BTECH CONSORTIUM

Co-founder and managing director of Btech Consortium; the point of contact for banks interested in joining the consortium.

Mike Sekits has worked as a private equity investor and investment banker in financial services for over 35 years. He co-founded Strandview in 2016, and previously co-founded and managed three special opportunities funds at Jacobs Asset Management, where he invested in mortgage, asset management, financial technology, and distressed loans and served on nine company boards. Earlier he founded Sekits Capital and worked at Bear Stearns, PaineWebber, Dean Witter, and The Shansby Group; he holds a BA in economics and accounting from Claremont McKenna College.

Craig Cimoroni leads investor relations, business development, and marketing at Elizabeth Park Capital Management, focusing on the institutional marketplace. He previously spent 23 years at KeyBanc Capital Management, serving as a Managing Director for 15 years with regional sales management roles, and began his career as an auditor at Ernst & Young. He holds an MBA in Finance from Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management and a B.S. in Accounting from Miami University, and has earned CPA and CFA certifications.

David Bugajski is a Senior Equity Research Analyst at Elizabeth Park Capital Management with 25 years of experience covering banks and financial services companies. He previously served as Managing Director of Financial Services at DISCERN, Equity Portfolio Manager at Pyramus Global Advisors, Senior Equity Research Bank Analyst at Credit Suisse Asset Management, Senior Equity Research Analyst at Alger, and Director of Research at Invesco US. He holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh's Katz Graduate School of Business and a BBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Michigan.

E.C. Pelaia serves as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer at Elizabeth Park Capital Management, with experience spanning asset management, risk oversight, institutional investments, operating infrastructure, and regulatory governance. He previously spent 22 years in banking and investment, including roles at KeyBank as CIO of Passive Equity and Fixed Income Assets for Victory Capital Management, where he led the transition from an active to passive fixed income manager, and earlier positions as Senior Portfolio Manager, Assistant Vice President, and Investment Officer. He holds a BA in Economics from The College of Wooster.

Kevin Reevey is a Senior Equity Research Analyst with over 30 years of experience as a sell-side and buy-side analyst covering commercial banks across large, mid, small, and micro-cap segments. He was previously a Managing Director at D.A. Davidson, where he built the firm's Midwest depository institutions equity research coverage, and earlier a Managing Director at FSI Group, LLC, a financial services-focused investment firm. He holds a BS in Business Administration from New York University's Stern School of Business and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Michael Bartlett is a Senior Analyst at Elizabeth Park Capital Management with more than 19 years of investment experience, applying financial analysis and institutional research with a focus on organizational leadership and competitive positioning. He previously worked as an Associate Analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets covering steel and metals, an Equity Research Associate at William Blair & Company covering technology hardware, and an Associate at JP Morgan Capital Markets, and began his career at Bank One Corporation. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a BA in Business from Lake Forest College, is a CFA charterholder, and holds Series 7, 63, and 65 licenses.

Nicholas Ferguson is an Associate at Elizabeth Park Capital Management, where he supports the marketing, investor relations, and operational teams. He previously interned with the firm in 2023, working on Mission Driven Bank Fund assignments and supporting investor relations and marketing. He holds a Master's in Finance in Investment Management from the University of Michigan Dearborn and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Youngstown State University, and has completed Level 2 of the CFA program.

Paul Welch is Head of Private Equity with around 23 years of experience investing institutional capital across private and public markets, focused on banks, financial technology, and financial services companies. He previously served as a Vice President and Investment Team member at Patriot Financial Partners, an Equity Partner and lead Financial Services analyst at PENN Capital Management, and an analyst at Ariel Investments. He holds a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Placide Gatabazi joined Strandview in April 2021. He previously worked as a portfolio analyst at Initialized Capital, where he supported portfolio companies with needs such as hiring and follow-on investment research, and interned in Finance and Assurance at PwC, working on the audit of Bank of Kigali. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Science Management and Data Science from Claremont McKenna College.

Vice president at Btech Consortium; the point of contact for technology companies interested in strategic capital.

Yaoyao Chen is an Associate Analyst at Elizabeth Park Capital Management, where she conducts company and industry research, maintains fundamental databases, and develops marketing materials. She previously interned with the firm in 2019 and again from 2021 to 2022, supporting research, marketing, and operations. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Oberlin College and Conservatory in 2022 with a B.A. in Economics and a B.M. in Violin Performance.