YaleFin, the shared interest group for Yale alumni in finance, banking, and markets, is pleased to present the second in a two part series of panel discussions on family offices. These private wealth management vehicles manage investments and assets for high net worth individuals, and they carry unique advantages and challenges with respect to customization, flexibility, privacy. Please join us for an evening of food and drink, as we delve into this rapidly growing niche.
We will host David Teten (Founder, Versatile Venture Capital; Yale College) moderating a conversation with Jane Chen, investor at Blue 9 Capital; Mark Wolfington, Partner, Business Development, The Wolfington Companies; and Morris Wheeler, Founder & Principal, Drummond Road Capital (Yale JD).
Among other topics, our panel will discuss:
- Investment goals of the family office
- Working with the family office community
- How to invest: Direct vs. coinvestments vs. funds
We will finish with an audience Q&A and open the floor to mingle over refreshments and heavy hors d’oeuvres (cheese/charcuterie, mezze platter, fruit). All attendees get a digital Day Pass good for 1 day at any The Yard location.
Our speakers:
Morris Wheeler is Founder & Principal, Drummond Road Capital, an investment management company managing Venture Capital, Private Equity and other direct and portfolio investments. As Chairman and CEO of Cohesant Inc. and CEO and President of its predecessor Cohesant Technologies Inc., Mr. Wheeler delivered greater than 28% annualized return to the public investors of Cohesant. Prior to founding Drummond Road, Mr. Wheeler was the Chief Executive Officer of an Internet media company co-founded with former MTV, Island Records, and Gateway computers executives. This company was the first online music distribution company and won a Webby for Music Entertainment. Prior to April 1998, Mr. Wheeler served in various executive capacities with Clarion Capital Corporation, a Venture Capital company. Mr. Wheeler holds a degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a J.D. from the Yale Law School.
Jane Chen is an investor at Blue 9 Capital, a single family office based in New York. The family comes from a manufacturing background and had been investing in mid-market PE businesses, but has shifted their strategy to investing in early stage tech-enabled businesses in the last five years. Jane was previously at PJT Partners in the M&A group, focused on the Fintech and consumer sectors. She received a BA from Harvard.
Mark Wolfington is Partner, Business Development, The Wolfington Companies. He is an experienced entrepreneur and executive. He has over 30 years of investing, operations and management experience in the US and abroad in Europe and China. During that time he has helped his businesses grow through acquisitions, mergers and organic growth. He has financed multiple companies from seed stage start-ups to public offerings and private equity.
David Teten is Managing Partner of Versatile VC, backing early-stage companies which help investors generate alpha and grow. He is Chair of PEVCTech, a community of investors in private companies using technology and analytics to generate alpha. He also manages Founders’ Next Move, a community for serial tech founders researching their next move. He was previously a Managing Partner with HOF Capital; Partner with ff Venture Capital; Founder of Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of NY; and a serial founder with two exits. He writes periodically at teten.com. He holds a Yale BA and Harvard MBA.
Agenda:
- 5:30pm – Room opens
- 6:15pm – Introductions, panel discussion, Q&A
- 7:15pm – 9:30pm networking reception
If you have any questions or areas of focus of particular interest to you, please feel free to share with us by emailing us at yalefin@gmail.com!
Our venue host, The Yard, would like to extend a special thank you to our community. They are offering a free week of co-working in any of their 11 locations. Set up your visit here. Additionally, if you are interested in hosting an event at The Yard, you can reach out to events@theyard.com with any collaboration inquiries!