC. Prior to founding Avance, David was the President and COO of Palladium Equity Partners. Prior to Palladium, he had several senior private equity roles, including Principal of General Atlantic Partners and Atlas Venture and Senior Associate of Chase Capital Partners. David started his career with James D. Wolfensohn and Co, focused on mergers and acquisitions.David earned his B.S. in Systems Engineering from Dresden University of Technology, a M. Eng. in Engineering Management from Cornell University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a Co-Chair of the Harvard University Cuba Studies Advisory Group, a member of the Cornell Engineering School Advisory Group, President of the Board of Trustees of the Trinity School in New York City, and a longstanding board member and former President of the Board of Ballet Hispánico. He also served as Chairman of the Board of the NAIC. David lives in New York with his wife and three children.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Mike Alberts, Vice President at Cohere Capital. Together, they discuss:Mike’s journey of becoming an IRONMANFiguring out your “Whys” and finding your motivationAdvice for creating a daily structureand so much more….Prior to joining Cohere Capital, Mike was Vice President of Operations at Shields Health Solutions where he focused on strategic growth, business development, and day-to-day operations serving the company’s health system customers. Prior to joining Shields, Mike was a Senior Associate at Gauge Capital where he focused on private equity investments in high growth, entrepreneur-owned companies in the healthcare and consumer services sectors. Earlier in his career, Mike was an analyst at Houlihan Lokey and BB&T Capital Markets where he advised clients on mergers and acquisitions in the aerospace, defense, and government services sectors. Mike received his Bachelor of Arts degrees in Markets and Culture (Behavioral Economics) and English from Southern Methodist University.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Tracy Chadwell, Founding Partner of 1843 Capital. Together they discuss:authenticity and the importance of being true to yourselfspotting the early indicators for successacknowledging the small victories...and so much more.Named to "Forbes 50 over 50" Inaugural List and one of Entrepreneur Magazine's "100 Powerful Women" TRACY CHADWELL is an experienced venture capital investor and attorney. Notable investments include early investments in Beautycounter (sold for $1 Billion), Tempo Automation, HopSkipDrive and May Mobility. She is a leader and a sought after speaker within the community of women founders, innovators and entrepreneurs, including giving testimony before a U.S. Senate Committee. She has been a speaker for the Nantucket Project, MIT and TEDx NYIT. In 2018, she was won Moffly Media's "Women's Business Advocate" award.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Lauren Mulholland, Founding Partner at MiddleGround. Together, they discuss: the insanely fast growth of MiddleGround and the importance of being flexiblehow Fund I has shaped them for raising Fund II‘Women's Wing’ program & the importance of female empowerment...and so much more.LAUREN MULHOLLAND is a Partner at MiddleGround where she is responsible for transaction sourcing and management of the Investment Team with John Stewart. She started her career in investment banking as part of the Financial Institutions Group at Banc of America Securities and then moved to Macquarie Capital to help launch a private capital markets platform. She subsequently worked at Monomoy Capital, where she was a Director on the investment team. Lauren received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well as an MBA with Honors from Columbia Business School.In March 2020, Lauren was named among Buyouts Women in PE 10 rock stars making waves in private equity. Then in May 2020, Lauren was named to PEI’s The Future 40 List. While Lauren is now a certified New Yorker, her native Iowa roots are easily identifiable thanks to her love of corn. Lauren likes to spend her spare time golfing and she and her husband, Brian, are the proud parents of three girls, Maddie, Cece and Ellie.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Michael Curry, CEO of Apex Physics Partners. Together, they discuss:key lessons from the entrepreneurial journeyrecognizing leadership strengths and weaknessesthe power of partnership when building a business...and so much more.MICHAEL CURRY is the Chief Executive Officer of Apex Physics Partners, where he directs the company’s strategy, sales, marketing and business development efforts.Mr. Curry began his career as an investment-banking analyst in London with Morgan Stanley, where he provided financial analysis and project management for media and communications acquisitions totaling over $6 billion. Michael received his BBA from Emory University and his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business where he was a recipient of both the Charles M. Harper Scholarship and the Robert Toigo Fellowship.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Gretchen Perkins, Partner at Avance Investment Management. Together, they discuss:the importance of mentorship in private equitythe most important core values when building a businessparenting advice…and so much more.GRETCHEN PERKINS is a Partner at Avance Investment Management, LLC, and is responsible for sourcing investment opportunities both for the firm and for portfolio companies. Gretchen brings over 20 years of sourcing and business development experience, having created and implemented successful business development organizations and programs at her two prior firms: Huron Capital and Long Point Capital, in addition to many prior years in a variety of financial services and consulting roles.She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan. Gretchen has been an active member of the Association for Corporate Growth for over twenty years, having held multiple board and leadership positions in the ACG at the chapter and national levels. Gretchen will Chair the ACG Intergrowth national conference in 2022. Gretchen is also involved in multiple non-profit endeavors, including the following organizations: Endeavor Detroit, Detroit Police Athletic League, United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan, and 100 Businesses Who Care. Gretchen resides in Florida and has two grown children.

