Banneker Partners

Kenneth Frank is a Partner at Banneker Partners with over 30 years in the technology industry across large corporations and privately-backed firms. He previously served as CEO of Turning Technologies and held portfolio executive roles at Vista Equity Partners, including founding CEO of Kibo Commerce and COO of Aptean, and earlier was President of Solutions and Marketing at Alcatel-Lucent. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from USC, an M.S. in Computer Science from Stanford, and an MBA from Emory University.

Partner at Banneker Partners who commented on the firm's investment in ResFrac, noting the appeal of software platforms that deliver strong ROI as market-leading solutions.

Mike Trench is an Executive Vice President in Heitman's North American Portfolio Management group, Co-Portfolio Manager for the Heitman Value Series, and an equity owner of the firm, overseeing fund strategy, business plan execution, acquisitions and dispositions, and investor and joint venture partner relations. He previously worked in Heitman's North American Acquisitions and Asset Management groups, focusing on value-add investment programs, and has been involved in real estate transactions across retail, residential, self-storage, office, and industrial property types. He holds a BS in Finance with a specialization in Real Estate and Urban Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Nicola Brennan is an Operating Partner at Banneker Partners, and also serves as a board member and advisor. Her background spans technology executive, entrepreneur, and investor roles across start-up, mid-sized, and enterprise organizations, including high-growth, merger, and turnaround situations. Her areas of focus include business and technology strategy, team formation and management, business development, and strategic partnerships.

Alexandra Ivanov is a Principal at Banneker Partners, where she evaluates investment opportunities and supports the firm's portfolio companies. She was previously a Vice President at Lone View Capital covering software and tech-enabled services private equity, and earlier worked on the Technology Growth investment team at KKR. She began her career as an Investment Banking Analyst on the TMT team at Goldman Sachs and holds a double major in Mathematics and Management Science from MIT.

Daniel Verburg is a Principal at Banneker Partners, where he works on investment analysis and execution and provides operational support to portfolio companies. He was previously a manager in Deloitte's M&A Transaction Services practice serving private equity clients in software, and earlier worked on accounting standards at the Financial Accounting Standards Board. He holds a B.A. in Accounting from Seattle University and a Master's in Assurance and Data Analytics from the University of Washington.

Justin Goschie is a Principal at Banneker Partners, where he sources and executes investments and supports portfolio companies. He focuses on the firm's healthcare technology verticals across provider, payer, and pharmaceutical software, drawing on more than a decade of healthcare investing experience. He previously worked as a Vice President at Cressey & Company, an Associate at Frazier Healthcare Partners, and an Analyst in healthcare investment banking at RBC Capital Markets, and holds a BS in Economics, Accounting, and Finance from the University of Oregon.

Kyle Hufford is a Principal at Banneker Partners, which he joined in 2016, where he leads the firm's business development team and works with founders, CEOs, and intermediaries to source and evaluate investment opportunities. He previously worked at Serent Capital, a technology and services-focused private equity firm, and earlier in M&A advisory as an investment banker at Dinan & Company. He holds a B.S. in Business Management from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Terrance Bei is a Principal at Banneker Partners, where he evaluates investment opportunities and supports the firm's portfolio companies operationally. He previously invested in vertical software and tech-enabled services businesses at Serent Capital, and before that worked at McKinsey & Company on due diligence, operations, growth strategy, and marketing and sales for technology, healthcare, and private equity clients. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Dartmouth College.

Anna Atkison is an Analyst at Banneker Partners, where she works on investment analysis and execution and provides operational support to portfolio companies. She previously served as a Summer Analyst at the firm. She holds a B.A. in Finance and Accounting from the University of Washington.

Charlie Foster is a Senior Associate at Banneker Partners, working from the firm's Portland office on investment research and sourcing. He concentrates on enterprise software, with an emphasis on industrial software for manufacturing and construction markets. He previously worked in investor relations and fundraising at L Capital and holds a BA in Corporate Communication and Public Affairs from Southern Methodist University.

Chirag Shah is an Operating Partner at Banneker Partners, where he works on operational improvement and value creation for portfolio companies. He has more than 25 years of experience with software and technology-enabled businesses, previously supporting operational strategies and turnarounds for private equity firms including Vista Equity Partners and Centerbridge Partners, and earlier held roles at McKinsey & Company, IBM, and Accenture. He holds an MBA from Purdue University and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Devin Sheeks is the Controller at Banneker Partners, where he oversees the firm's financial operations. He previously held roles in fund accounting and reporting at Goldman Sachs and PIMCO, worked in private equity fund operations at TPG Capital, and began his career in the audit practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers focused on financial services. He holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

Ethan Uecker is an Associate at Banneker Partners, where he works on investment analysis and execution and provides operational support to portfolio companies. He was previously a Private Equity Senior Analyst at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Oregon.

Harjot Sachdeva is an Operating Partner at Banneker Partners, where he focuses on operational improvements to drive value. He previously held operations roles at K1 Investment Management and Vista Equity Partners, working with portfolio companies, and served as Chief Customer Officer at HCM software firm Vibe Inc. He spent 16 years in software operations at JDA/i2 Technologies, and holds degrees from Delhi University, the University of Cincinnati, and an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern University.

