Partners in Private Equity

Anthony Cusano, CFA

Managing Partner

Anthony Cusano is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Banner Ridge. Mr. Cusano is the chairman of the investment committee and is responsible for sourcing and executing transactions across the firm’s different investment products.

Mr. Cusano brings 15 years of experience analyzing and structuring complex private deals. Prior to Banner Ridge, Mr. Cusano spent nine years at Siguler Guff & Co., where he was a Managing Director and sole Portfolio Manager of the firm’s Secondary Opportunity Fund. Mr. Cusano also focused on private equity investments across the firm’s primary, secondary and co-investment business lines. Previously, Mr. Cusano worked on the distressed research team at StepStone Group where he focused on distressed debt and special situations globally. Before joining StepStone, Mr. Cusano worked for Cornell Capital Partners where he structured equity PIPE and convertible debt transactions in public securities. Mr. Cusano also owned and operated a San Diego based IT consulting firm, which was subsequently acquired by CopyCare of San Diego, Inc. in 2007.

Mr. Cusano holds a B.S. summa cum laude in Business Administration with a concentration in Financial Management from California Polytechnic State University and an M.B.A. in Entrepreneurial Finance from the University of California San Diego's Rady School of Management. Mr. Cusano is a CFA charterholder.

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C.J. Driessen, CFA

Partner

Mr. Driessen is a Co-Founder and Partner at Banner Ridge. Mr. Driessen is responsible for sourcing, underwriting and analyzing investments across the firm’s platform.

Previously, Mr. Driessen was a Principal at Siguler Guff & Co. where he was responsible for underwriting and negotiating secondary transactions. Prior to Siguler Guff, Mr. Driessen focused on secondary transactions, co-investments and public markets equity and credit investments at LSV Advisors. Mr. Driessen started his career in Mergers & Acquisitions at the Blackstone Group, where he worked on the restructuring of AIG.

Mr. Driessen holds a B.A. in Economics and a B.S. in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Driessen is a CFA charterholder.

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Scott Halper

Partner

Mr. Halper is a Partner at Banner Ridge. Mr. Halper is responsible for leading the negotiation and execution of transactions, including purchases and financings, across all strategies. Mr. Halper also leverages his network to identify transactions. In addition, Mr. Halper serves as Chief Compliance Officer.

Previously, Mr. Halper was a Principal at Siguler Guff & Co. where he was responsible for leading the execution of secondary transactions. In addition, Mr. Halper executed complex financing structures for clients across the firm as well as sourcing transactions. Prior to Siguler Guff, Mr. Halper served as Chief Operating Officer at Czech Asset Management where he was responsible for oversight of all non-investment activities, including fund operations, fund formation and limited partner due diligence. Mr. Halper has also worked in investment and operational due diligence at Stamos Capital Partners and Central Park Group. Prior to Central Park Group, Mr. Halper worked as a fund accountant at Lindsay Goldberg & Bessemer. He started his career in the Alternatives Investment Group at UBS.

Mr. Halper holds a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Miami.

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Robert O’Connor

Managing Director

Mr. O’Connor is a Managing Director at Banner Ridge. He is responsible for sourcing, selection, oversight and overall portfolio construction of the firm’s Primary Investment portfolio.

Prior to Banner Ridge, Mr. O’Connor was a Managing Director at Drum Capital Management, a specialized asset management firm focused exclusively on making private equity and credit investments in distressed and turnaround opportunities, where he was responsible for making primary commitments and co-investments. Previously, Mr. O’Connor was a Partner at Protostar Partners, a middle market leveraged buyout investment firm. Prior to joining Protostar, he was the Chief Financial Officer of PresAir LLC, a manufacturer of air, pressure and vacuum switches. He began his career with Prudential Securities.

Mr. O’Connor received his Bachelor of Science from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.

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Matthew Brewer

Managing Director

Matthew Brewer is a Managing Director and the Head of Capital Formation at Banner Ridge. Mr. Brewer is responsible for leading the capital formation processes and managing relationships with existing and prospective Limited Partners.

Previously, Mr. Brewer was Head of Global Distribution at Siguler Guff & Co. where he was responsible for overseeing marketing and investor relations globally. Prior to Siguler Guff, he worked at WisdomTree Investments on the Institutional Client Relations team. Mr. Brewer started his career at Fisher Investments.

