Satori Capital

Co-founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market. Pioneered the rise of organic and natural foods in the US and is recognized for blending free-market principles with conscious capitalism.

Rugger Burke is a partner, general counsel, and investment committee member at Satori Capital, where he co-leads the private equity team and focuses on sourcing, due diligence, and completing investments. He has led or co-led acquisitions including Able Machinery Movers, FWT, Komline-Sanderson, Purple Land Management, and Vinventions USA, and serves on the boards of companies such as Automatic Fire Protection, R. Torre & Company, and Wellen Capital. Prior to co-founding Satori Capital in 2008, he practiced law for more than a decade in transactional and litigation matters, and he holds a BS in Mathematics and previously worked as an engineer.

Alexis Vanstone is a Partner, General Counsel, and Investment Committee Member at Satori Capital, where the firm's five principals oversee strategy and operations. Vanstone co-leads the private equity team, focusing on sourcing, due diligence, and completing investments, and has led or co-led acquisitions including FWT, Komline-Sanderson, Purple Land Management, and Vinventions USA LLC, while serving on the boards of companies such as Automatic Fire Protection, R. Torre & Company, and Wellen Capital. Holding a BS in Mathematics and having worked as an engineer before entering law, Vanstone spent over a decade in private practice on transactional and litigation matters before co-founding Satori Capital in 2008, a firm that now manages more than $1.3 billion.

Marc Sharpe is Founder and Chairman of The Family Office Association, a peer network for single family offices established in 2007. He serves as Strategic Advisor to Group RMC and Mercury Fund, and as Operating Partner with Satori Capital, focusing on private equity and real estate investments. Sharpe teaches an MBA course on entrepreneurial family offices at Rice University and Southern Methodist University, and holds degrees from Cambridge University, Oxford University, and Harvard Business School.

Paul Strigler is the Office Coordinator at Thompson Street Capital Partners. He previously worked as an Admissions Coordinator at Heartland Hospice in St. Louis, held sales and life enrichment roles with Spectrum Retirement Communities in Missouri, and served as a US-based Admissions Counselor for Saint Louis University's Madrid Campus. Strigler holds a B.A. in Psychology and an M.A. in Gerontology, both from Webster University.

Founder of Princeton Pacific Capital specializing in manufactured housing communities and multifamily properties with over 1,500 units under control. He pioneered prefabricated housing in California and owns Princeton Pacific Properties, a full-service real estate brokerage representing approximately 100 clients annually.

Healthcare industry veteran with over 20 years as senior executive in multi-site healthcare companies. Currently CEO of Sentient and previously led Eagle Hospital Physicians and Solis Women's Health.

Founder of Stayful.com and former CEO of TicketsNow. Led critical growth initiatives at Hotels.com and Expedia Corporate Travel, with expertise in brand strategy, consumer insights, and omnichannel retail scaling.

Senior corporate executive with deep transportation sector expertise. Served as CEO of Coach America Holdings and multiple roles at Greyhound Lines, executing turnarounds and scaling operations across the transportation and distribution industries.

Financial services expert with over 30 years in wealth management, investment management, and philanthropy. Co-founded Tolleson Wealth Management, which became a leading multi-family office in Texas, and led the founding of the Brain Performance Institute at the Center for BrainHealth.

Executive advisor focused on scaling consumer product companies between $50 million and $750 million in revenue. Led Lovesac as President/COO to become the fastest-growing furniture company in the US and previously drove Bath & Body Works growth from $200 million to $3 billion.

CEO of Ranger Wireless Holdings with over 25 years of technology management experience. Specializes in telecommunications, internet services, and integrated optics manufacturing with expertise in M&A, restructuring, and strategic planning.

Leading expert in health, fitness, nutrition, and weight loss with over three decades of experience. Created the successful weight-loss program 'The Great North American Slimdown' and brings values-aligned community expertise to the Satori ecosystem.

Experienced executive across family office management, private equity, venture capital, and investment banking. Founder and Chairman of The Family Office Association, a global peer network representing ultra-high-net-worth families.

Senior executive at Berkshire Hathaway Automotive and founder of ZAK Automotive Companies. Brings extensive automotive industry experience and has scaled multiple companies to double-digit growth, with recognition as one of America's fastest-growing private companies.

