Updata Partners

Carter Griffin is a General Partner and co-manager of Updata Partners, where he has been part of the investment team since 2005, with over 25 years of experience as an operator and investor in software. He previously co-founded Brivo Systems, an early SaaS provider in physical security access control, serving as Chairman and CEO until its sale, and spent four years as a Senior Vice President at Kaiser Associates advising Fortune 500 clients. Earlier roles included positions with the Coca-Cola Company in London, American Management Systems, and Arthur Andersen; he holds a B.S. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University's Kellogg School.

Jon Seeber is a General Partner at Updata Partners and co-manages the firm, having joined its investment team in 2006. Before Updata, he worked in Business Development at IBM Global Services, handling acquisitions, divestitures, investments, and partnerships, and earlier served as an officer in the U.S. Air Force and worked as a developer with two U.S. patents in network optimization and security. He holds a B.A. in Computer Science and History from Duke University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Alex Phelan is a Principal at Updata Partners. He previously invested in growth-stage technology companies at Summit Partners, worked in the software group at investment bank William Blair, and did venture capital investing at Spark Capital. He holds a B.A. in Business, Entrepreneurship & Organizations from Brown University.

Ryan Brady is a Principal and Head of Value Creation at Updata Partners. He previously worked in the PEVC practice at Cuesta Partners, a strategy and technology consulting firm, where he was a Manager and also served as Director of Operations, and he started his career at Liberty Advisor Group, a technology-focused consulting firm in Chicago. Brady holds a B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration from Washington & Lee University.

Barry Goldsmith is an Operating Partner and co-founder of Updata Partners, with more than 35 years of experience in the information technology industry as an entrepreneur, executive, investor, and advisor. In 1968 he founded CGA Computer, Inc., an IT consulting and software provider that went public in 1969 and was later taken private through a leveraged buyout before its divisions were sold to Computer Associates and CapGemini. He subsequently co-founded Updata Software and Sablesoft, which were acquired by Online Software and Platinum Technologies. He is a graduate of Rutgers University.

Daniel Anstandig is a technology entrepreneur, executive, and board member focused on AI, media, and financial technology. He is founder and CEO of Futuri, a subscription technology company serving media brands across 22 countries, and co-founded SparkTrade.io and the mental wellness app HappiSeek. He is a partner at 3D MediaVentures, where he advises media and tech executives.

Dilan Amin is an Associate at Updata Partners, where he previously worked as an Analyst and Summer Analyst. He earned a B.S. in Finance with a minor in Computer Science from Wake Forest University.

Eli Cuene is an Associate at Updata Partners, where he previously worked as a Summer Analyst. Before that, he was an Investment Analyst Intern at Groove Capital, a Minneapolis-based venture capital firm. He holds a B.S. in Computer Science from Duke University.

Elizabeth Cholawsky was most recently CEO of HG Insights, a big data and SaaS platform providing technology intelligence to B2B customers, where recurring revenue grew to over $60M ARR. She previously served as CEO of Support.com (Nasdaq: SPRT) and held executive roles at Citrix, ValueClick, and other technology companies. Her experience spans general management, marketing, product management, client services, and customer success, including sponsoring and integrating multiple acquisitions.

Erica Snow is an Executive Assistant at Updata Partners. She previously served as Director of Operations for the women's basketball program at Virginia Commonwealth University. She holds a B.A. in Communications and Media Arts from Montclair State University and an M.A. from VCU's Center for Sport Leadership.

Greg Olear is the Chief Financial Officer at Updata Partners, with twenty-five years of experience in finance and accounting. Before joining the firm, he served as Vice President of Finance at Digital 5, a company providing software for streaming multimedia content. He holds a B.S. in Commerce from Rider University and is a licensed CPA in New Jersey.

Ian Belloli is a Senior Associate for Portfolio Value Creation at Updata Partners. He previously worked at L.E.K. Consulting on private equity due diligence and growth strategy engagements in software and business services, and held an internal strategy role at Weave Communications, a SaaS company. He started his career with Teach for America teaching middle school STEM in Hawaii, and holds an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management and a BS in Economics from Brigham Young University.

Ira Cohen is an Operating Partner and co-founder of Updata Partners, with more than 35 years in the IT industry as an executive, investor, and advisor to software, internet, and IT services companies. He previously served as CFO and Treasurer of CGA Computer, Inc., which he helped take private in a 1984 management buyout, and earlier led Tridex and Computer Magnetics through acquisitions, divestitures, financings, and an IPO. He is a CPA, holds an M.S. in Finance from Boston University and a B.S. in Accounting from City University of New York, and completed Harvard Business School's Executive Education program.

Jack Carroll is an Associate at Updata Partners. He previously worked at America's Growth Capital, a boutique investment bank advising growth-stage technology companies. He earned a BSBA in Finance from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.

