WHO WE ARE

Our Team

The Ancoris team is comprised of seasoned capital markets banking professionals and former buyside investors that together leverage deep connectivity and expertise to provide authentic, long-term advice and unmatched execution.

Ancoris Team Members

Managing Partner, Co-founder

Heather Smith

Over 27 years of experience focused on originating, structuring, and placing equity and debt capital.

Over 27 years of experience focused on originating, structuring, and placing equity and debt capital.

Head of Private Placements groups on Wall Street for 12 years, including Houlihan Lokey, Deutsche Bank, DC Advisory, and Greentech Capital Advisors prior to co-founding Ancoris Capital Partners.

Spent 10 years collectively at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (Credit Suisse), and Prudential Securities in their private placements groups.

Selected as one of the Most Influential Women in M&A by Mergers & Acquisitions.

B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Partner, Co-founder

Brett Tremain

Over 15 years of experience as a private equity investment professional and structuring financings.

Over 15 years of experience as a private equity investment professional and structuring financings.

Formerly, member of Houlihan Lokey private capital markets team, where he focused on equity private placements.

Former Vice President at Shipston Group Ltd., a private investment firm, where he focused on direct investments in industrial and automotive businesses.

Former Associate at Merrick Ventures executing healthcare investments.

Former Senior Associate at UBS in their structured products, products and services, and strategy groups.

B.S. in Finance and Marketing from Boston College and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Partner

Henry Matthiessen

Over 20 years of experience in investment banking and operating management.

Over 20 years of experience in investment banking and operating management.

Founder of Pacific Core Partners, an investment bank providing M&A advisory services to leading technology companies with a focus on enabling wireless solutions, video delivery solutions, electronic semiconductors, photonic semiconductors and next-generation networking and communications software.

Former Managing Director of Mooreland Partners where Henry led the communications technology efforts.

Previously, Managing Director and Global Head of Technology at SG Cowen, Director at Prudential Volpe and spent five years in corporate development at Millicom International Cellular SA.

B.S. from University of California, Berkeley.

Vice President

Jacklyn Griffo

Over eight years as an investment banking professional, with experience in research and marketing.

Over eight years as an investment banking professional, with experience in research and marketing.

Former Marketing Associate for GCA Investment Management, a long-only equity asset manager focused on sustainability/ESG integration.

Prior to assuming the Marketing Associate role, was a Research Analyst at GCA Investment Management covering the Agriculture and Food sectors.

Former Greentech Capital Advisors Investment Banking Analyst.

B.S. degree in Accounting and Finance from Boston College.

Senior Associate

Billy Griffo

Over five years as an investment banking professional, with experience in loan portfolio management.

Over five years as an investment banking professional, with experience in loan portfolio management.

Former Associate within the Investing and Lending Solutions Group of Barclays Investment Bank. In his prior role, he assisted in covering the Healthcare, Real Estate and Financial Institutions sectors.

B.S. degree in Finance and Accounting from NYU Stern School of Business.

Industry Advisors

Healthcare

Martin Baum

Over 30 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical space.

Over 30 years of experience in senior management roles and founding companies within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical space.

Chief Business Officer, Charleston Laboratories, Inc.

Previously, served as COO of Sellas Life Sciences, Inc.

Prior to Sellas Life Sciences, was Founder and CEO of Vestiq Pharmaceuticals, Founder and CEO of TEAMM Pharma, Founder and COO of DJ Pharma, and Sr. VP and founding member of Skye Pharma.

Held a variety of roles at other major pharmaceutical based companies, such as Senior Director of Strategic Planning at GlaxoSmithKline.

B.S. from University of Toledo.

Energy Transition

John Cavalier

Over 35 years of experience as an investment banking professional and private equity investor.

Over 35 years of experience as an investment banking professional and private equity investor.

Managing Partner of Hudson Capital Partners.

Formerly, Vice Chairman of Credit Suisse's Investment Banking division, Chairman of the Energy Group, and Head of Credit Suisse's Global Renewable Energy efforts. Under his leadership, the Renewables Energy Group became Wall Street's leading Finance and Advisory Group to the Alternative Energy space.

Prior to Credit Suisse, was a founding member of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette’s Power and Energy group and previously a banker at Drexel Burnham Lambert.

Previously, served in the U.S. Army for nine years as an officer in the Signal Corps, and later the Judge Advocate Generals Corps.

Awarded the Meritorious Service Medal for role as the first Senior Defense Counsel for the Northeastern United States.

Graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, the University of Illinois School of Law, and Harvard Business School.

Consumer

MZ Goodman

Over 20 years of experience in consumer brands, strategy, and digital product development.

Over 20 years of experience in consumer brands, strategy, and digital product development.

SVP at charity: water, with responsibility for building consumer revenue channels and overseeing the subscription program.

Formerly, held the position of Vice President of Digital at both Glossier and Goop, with direct responsibility over digital product teams and building operations to drive scale.

Previously was the Senior Director of Product Management for Ralph Lauren, charged with growing the company's share of ecommerce revenue.

Prior to Ralph Lauren was Executive Director of Product Management for The New York Times.