On this episode of Investors & Operators, 51 Labs assembles a panel of previous and current Independent Sponsors to talk about their experience, give advice to those making the fundless to funded transition, and forecast industry trends.HOSTJordan Selleck | CEO & Co-Founder, 51 LabsPANELISTSRob Bauer | Managing Partner, Bassett Creek CapitalJon Finger | Partner, McGuireWoodsPeter Roushdy | Managing Director, Gladstone CompaniesSheryl Mejía | Managing Partner, Steward Asset ManagementBarry Uphoff | Founder & Managing Partner, Martis Capital

In this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Sheryl Mejia, Managing Partner of Steward Asset Management. Together, they discuss:the benefits of anchor investingadvice to emerging managers...and so much more.SHERYL MEJÍA leads sourcing, diligence, execution, and monitoring of anchor investments targeting newly forming private equity and opportunistic strategies. She maintains a focus on strategies of growing interest to Institutional Limited Partners, ultimately seeking to steward the next generation of alternative asset management leaders.Most recently, she was the Director of Emerging Managers at the New York State Common Retirement Fund, overseeing over $7 billion in commitments to more than 120 smaller and emerging firms. She is passionate about supporting the incubation of owner-manager entrepreneurs, those with a strong record of allocating to small buyout, growth equity, and other private fund strategies.Previously, she was the Managing Partner of Decagon Advisors, focused on the due diligence of smaller private funds as well as supporting the launch advisory practice for newly forming firms. Decagon was formed as a direct result of the evolving needs in her previous role as Macroeconomic and Due Diligence Analyst at KCS Funds, a Fund of Funds. Prior to that, she served in asset management and client-facing roles as a Director at Deutsche Bank (formerly Bankers Trust Asset Management) after beginning her career at KPMG in the Financial Services practice.She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Honors, from Queen’s University in Canada and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is a CFA charterholder and a Canadian Chartered Accountant. In addition, she serves as Director of the Levy vonWald Foundation, which primarily focuses on literacy initiatives in New York State.

In this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Melanie Brensinger, Founder & Managing Partner of Anagenesis Capital Partners. Together, they discuss:breaking the mold of a small town upbringingthe importance of being your own advocate as a woman in financehow a commitment to fitness conditions you to dream big...and so much more.MELANIE BRENSINGER is a Founder and Managing Partner of Anagenesis Capital Partners. She is a member of the Investment Committee and is responsible for general management of the firm as well as originating, executing, and managing investments. Ms. Brensinger serves on the Boards of various Anagenesis’ portfolio companies. In addition, she is also a Board member of the SBIA Board of Governors, Advisory Board member for the Kayo Credit Series and on the Board of The PIT Foundation.Ms. Brensinger has over 23 years in the leveraged buyout market originating, underwriting, and managing senior debt, junior capital, and equity investments. Prior to founding Anagenesis, Ms. Brensinger was a Managing Director and senior originator at GE Capital, Healthcare Financial Services (HFS) where she was responsible for originating and underwriting financings for private equity led healthcare buyouts. During her nine years at GE, Ms. Brensinger originated and closed over 48 new healthcare deals and many other participant transactions aggregating over $2 billion in deal volume. Prior to joining GE Capital, Ms. Brensinger was a Director in the Private Equity Sponsor Coverage Team at Scotia Capital, where she originated and underwrote numerous domestic and international leveraged buyouts in various industries.In 2006, Ms. Brensinger established The PIT Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit foundation, to provide education to children in Kenya. In 2009, Ms. Brensinger was nominated by her peers and selected to receive the Gerald L. Phillippe Award in recognition of her extraordinary record of volunteer service. She was one of only nine recipients selected in 2009 for this recognition from over 300,000 GE employees around the world. In 2012, Ms. Brensinger was nominated and selected for the GE Women in Commercial Program.Ms. Brensinger received her BS from York College with a dual degree in Economics and Finance with a minor in Accounting.