Jack Larson is a Vice President at Updata Partners. He previously served as Head of Finance & Strategy at dbt Labs, a data infrastructure company that scaled past $100 million in annual recurring revenue, and worked as an investor at Accel. He started his career as an analyst in Goldman Sachs's technology, media, and telecom investment banking group and holds a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Notre Dame.

Jim Liang is an Operating Partner at Updata with over 40 years in the technology and software industries. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Strategy & Corporate Development at Amdocs and as VP of Strategy for IBM's Global Technology Services division, and earlier held an investment banking career that included leading Global Technology Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley. He holds a Sc.B. in Applied Mathematics/Economics from Brown University and an M.B.A. in Finance/Marketing from the University of Chicago.

John Burton co-founded Updata and worked as a General Partner for more than 20 years until 2013, when he became Chairman and CEO of Nintex, an Updata portfolio company. He previously founded the venture-backed company BST, Inc. and served as CEO of publicly traded LEGENT Corporation, which grew from $100M to $600M in revenue during his tenure. His background spans senior software company leadership, numerous board roles, and involvement in more than 60 M&A and liquidity events; he now advises portfolio companies on growth, go-to-market, and operating matters.

Justin Williams is a Vice President at Updata Partners. He previously invested in growth-stage technology companies at LLR Partners and in media and entertainment at Domain Capital Group, and started his career in investment banking at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey (Truist Securities). He holds a B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Hampton University.

Kate Winkler is a three-time CEO of private equity-backed companies, including a three-year tenure at Ruby, an Updata portfolio company acquired by a strategic buyer in 2022. Over a 25-year career in technology, she spent a decade as a technology investment banker, working with more than 75 companies. Her areas of expertise include technology-enabled business solutions, high-growth business models, and complex M&A.

Mary Hampton McNeal is a Vice President at Updata Partners. She previously worked at Evercore, advising clients on M&A and other financial matters. She earned a B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration from Washington & Lee University, where she played on the women's tennis team.

Matthew Chilton is a Senior Associate at Updata Partners. He previously worked as an Associate at KippsDeSanto & Co., a middle-market investment banking firm focused on the aerospace, defense, and government services sectors. He earned a B.S. in Commerce with a concentration in Finance from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce and a B.A. in Computer Science from the University of Virginia.

Nayana Celine Xavier is an Analyst at Updata Partners. She previously worked at Accel-KKR as a Summer Analyst on the Growth Equity team. She earned a B.S. in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and Management, including a Global Commerce & Society Track, from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce.

Neal Singal is an Associate at Updata Partners. Before joining the firm, he co-founded Global Pal, a startup that worked on digitizing restaurant ordering and payment processing. He earned a BSBA in Operations & Analytics and Management from Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business.

Rick Lottenbach is the Financial Controller at Updata Partners, responsible for the firm's financial operations and reporting. Before Updata, he worked for eight years at Alvarez & Marsal in the Federal Tax practice, rising to Senior Director with a focus on private equity and real estate. He is a CPA licensed in Virginia, with a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Richmond and an M.S. in Accounting-Tax from the University of Virginia.

Shahaan Bashir is an Analyst at Updata Partners. He previously worked as a Summer Analyst at Resolve Growth Partners and as a Strategy Consulting Intern on the Health and Life Sciences Desk at DGA-Albright Stonebridge Group, a D.C.-based political risk and strategy consulting firm. He earned a B.S. in International Business from The George Washington University School of Business.

Sloan Gaon is a CEO focused on special situations such as turnarounds, strategic pivots, and business scaling at public and private/VC-backed companies. He was most recently CEO of PulsePoint, a healthcare data and technology company that was sold to WebMD, and previously led Dotmenu (Campusfood.com and Allmenus.com), which was sold to Grubhub. Earlier in his career he held senior strategic roles at Adknowledge, MIVA, Register.com, and TurboChef. He is a graduate of Syracuse College of Law and Clark University.

Stephanie Moore is a Fund Accountant at Updata Partners with more than twenty years of corporate accounting experience. She previously worked as Corporate Accounting Manager at Armacell LLC and handles day-to-day accounting tasks including payables, receivables, tax, and monthly financials. She earned a B.S. in Business Administration in Finance & Accounting from Elon University.

Steven Aldrich spent seven years at GoDaddy, serving as Chief Product Officer from 2016 and joining in 2012 when the company acquired his startup Outright; there he helped grow the company through its transition from private to public. Earlier he spent over a decade in leadership roles at Intuit's consumer and small business divisions, joining in 1996 after selling them InsureMarket, an online insurance marketplace he co-founded. He holds an M.B.A. from Stanford, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar, and a B.A. in physics from the University of North Carolina.

Suhas Chinthalapuri is an Associate at Updata Partners. He previously worked on the Corporate Strategy & Development team at Global Payments (NYSE:GPN), executing acquisitions, divestitures, and joint ventures totaling over $40 billion in enterprise value, and earlier held roles as an Investment Banking Analyst at Barclays and a Private Equity Summer Analyst at The Riverside Company. He earned a B.B.A. in Finance & Accounting from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.