TEAM

Joanna Chang
Partner
Search & Advisory

San Francisco

LinkedIn Profile

Joanna Chang is a partner and COO of North America. She advises private equity funds and their portfolio companies on talent strategy across the investment lifecycle. This includes identifying and bringing on board the right C-Suite leadership to support thesis development and diligence support to placing board directors, CEOs and CFOs to accelerate portfolio company performance during value creation. In addition, she has an emphasis on leading diversity mandates for her clients.

Experience

• Track record serving growth and private equity sponsors as well as public corporations
• Operating career included executive roles across marketing, strategic alliances and business development for MGM Grand Paradise, Augmentum, Mercury Interactive, Adobe Systems and Siebel Systems
• Fluent in Mandarin Chinese; formerly lived in Shanghai and Macau, China

Education

• MBA degree from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
• BA degree in psychology from New York University

Bart Foster
Managing Partner
Investments

San Francisco

LinkedIn Profile

Bart Foster is L Capital’s managing partner and co-founder. He is an experienced private equity investor and operating executive and he has led or co-led more than 35 private equity transactions. Bart has invested more than $400 million in equity capital across the technology, business services and industrial sectors.

Experience

• Prior to L Capital, Bart was the operating partner responsible for software investments at Marlin Equity Partners where he served as chairman of six companies with annual revenue ranging from $20 million to $650 million
• Previously he led successful investments and business transformations in partnership with Francisco Partners, Battery Ventures, Golden Gate Capital, Warburg Pincus and TCV
• Earlier in his career, Bart served in senior executive roles at Oracle, Informatica and four other software companies and worked as a strategy consultant for Booz, Allen & Hamilton

Education

• MBA from Harvard Business School (with distinction)
• Dual bachelor’s degrees from Stanford University in economics and political science

Simon Francis
Partner
Search & Advisory

San Francisco

LinkedIn Profile

Simon Francis is a partner and co-founder at L Capital. His focus is serving founders and managing partners of private equity sponsors. With 25 years of experience, Simon has led and completed hundreds of retained search engagements. Today, his assignments are primarily CEO searches for private equity-backed portfolio companies and adding C-suite executives and board directors supporting “portco” CEOs. Simon is also the firm’s specialist in GP-level retained searches, both building out portfolio operations/adding operating partners, as well as finding senior deal professionals.

Experience

• Co-founder of the firm's private equity investing arm, as well as the diligence advisory business
• A partner for nine years with CTPartners (formerly Christian & Timbers), where he was the global practice leader for private equity
• Early career with Heidrick & Struggles, initially based in London and then in Menlo Park, California

Education

• Law degree with a Social Anthropology minor from The London School of Economics
• Graduated from the Inns of Court School of Law (Bar School, Gray’s Inn)

Tony Condino
CFO, CCO & Operating Partner Investments

San Francisco

LinkedIn Profile

Tony Condino is a senior finance and operations executive with extensive private equity experience. He serves as the Chief Financial Officer for L Capital and a finance operating partner for the firm's diligence & advisory offering. His expertise includes financial planning analysis, cash management, controllership, acquisitions, and strategic initiatives targeting maximization of enterprise value and returns.

Experience

• Prior to L Capital, he served in critical portfolio management functions for Marlin Equity Partners during the firm’s growth of assets under management (AUM) from $50M to $6.5B
• Helped drive outsized internal rates of return working directly with over 20 Marlin portfolio companies in both North America and Europe
• Prior career included roles as Vice President of Finance at Stravina (consumer products), director FP&A at Ampad (consumer products), director of FP&A at Centis (consumer products) and product line controller at HITCO (aerospace)

Education

• BS in Finance from Santa Clara University
• Certificate in production and inventory control

Michael Misiaszek
Principal
Investments

San Francisco

LinkedIn Profile

Michael Misiaszek is a principal at L Capital. He is responsible for sourcing and evaluating new investments. Michael also supports the firm's current portfolio and helps manage investor relations and capital formation.

Experience

• Former principal at a boutique private equity diligence advisory and executive search firm
• Early career in FinTech and software consulting at FactSet Research Systems, building and managing investment strategies for large buyside and private equity clients

Education

• Graduated with honors from University of Arizona, Eller College of Management and McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship

Jeff Yolen
Executive Vice President
Search & Advisory

Boston

LinkedIn Profile

Jeff Yolen serves as Executive Vice President of Search. He advises private equity clients on CEO, CFO and board searches for technology companies. Working with CEOs, Jeff also leads engagements for C-level go-to-market roles. Finally, he leads many of the firm’s pre-deal advisory engagements and is responsible for business development and account management across the firm’s client portfolio.