Brittney Russell is a Senior Project Manager at Satori Capital with over 15 years of experience across private equity, start-ups, consumer brands, and consulting. She has held roles including Interim COO, Chief of Staff, and Senior Project Manager, with work spanning operations scaling, executive team alignment, and board and investor relations.

Cami Miller is an Operating Partner at Satori Capital, where she focuses on board operations, board administration, and strategic collaboration. She has over 20 years of experience and previously held leadership roles at Lovesac, including Chief Strategy Officer and President, working on retail, merchandising, and visual merchandising initiatives.

Chad Cook is Director of Business Development at Satori Capital, a Texas-based multi-strategy investment firm whose private equity business partners with middle-market companies. He has worked in mergers and acquisitions for over 20 years, including roles raising capital from high net worth individuals and family offices and serving as an investment banker on buy-side and sell-side transactions. Cook holds an MBA from Southern Methodist University and a BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.

Healthcare and biomedical research leader who served as President of UT Southwestern Medical Center for 22 years. Oversaw significant institutional expansion and emerged as a top-10 biomedical research institution during his tenure.

Ellen Henderson is a communications strategist, writer/editor, and project manager with more than 15 years of experience in marketing and media. She currently serves as Stakeholder Communications Manager at Satori Capital.

Karlene Stewart is Managing Director, Chief Financial Officer, and a board member at Newport LLC, which she joined in 2012, where she advises CEOs and owners of middle market companies as a board member and business advisor. She previously spent her early career at Ernst & Young, serving as a partner in tax, audit, and consulting roles specializing in real estate and publicly traded entities, and as the firm's Global Director of the Real Estate and Construction Industry, later working with Concern Worldwide on maternal and child health projects funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She is a licensed attorney, CPA, and Chartered Accountant in California, and has been a contributing author for Forbes since 2014.

Keera Ketterman is Director of Operations at Satori Capital. Her responsibilities span investor experience, fund operations, compliance, human resources, and firm administration.

Nicole Weirich is the Founder and CEO of Beacon Insights Group, where she holds the title of Principal. The company's platform, Beacon Navigator, tracks over 10,000 innovation opportunities globally and provides ecosystem intelligence to universities, corporations, governments, and investors, while the firm also offers strategy, commercialization, and ecosystem development services across sectors including deep tech, health, climate, fintech, AI, and defense. Weirich has more than 20 years of experience across the government, non-profit, corporate, and social enterprise sectors, participated in Techstars New York in 2013 and was a MassChallenge finalist in 2019, and mentors founders through Techstars, MIT, the Harvard i-lab, and USC.

Leading social forecaster and author of bestselling Megatrends books. Consults with major organizations on social change and business transformation.

Watson Jackson is a Senior Associate in private equity at Satori Capital. He previously worked as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Energy Group at Guggenheim Partners. Jackson graduated summa cum laude from SMU as a Hunt and BBA scholar, earning a BBA in finance and a BS in sport management, with minors in European studies and history and honors in liberal arts.

Executive coach specializing in transforming companies from startup to scaling phase. Former operator with experience at PrimeSource and as division president at a major airline; also participated in turnarounds at Continental Airlines and Dell Computer.

Alex Stewart is an Associate at Thompson Street Capital Partners, a St. Louis-based private equity firm that invests in founder-led middle market businesses across the Healthcare & Life Sciences, Software & Technology, and Business Services sectors. The firm has acquired more than 150 companies since 2000 and manages over $4.5 billion. He previously worked as a consultant in KPMG's Strategy group and holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

Administrative Partner at VentureDNA working directly with the firm's Founder.

Managing Partner at VentureDNA with prior experience as Founder and President of another organization.

Finance professional with a master's degree from University of CEMA and economics background from University of Buenos Aires.

Michael (Mike) Evans is a partner at Newport LLC. He previously spent time at Ernst & Young, where he built and led the firm's Real Estate and Construction Industry practice as Global Director from 1988 to 1998, later serving as Director of Strategic Investments overseeing E&Y's stakes in 40 emerging growth companies, and as a senior partner for Quality and Risk Management across 30 countries. Earlier in his career he worked in investment banking and corporate law, advised middle-market clients in Silicon Valley on tax strategy, and managed projects funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Amy Kruse—PhD neuroscientist who led DARPA neuroscience and human-performance programs—guides neurotech (BCI, sensing) startups from board seats through scientific and regulatory complexity to enhance human performance.