Partner in the Venture Best® group. Practice focuses on advising early stage & growth companies, venture capital & private equity sponsors, family offices, and investors.Provide sophisticated legal counsel focused on:• Venture Capital & Private Equity Financing Transactions;• Represent Fund Sponsors in Fund Formation & Capital Deployment; and • Mergers & Acquisitions.Representative transactions include:𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀• Formation of fund raising $125MM for ag-tech and agri-food tech investments, including negotiations of LP commitments from state treasurer's office and SSBCI-backed public-private entity.• Formation of $100MM real estate development investment fund.• Formation for $50MM fund focused on the sports tech and gaming industries.• Formation of fund raising $50MM to invest in underrepresented entrepreneurs.• Formation of fund that received SSBCI investment from the Treasury Department.• Represent Family Office clients in their entity formations, investments in institutional funds and co-investment opportunities.• Represented multi-billion trust in its direct investment in logistics company.𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀• $59MM in venture debt financing for fiber-to-the-home network provider. • $11.5MM senior & subordinated debt refinancing for PE client's self-storage project.• Represented VC Fund in its $2MM Series Seed Preferred Equity Investment & secondary stock purchase in educational learning platform.𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 & 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀• Sale of client's broadband infrastructure assets to PE-backed strategic acquirer. • Sale of technology-led employee consulting firm to PE-backed platform company.• Prepared $125MM healthcare services firm for investment bank-led sell-side auction.• Restructured $21MM lawn services company, including management purchase option. * Licensed in New York only.

Global honorary society of lawyers, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the profession and service to society. Membership is limited to one percent of attorneys admitted to practice in the U.S.

Corporate attorney at a full-service Certified B-Corp business law firm with offices across North Carolina. Merged into Michael Best & Friedrich LLP in December 2021. Representative transactions included:𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 & 𝗔𝗰𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀• Sale of the largest e-sports tutoring platform to NASDAQ-listed acquirer• Representation of management in acquisition creating $10B AUM investment firm• Sale of nutrition analysis company to publicly traded European laboratory operator• Acquisition and bank financing for Pennsylvania consumer products manufacturer.• Global corporate restructuring of information and technology services company𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀• Advised general partners on fund formation and portfolio company investments• Represented limited partners investing in $2B energy & $870MM healthcare funds• Advised fund manager on $6.8MM debt financing for partner buyout• Formation of qualified opportunity zone funds and related real property acquisitions𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀• University syndicate’s Series A Preferred Equity raise for consumer products firm• Series Seed Equity Raise for broadband internet access provider• $1MM investment in medical device company via revenue share agreement

äLuxuRē (www.aluxurelife.com) simplifies consignment. Targeting the $16B resale industry, our mobile app/web solution allows sellers and consignment stores to engage each other in a way that eliminates many of the frustrations encountered during the consignment process (e.g., scheduling, inventory selection, notifications, etc.), resulting in improved productivity and a better customer experience. Responsible for developing and leading growth strategies, marketing research, planning, innovation, private equity investments, branding, marketing, and partnership engagement. Manage coders and software engineers developing company's web solution and mobile applications.äLuxuRē is a member of Groundwork Labs Accelerator and The Startup Factory Boot Camp Alumni Networks and a 2016 NC IDEA Grant semi-finalist. It was a featured Demo Room company at the September 2016 CED Tech Venture Conference and is the inaugural winner of the Billboard Jackson Entrepreneurial Development Program National Pitch Competition.

Taught upper level Investments course to undergraduate finance students at the NCCU School of Business. Topics covered include valuation of stocks, bonds, options, and futures; capital markets and portfolio theory; and alternative asset classes (private equity and hedge funds). Above average faculty rating of 4.6/5.0 (top decile ranking in the following categories: clearly presents subject matter; ability to think, criticize, and/or create have been improved as a result of this course; effective instructional approaches that effectively enhance learning in this course; and quizzes, examinations, and written assignments are provided frequently enough to help me evaluate my progress).

Principal at private equity firm that provided mezzanine and equity funding to underrepresented entrepreneurs seeking growth capital. Targeted companies operating in the following industries: manufacturing; commercial services; technology; and health care services.Served on the board of directors of portfolio companies.

Co-taught cross-listed law school and undergraduate mergers and acquisitions (M&A) course focusing on transaction structures, firm valuation, merger analyses, Delaware corporate law, and corporate governance.Developed program content and managed budget/logistics for New York Stock Exchange supported corporate governance symposium for directors and executive officers of publicly traded companies. Organized and conducted valuation seminars for Fuqua MBA students interested in investment banking and corporate finance careers.

Assisted multinational clients in analyzing, structuring and executing M&A transactions in the firm's New York and Tokyo offices. Performed extensive valuations (LBO, DCF, comparables analyses, precedent transactions) and pro forma analyses (accretion/dilution impact) for acquisitions, divestitures, and fairness opinions. Drafted offering memoranda; prepared management presentations; and coordinated due diligence process.