Mr. Brewer holds a B.A. from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and an M.B.A. from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University.

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Eric Vanderhye, CFA

Principal

Mr. Vanderhye is a Principal at Banner Ridge. He is responsible for sourcing, selection, oversight and overall portfolio construction of the firm’s Primary Investment portfolio.

Prior to Banner Ridge, Mr. Vanderhye was a Portfolio Manager for a single-family office, where he sourced, underwrote, and monitored private and public investment funds across the US, Europe, and Asia. Previously, Mr. Vanderhye was a Senior Associate at Summit Global Management, a private investment firm. He began his career with Brandes Investment Partners.

Mr. Vanderhye holds a B.A. in Business Management Economics from University California Santa Cruz, graduating with honors. Mr. Vanderhye is a CFA charterholder.

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Tony Caccomo, CFA

Principal

Mr. Caccomo is a Principal at Banner Ridge. He is responsible for sourcing, selection, oversight and overall portfolio construction of the firm’s Primary Investment portfolio.

Prior to Banner Ridge, Mr. Caccomo was a senior investment professional for a single-family office, where he led sourcing, underwriting, execution, and monitoring of the family’s investment portfolio across all major asset classes globally. Previously, Mr. Caccomo was an investor for the University of Cincinnati Endowment, a $1.5b pool of permanent capital for the benefit of the university's students and programs. He began his investing career at a single-family office in Chicago.

Mr. Caccomo holds B.S. degrees in both Finance and Accounting from Indiana University – Bloomington. Mr. Caccomo is a CFA charterholder.

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Prashant Sundar, CFA

Principal

Mr. Sundar is a Principal at Banner Ridge. Mr. Sundar is responsible for making primary commitments and co-investments.

Previously, Mr. Sundar was a Principal at Blackstone Alternative Asset Management where he focused on manager evaluation, underwriting direct investment opportunities, data analytics and portfolio construction. Prior to Blackstone, Mr. Sundar was the first Product Manager at Gro Intelligence. Prior to Gro Intelligence Mr. Sundar was an Associate at Ziff Brothers Investments where he focused on quantitative research and risk management. Mr. Sundar started his career as an Associate in the Finance Practice of Charles River Associates where he worked on engagements involving valuation and public equity market trading.

Mr. Sundar holds a B.S. in Engineering Physics and a M.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University.

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Andrew Wu, CFA

Vice President

Mr. Wu is a Vice President at Banner Ridge. Mr. Wu is responsible for all aspects of underwriting transactions including developing financial models and investment memorandums. In addition, Mr. Wu leads portfolio monitoring across the firm.

Previously, Mr. Wu was an Investment Analyst at Siguler Guff & Co. where he was responsible for investment analysis, due diligence and monitoring secondary, primary and co-investment transactions across distressed, special situations, out-of-favor, illiquid hedge fund interests and credit investments across the firm. Mr. Wu started his career in Investment Banking at RBC Capital Markets, where he worked in the Financial Institutions Group.

Mr. Wu holds a B.A. in Economics from Vanderbilt University.

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Michael Toraason

Vice President

Mr. Toraason is a Vice President at Banner Ridge. Mr. Toraason is responsible for all aspects of underwriting transactions including developing financial models and investment memorandums. In addition, Mr. Toraason works on portfolio monitoring across the firm.

Prior to Banner Ridge, Mr. Toraason was a Vice President on the investment team for a single-family office where he was responsible for investment sourcing and analysis, due diligence and portfolio monitoring across direct and co-investment transactions within private equity, real estate and other select investments. Previously Mr. Toraason worked in Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley, where he worked within the Global Industrials Group. Mr. Toraason started his career as a Project Consultant at Baker Engineering and Risk Consultants, where he was responsible for quantitative risk assessments across numerous global clients.

Mr. Toraason holds a B.S.E. in Chemical Engineering from The University of Iowa and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School at Columbia University.

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Crystal Duong

Senior Controller

Ms. Duong is a Senior Controller at Banner Ridge. Ms. Duong is responsible for overseeing fund administration, managing financial reporting and assisting in transaction processing.

