Michael is the CEO/Owner of Octagon Capital Group, and the Chairman/Co-Owner of Undercover Snacks, a rapidly growing manufacturer of better-for-you snacks including Undercover chocolate quinoa crisps, sold in 25,000+ stores and United Airlines.As head of Octagon, Michael oversees the firm's merchant banking activities, orchestrating M&A, equity and debt financings*, and direct investments involving high-potential companies. Michael also manages proprietary funds including Octagon Capital Holdings and Octagon Investment Partners. Prior to forming Octagon, Michael was the Founder and Co-Head of Paragon Capital Partners, a merchant banking firm and broker/dealer he sold in 2014. For over 10 years prior to forming Paragon, Michael was a senior investment banker in the Mergers & Acquisitions Departments of Lehman Brothers and Banc of America Securities (and predecessors), where he also served as COO of the M&A Department and as a member of the Fairness Opinion Committee. Over the years, Michael has established a reputation for top-tier execution and advice, and has been recognized with numerous honors and awards including 2018 Investment Banker of the Year by The M&A Advisor.In his role with Undercover, Michael is involved with all facets of the company's strategy and operations, focusing particularly on manufacturing, information technology, finance/accounting and key strategic initiatives. With a state-of-the-art production facility in NJ, Undercover’s flagship chocolate quinoa crisps are available in over 25,000 stores and a main snack on United Airlines. Michael has played an active role in building up, financing and monetizing numerous successful companies. He currently serves as advisor to Saber Interactive, leading its 2024 buyout from Embracer Group and recent equity financings, along with ongoing M&A, funding and value-creation initiatives. Previously, he played a lead role in the build-up of Harmony Biosciences (HRMY), raising over $300 million of equity and $400 million of debt prior to its IPO. He similarly played an active role in the transformation and sale of Thinkorswim (SWIM) to TDAmeritrade (AMTD) for over $800 million.Michael received his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School in 1988, and his MBA with honors from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business in 1992. He resides in the New York metropolitan area, and is father to 3 daughters and a chocolate factory.*Securities-related services offered through PHCP, LLC, an unaffiliated broker-dealer and member of FINRA/SIPC.