B.S. degree from Boston University, Executive Education Certificate from Columbia Business School, and certificate in Policymaking, Community Organization, and Advocacy from Cornell University.

Business Services

Joseph Mooney

Over 25 years of investment banking experience with a focus on capital raising, M&A and general strategic advisory.

Over 25 years of investment banking experience with a focus on capital raising, M&A and general strategic advisory for public and private companies across numerous industry sectors.

Previously, Co-Head of Jefferies Growth, a group within Jefferies focused on midcap M&A and capital raising for companies with $100 - 400 million in enterprise value.

Former Managing Director at Houlihan Lokey, Head of M&A at Sagent Advisors and Head of East Coast Tech M&A at Citigroup. Prior to graduate school, worked at Browning-Ferris Industries, a NYSE listed environmental services firm, where his last position was Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Browning-Ferris Industries of Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

B.A. from Hampden-Sydney College and an MBA from Duke University.

Technology

Jim Norrod

Over 30 years of experience as the CEO of private and public technology companies.

Over 30 years of experience as the CEO of private and public technology companies.

Previously, James Norrod was the President and CEO of PrecisionHawk, a leading drone services, AI and data analytics company for the Solar, Oil and Gas, Energy and Telecom Markets.

Prior to Precision Hawk, was the CEO of Tellabs, Zhone Technologies (DZSI), Infinite Power Solutions, Segway Inc., Telebit, and Octocom System. James was also the Executive Chairman of Cignal Global and ITK International.

In his various executive-level roles across technology companies, James provided operational and strategic excellence and led nine companies to a successful liquidity event.

James holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics, cum laude from Oakland University and received his MBA from the University of Detroit Mercy with a concentration in Marketing.

Sustainability

Kevin Parker

Over 35 years of investment and asset management experience.

Over 35 years of investment and asset management experience.

Founder and CEO of Sustainable Insight Capital Management (SICM), a leading asset management firm focused on sustainability.

Prior to SICM, was a Member of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank for 10 years.

Former Global Head of Deutsche Asset Management from 2004 - 2012.

An outspoken advocate for a global shift towards sustainability, identifying climate change as a megatrend in 2004.

Owner of Chateau Maris, named one of the five most environmentally friendly wineries in the world by Wine Spectator Magazine.

B.S. degree in Finance from New York University.

Industrials

Steve Shulman

Over 35 years of experience as an investment banking professional and private equity investor.

Over 45 years of experience as an investment banking professional and private equity investor.

Active investor and director of several companies including Vero Biotech, Sure, and Ark Restaurants.

Advisor to several private equity groups including Trimaran Capital Partners, AUA Private Equity Partners, and Solace Capital Partners.

Managing Director at Shipston Group Limited.

President of Hampton Group, Inc.

Previously, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development for Wheelabrator-Frye, Inc. and its successor company, The Signal Companies.

Prior to The Signal Companies was an investment banker at Burnham & Company.

B.A. and M.S. degree from Stevens Institute of Technology. Awarded an Honorary Doctorate.

Transportation & Logistics

Seth Wilson

Over 25 years of private equity firms experience in the transportation, logistics, and distribution industry.

Over 25 years of private equity experience in the transportation, logistics, and distribution industry.

Founder and Managing Partner of Headhaul Capital Partners LLC, a middle market private equity firm focused on the Transportation, Logistics & Distribution industry.

Prior to founding Headhaul Capital, was a Partner and Managing Director of Jefferies Capital Partners LLC and its predecessors where he worked for 20 years in various roles including heading the Transportation & Logistics investing practice for Jefferies Capital Partners and serving on the Investment Committee.

Prior to Jefferies Capital Partners, worked in the Investment Banking Division of Furman Selz LLC.

Chairman of the Board of OL International Holdings LLC, Chairman of the Board of ACS Logistics Holdings LLC, Chairman of the Board of DSI Logistics Holdings LLC, Vice Chairman of Great Western Leasing and Sales LLC, and a board member of MDT Holdings LLC.

Previously served on the boards of directors of Arnold Transportation Services, Inc., Aurora Trailer Holdings LLC, Epic Gas Ltd., K-Sea Transportation LLC, IDB Carriers (BVI) Ltd., New Century Transportation, Inc., and R&R Trucking Holdings, LLC.

A.B. from Harvard University and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Our Culture

Ancoris follows a set of core values that define who we are and how we serve our clients.

Client First

Our clients are our top priority, and we’re committed to creating exceptional outcomes for them at every turn.

Entrepreneurial

We think like business owners and search for creative ways to achieve business goals.

Excellence

Outstanding attention to detail, combined with expert-level knowledge of private capital markets, means we always deliver when it counts.

Collaboration

We partner with our clients and take the time to deeply understand their financing objectives.

Intellectual Honesty

We are independent thinkers and assess all possible outcomes for clients, providing unbiased advice that focuses on reaching key objectives.

Innovation

We leverage our wide-ranging experience and global network to present creative, customized solutions for every challenge.

Respect

We believe in always showing respect — both personally and professionally — to each other and our clients.

Integrity

We’re committed to always doing the right thing, even when it’s not easy or simple.

Accountability

We take responsibility for our decisions as professionals, and we maintain open lines of communication with our clients at all times.