Experience

• Prior executive search roles at Russell Reynolds and JM Search
• More than 15 years of operating experience as chief revenue officer or corporate development executive for companies including Virgin Management, Sphere (acquired by AOL), RealNetworks and Kozmo.com
• Former venture partner at New Atlantic Ventures and Vulcan Capital

Education

• MBA degree from Harvard Business School
• MPA degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School
• AB Cum Laude in Urban Studies from Harvard College

Kate Rowley
Vice President
Advisory

San Francisco

LinkedIn Profile

Kate Rowley serves as Vice President of L Capital Diligence & Advisory and is responsible for research operations and customer success across the firm's client portfolio. In addition, she helps manage L Capital's investor relations and fundraising efforts.

Experience

• Prior to joining L Capital, served as Director of Operations and Customer Success at Apex Leaders, a private equity consulting firm specializing in thematic development, deal origination, due diligence, board and executive placements
• Spent her earlier career as an international healthcare project manager and a small business manager

Education

• MBA with specialization in international business and honors, Oakland University
• Dual BA degrees in Psychology and German studies with honors, Michigan State University

Brendan Ward
Vice President
Advisory

New York

LinkedIn Profile

Brendan Ward serves as Vice President of L Capital Diligence & Advisory and is responsible for business development and account management across the firm’s client portfolio.

Experience

• Prior to joining L Capital, served as Senior Director of Business Development at Apex Leaders, a private equity consulting firm specializing in thematic development, due diligence, portfolio advancement and board placements
• Spent his earlier career in sales at research advisory firm Gartner and at software startups Seismic Software, Persado, and Datalogix

Education

• BA degree in Marketing & Finance, Providence College
• International Business Certificate, Mount Batten in London, where he also interned at Deutsche Bank

Elliott Jones
Consultant
Executive Search

New York

LinkedIn Profile

Elliott Jones is a consultant with L Capital. He supports private equity funds and their portfolio companies through market facing, candidate development efforts. He drives client engagements and relationship development, working with partners on C-Suite executive searches. He brings 10+ years of human capital experience to the role.

Experience

• Kingfish Group, serving middle market PE sponsors across pre-deal and value creation programs.
• Guidepoint, providing solution to global institutional clients.
• Early career with Merrill Lynch

Education

• Bachelor’s in International Relations from Brown University
• Master’s in Business Administration from Columbia University

Cathy Li
Consultant
Executive Search

San Francisco, London

LinkedIn Profile

Cathy Li is a consultant at L Capital. Her mandate is to project manage and execute search engagements through to completion for clients, operating as “2nd chair” supporting the Partners. Cathy brings 5+ years of experience serving PE Sponsors, spans pre-deal (Diligence & Advisory), and retained C-Suite executive search. Cathy also brings expertise as GPs evolve - running both PE PortOps searches and selecting MD and Partner hires to deal teams. By sector, Cathy knows software, technology and data, industrial, and B2B services.

Experience 

• Previously with Christie’s affiliated real estate brand, Pacific Union (since acquired by Compass), she drove cross-border real estate investments and led the company’s marketing and business development efforts in the US and Asia. She managed client relationships and initiated strategic co-branding events with Christie’s auction house and other partners globally.
• Cathy has lived and worked in California, Beijing, London, and Paris. Bilingual in English and Mandarin.

Education 

• Bachelor of Business Administration from The University of San Francisco
• Certificate: Investments and Tech Ventures from Stanford University

Maria Romero
Consultant
Executive Search

San Francisco

LinkedIn Profile

Maria Romero is a consultant at L Capital. Maria leverages her 15+ years of sales experience and her expertise in software as a service (SaaS) and private equity (PE) sectors to deliver effective executive recruiting solutions. She collaborates with retained search firms that serve PE firms and their portfolio companies, assisting them in finding and hiring top talent to achieve their strategic objectives. Maria works closely with sales, marketing, legal, and finance teams to ensure customer satisfaction, profitability, and retention.

Experience 

• Previously worked at UPS, Qualys, and Clockwork.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish.

Education 

• Bachelor of Sociology with a Minor in Criminal Justice from San Francisco State University.

Liliana Corona
Vice President of Research
Executive Search

San Diego

LinkedIn Profile

Liliana Corona serves as vice president of research and knowledge management at L Capital. She is responsible for building and managing a best-in-class research team that supports business development and executive search delivery for growth and private equity-backed portfolio companies. She brings domain experience across technology, business services, technology-enabled services, healthcare and financial services. In addition, her focus includes ensuring end-to-end operational excellence across the firm’s service offerings.

Experience

• Brings a decade of research and implementation experience in executive search serving growth and private equity clients as well as public corporations
• Most recently was head of research at Bespoke Partners where she built, trained and scaled a research function from the ground up
• Early career as head of research at a private equity diligence advisory and executive search firm that specializes in the software, healthcare IT and tech-enabled services sectors

Education

• BS degree in Economics from San Diego State University

Cole Ishihara
Senior Associate
Advisory

Boise

LinkedIn Profile

Cole Ishihara is a Senior Associate with L Capital Diligence & Advisory and is responsible for leading research and sourcing engagements across the firm's portfolio of clients.