Previously, Ms. Duong was a Director at VP Fund Services, where she was responsible for all services related to fund administration including deal and investor reporting, account monitoring and the onboarding of existing funds and new clients. She lead efforts to implement a new accounting and investor allocation system, which allowed for increased efficiency in report automation and additional customized reporting options. Prior to VP Fund Services, Ms. Duong was a Senior Controller at LSV Advisors, a leading hedge fund secondary firm, where she oversaw management company and fund reporting for over 35 entities and assisted in transaction processing and investor servicing. Prior to LSV Advisors, Ms. Duong was a Senior Fund Accountant at Vistra USA, LLC. Ms. Duong began her career at Citi Hedge Fund Services N.A. as a Fund Accountant.

Ms. Duong holds a B.S. in Finance and a B.S. in Management from Pennsylvania State University.

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Jane Lynch

Capital Formation Associate

Ms. Lynch is an Associate on the Capital Formation team at Banner Ridge. She is responsible for supporting the capital formation processes and assisting in managing relationships with existing and prospective Limited Partners.

Previously, Ms. Lynch was an Executive Recruiter at Spencer Stuart where she specialized in the recruitment of financial services professionals. Prior to Spencer Stuart, she worked at Crestline Investors on the Opportunistic Credit and Direct Lending Investment Team. Ms. Lynch started her career within J.P. Morgan's Investment Bank working with the Diversified Industries Leveraged Credit group.

Ms. Lynch holds a B.B.A. in Accounting and Business Information Systems from Texas Christian University.

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Jacob Weiker

Investment Associate

Mr. Weiker is an Investment Associate at Banner Ridge. Mr. Weiker is responsible for all aspects of underwriting transactions including developing financial models and investment memorandums. In addition, Mr. Weiker assists in portfolio monitoring across the firm.

Previously, Mr. Weiker was an Investment Analyst at DC Investments Management, a value-focused hedge fund, where he was responsible for investment analysis, due diligence, and valuation for public equity and fixed income securities.

Mr. Weiker holds a B.A. with distinction in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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Daniel Kim

Investment Associate

Mr. Kim is an Investment Associate at Banner Ridge. Mr. Kim is responsible for all aspects of underwriting transactions including developing financial models and investment memorandums. In addition, Mr. Kim assists in portfolio monitoring across the firm.

Previously, Mr. Kim was an Investment Associate at Oaktree Capital in their Power Opportunities Group, where he was responsible for investment analysis, due diligence, and portfolio monitoring.

Mr. Kim holds a B.S.B.A. from Georgetown University with a double major in Finance and Operations & Information Management.

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Dianelys Morales

Investment Associate

Miss Morales is an Investment Associate at Banner Ridge. She is responsible for all aspects of conducting due diligence and underwriting investments including developing financial models and investment memorandums. In addition, Miss Morales assists in portfolio monitoring across the firm.

Previously, Miss Morales was an Energy Consulting Manager at Wood Mackenzie, where she was responsible for market research, due diligence, and sourcing of large capital projects from strategy development to negotiation and implementation.

Miss Morales holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University.

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Riccardo Tirelli

Investment Associate

Mr. Tirelli is an Investment Associate at Banner Ridge. He is responsible for all aspects of conducting investment due diligence and underwriting transactions including developing financial models and investment memorandums. In addition, Mr. Tirelli assists in portfolio monitoring across the firm.

Mr. Tirelli brings significant experience in the valuation of complex M&A transactions, company-level due diligence, and financial statement analysis. Previously, Mr. Tirelli worked in the Financial Institutions Group within the Investment Banking division of Citi, where he was responsible for the development of financial models and company valuations, peer benchmarking, the preparation of client materials across M&A and capital markets and industry research. Mr. Tirelli started his career at Allianz Investment Management, where he was responsible for assisting in overseeing Allianz’s €750 billion private and public market portfolio.

Mr. Tirelli holds a Master’s degree in Management from the Johnson Graduate School of Management of Cornell University, and a B.S. with Highest Honors in Finance from Bocconi University in Milan, Italy.

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Panos Voulgaris

Investment Analyst

Mr. Voulgaris is an Investment Analyst at Banner Ridge. Mr. Voulgaris is responsible for all aspects of manager due diligence and underwriting investments including developing financial models and investment memorandums. In addition, Mr. Voulgaris assists in portfolio monitoring across the firm.

Previously, Mr. Voulgaris was an Investment Associate at Willis Towers Watson where he was responsible for monitoring alternative investments across the firm’s $64 billion pension portfolio.

Mr. Voulgaris holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago.

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Lucas Burstein

Investment Analyst

Mr. Burstein is an Investment Analyst at Banner Ridge. He is responsible for all aspects of conducting investment due diligence and underwriting transactions including developing financial models and investment memorandums. In addition, Mr. Burstein assists in portfolio monitoring across the firm.

Previously, Mr. Burstein was an investment banker at Methuselah Advisors, where he developed valuation analysis, financial models, and a range of presentation materials for buy-side, sell-side, and capital raise mandates. Mr. Burstein was also responsible for providing financial and other ad hoc analyses to Methuselah’s merchant banking arm and portfolio companies.

Mr. Burstein holds a Master's degree in finance from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, and a B.A. magna cum laude in Economics from Dickinson College.

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Jack Day

Investment Analyst

Mr. Day is an Investment Analyst at Banner Ridge. He is responsible for all aspects of conducting investment due diligence and underwriting transactions including developing financial models and investment memorandums. In addition, Mr. Day assists in portfolio monitoring across the firm.

Previously, Mr. Day was an investment banker within KeyBanc Capital Markets’ Energy Group, where he provided pro forma analysis, reserve modeling, and various presentation materials for buy-side and capital raise processes.

Mr. Day holds a B.B.A. in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin.

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Wyatt Hare

Investment Analyst

Mr. Hare is an Investment Analyst at Banner Ridge. He is responsible for all aspects of conducting investment due diligence and underwriting transactions including developing financial models and investment memorandums. In addition, Mr. Hare assists in portfolio monitoring across the firm.

Previously, Mr. Hare was an investment banking summer analyst at Deloitte Corporate Finance, responsible for developing financial models, valuation analysis, and buy-side & sell-side marketing materials.

Mr. Hare holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago, where he graduated with Cum Laude Latin Honors.

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Ben-Hemir Collado

Fund Accountant

Mr. Collado is a Fund Accountant at Banner Ridge. Mr. Collado is responsible for supporting the Senior Controller with financial and investor reporting, audit reviews, and managing investment transactions and cash processes. In addition, Mr. Collado assists with maintaining and updating SUIT, the company’s proprietary sourcing and portfolio management tool.

Previously, Mr. Collado was an internal auditor at Daiwa Capital Markets America Inc., where he was responsible for testing the firm’s key internal controls across its auditable entities, preparing reports and presentations for the Internal Audit committee, and leading the department’s digital transformation and innovation projects.

Mr. Collado holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from Baruch College, and currently attends Baruch College’s M.S. in Accountancy program to complete New York’s CPA licensure requirements.

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Tim McGinn

Analyst

Dr. McGinn is an Analyst at Banner Ridge. He is responsible for developing, maintaining and updating SUIT, the company’s proprietary sourcing and portfolio management tool.

Previously, Dr. McGinn matriculated at the Neuroscience department of the University of Idaho, where he was responsible for data analysis of university conducted research, developing scientific research and technology, and writing scientific literature, ultimately completing his Ph.D. thesis on the development and regeneration of the retina. Prior to completing graduate school at the University of Idaho, Dr. McGinn was a Research Associate at Acucela, a pharmaceutical development company, where he was responsible for increasing the efficiency of the product development pipeline as well as managing and quantifying large data sets.

Dr. McGinn holds a B.S. in Neuroscience from Washington State University and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Idaho.

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Taylor Semin

Database Analyst

Ms. Semin is a Database Analyst at Banner Ridge. She is responsible for maintaining and updating SUIT, the company’s proprietary sourcing and portfolio management tool, and provides support and analysis to the operations and investment teams.

Prior to Banner Ridge, Ms. Semin spent most of her professional life as a dancer, and she continues to choreograph her own work. Ms. Semin holds a B.F.A. from Texas Christian University.

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