Jack Cassidy is a Senior Associate at Banneker Partners, where he works on sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities, developing relationships with category leaders, and conducting industry research. He previously served as Associate Director of Business Development at Sunstone Partners, a lower middle market private equity firm focused on tech-enabled services and software. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Real Estate Finance and Development from the University of Southern California.

John Murray is an Operating Partner at Banneker Partners who has spent over 20 years advising software and tech-enabled companies on growth strategy, with a focus on middle-market private equity portfolio companies across the investment life cycle. He began his career in investment banking at Credit Suisse and Stifel, later co-founding or serving as a senior executive at several internet startups and becoming CIO of AssetMark. He holds a B.S. from USC's Marshall School of Business and an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

Justin Roach is a Vice President at Banneker Partners, where he works on investment analysis and execution and supports the firm's portfolio companies operationally. He was previously an Equity Research Analyst at Piper Sandler covering cybersecurity and infrastructure software. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Business Information Systems and Finance from Oregon State University.

Katherine Medlock is an Associate at Banneker Partners, where she works on sourcing, evaluating, and executing investments and supports portfolio company growth, focusing on the firm's healthcare technology verticals across provider, payer, and pharmaceutical software. She previously worked in healthcare investing as an Associate at 1315 Capital and as an Analyst at Sopris Capital, and earlier held roles at Credit Suisse and ExodusPoint. She holds degrees in Integrated Business and Engineering (Finance concentration) and Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University, with minors in Data Analytics and Computer Science.

Kylie Clarke is an Executive Assistant and Deal Coordinator at Banneker Partners, where she supports senior leadership by managing calendars, coordinating investor and board communications, and overseeing deal flow and CRM data. Her responsibilities also include recruiting logistics, event coordination, and expense reporting. She holds a B.A. in Global Studies from Arizona State University, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and is a Certified Notary Public.

Lalitha Cheruvu is a Vice President at Banneker Partners, where she evaluates investment opportunities and supports the firm's portfolio companies. She was previously an Associate at HGGC, assessing investments across software, consumer, financial, and business services, and before that an Investment Banking Analyst at Credit Suisse working on M&A and capital markets transactions. She holds a B.S. in Finance from The University of Maryland, graduating magna cum laude.

Luis Arjona is an Operating Partner at Banneker Partners, where he works with portfolio company leadership teams on performance improvement and growth. He has over 30 years of experience with financial sponsor-backed businesses, having held executive roles such as Chief Transformation Officer, Chief Revenue Officer, and Country Head across software, information services, and e-commerce companies, including positions at eBay, Nielsen, and Ever.Ag. Previously a partner at BCG, Bain, and McKinsey & Company, he holds a B.S. in Electronics Systems Engineering from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Mark Shang is the CFO at Banneker, overseeing the firm's finance, accounting, compliance, and administrative functions. He previously served as CFO of Serent Capital, where he was part of the founding team for over eight years, and later led the Venture and Private Equity Group on the West Coast for Boston Private. He began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, working in both the Transaction Services and audit practices, and holds a degree from the University of Virginia along with the CFA designation.

Nathaniel Foster is an Analyst at Banneker Partners, where he works on investment analysis and execution and supports the firm's portfolio companies operationally. He previously served as a Summer Analyst at Banneker. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Dartmouth College.

Olivia Xu is an Associate at Banneker Partners, where she works on investment analysis and execution and supports the firm's portfolio companies operationally. She previously worked as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Technology Group at William Blair. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Philosophy from Wellesley College.

Owen Albert is an Associate at Banneker Partners, where he works on evaluating and executing investment opportunities and supporting portfolio companies operationally. He previously worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Vista Point Advisors and IKONA Partners, handling software M&A transactions for founder-led and private equity-backed companies. He holds a B.A. in Finance from the University of Washington.

Patrick Wong is an Associate at Banneker Partners, where he works on investment analysis and execution and supports the firm's portfolio companies operationally. He was previously an investment banking Associate at Houlihan Lokey advising on technology M&A, and earlier worked in M&A Advisory and Assurance at PwC, where he obtained his CPA license. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

Steven Ballantyne is an Operating Partner at Banneker Partners, working on operations and value creation across software and manufacturing companies. He previously served as COO at Profitsolv, a legal practice management roll-up, and as COO at Watermark, where he worked on integrating portfolio companies and go-to-market strategy. He holds a B.A. from Davidson College, an M.B.A. from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, and an M.P.A. from Harvard's Kennedy School.

Zach Raphael is an Analyst at Banneker Partners, focusing on deal sourcing, founder outreach, and industry research to originate and evaluate investment opportunities. He previously worked as an Investment Research Analyst at Northern Trust, covering global asset managers. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Business Analytics from Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.

Zephone Lew is a Vice President at Banneker Partners, where she leads sourcing and origination across the firm's software investment themes, including proprietary outreach and banked opportunities. Her work involves identifying and evaluating new investment opportunities, building relationships with founders and intermediaries, and conducting industry research. She previously worked on the sourcing team at K1 Investment Management and holds a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Philosophy from Chapman University.

Philipp Zimmerer is an Executive Assistant and Deal Coordinator at Banneker Partners, where his responsibilities include managing global calendars, facilitating investor and board communications, coordinating deal flow, and maintaining data in CRM and cloud-based systems. He holds a B.A. in Global Studies, Magna Cum Laude, from Arizona State University and is a Certified Notary Public.