Experience

• Prior to his current role, Cole worked for Apex Leaders, a boutique private equity advisory firm focused on executive led thesis development, due diligence, and portfolio advancement engagements

Education

• B.A. in History with honors, Boise State

Miku Nozaki
Senior Associate
Executive Search

Seattle

LinkedIn Profile

Miku Nozaki is a senior research associate at L Capital. She is responsible for conducting rigorous market research and executing on search delivery across various functions and industries, including tech and software.

Experience

• Previous work in the sports marketing industry, bringing together partnership deals between teams, athletes and corporate brands
• Conducted executive search at a firm specializing in PE-backed software, management consulting and market research

Education

• BA degree in International Studies, Economics from the University of California, San Diego

Regina Xu
Senior Associate
Advisory

Gabriella Mahmoud
Research Associate
Executive Search

San Francisco

LinkedIn Profile

Gabriella Mahmoud is a research associate at L Capital. She is responsible for conducting meticulous market research on C-Suite searches for PE-backed and public companies across various functions and industries, including tech and software.

Experience

• Prior to her position as a Research Analyst, she worked as a Project Coordinator and Executive Assistant with L Capital
• Previously, Gabriella served as an executive Search Coordinator at WittKieffer for the healthcare, non-profit and academic medicine practices
• Gabriella served as an empathy, allyship and inclusion Researcher for Change Catalyst, a non-profit organization, focused on coaching, training and consulting for the Fortune 500, venture capital firms and the start-up community

Education

• MBA degree from Hult International Business School in San Francisco
• BS degree in International Business from San Francisco State University

Marisa Mejia
Research Associate
Advisory

Boise

LinkedIn Profile

Marisa Mejia is an associate with L Capital Diligence & Advisory and is responsible for leading research and sourcing engagements across the firm's portfolio of clients.

Experience

• Previously worked for Apex Leaders, a boutique private equity advisory network focused on executive-led thesis development, due diligence, and portfolio advancement engagements.

Education

• M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from University of Arizona’s English Applied Linguistics program
• BA degree in English Linguistics from Boise State University

Evan Mullins
Vice President of Finance
Executive Search

San Francisco

LinkedIn Profile

Evan Mullins is the Vice President of Finance, Search at L Capital. He oversees accounting operations and helps to establish and monitor the policies, controls and procedures for the business. Evan also assists in internal operations and is responsible for financial reporting and analysis.

Experience

• Knowledgeable across a range of business models ranging from SaaS software to e-commerce and professional services—as well as online retail and manufacturing
• Expert in advising executives on ways to achieve financial goals and growth targets
• Ability to grow small businesses, either in headcount and/or bottom-line profitability, by focusing on the foundation and fundamentals of accounting and operations.

Education

• BS degree in Accounting, California State University San Marcos

Harmony Dubnow
Project Coordinator
& Executive Assistant Search

Napa Valley

LinkedIn

Harmony Dubnow is a project coordinator and executive assistant at L Capital. She is responsible for managing search assignments and spearheading marketing initiatives for the firm.

Experience 

• More than 10 years of experience in project management, luxury sales, and supporting top-tier leadership in the wine industry

Education 

• Associate’s degree in Sociology, Napa Valley College

Alana LaBella
Executive Assistant
Advisory

Montreal

LinkedIn Profile

Alana LaBella is an executive assistant at L Capital. She is responsible for supporting the senior leadership team with coordinating various operation needs, such as scheduling, travel and event planning, as well as onboarding new team members to systems. She supports relationship management with private equity co-sponsors, limited partners and executives.

Experience

• Brings more than 15 years of experience providing support to C-level executives in professional services, including law firms, private equity and investment banking

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Communications from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)

Gordy Holterman
Senior Advisor
Investments

San Francisco

LinkedIn Profile

Gordy Holterman has 30 years of experience in investing, building and growing successful financial and technology organizations. His primary focus is on how technology and data science innovations are changing investment processes, wealth management and financial transactions. Gordy works with several emerging technology companies across the fintech, proptech, insurtech, and agtech segments. Gordy also sits on L Capital's Limited Partner Advisory Committee.

Background

• Co-Founder of Vertis AI, a software provider developing a SaaS product that delivers actionable, data-driven insights for workforce, workplace and commercial real estate decision-makers
• Founder and CEO of Overland Advisors, a multi-asset relative value hedge fund created in partnership with Wells Fargo
• Served as SVP, Head of Financial Products for Wells Fargo, as the Founder and CEO of SF Sentry Relative Value
• Started his financial career at O’Connor & Associates in Chicago

Education

• BS degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• JD from Stanford University Law School
• Serves on the board of advisors for Jumpstart, a national early childhood education organization working toward the day every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed