Work Portfolio

Here’s what I did at ISF Advisors (2021–2024):

Overview: Strategic and financial advisory (consulting) for sustainable food and agriculture investments in emerging markets

Projects I worked on:

1. Write about sustainably financing food and agriculture systems:

• Impact of Access to Finance Support Provided to Food Processing SMEs in the AINFP Program (USAID funded research)
• Agribusiness SMEs in multiple crisis — business consequences and potential solutions in SSA (FAO funded research)

2. Landscaping and market assessments:

• Climate risk data and intelligence providers (on behalf of IFC)
• AgTech companies providing financing to farmers in SSA (on behalf of IFC)
• Market sizing of smallholder farmer service delivery models (on behalf of IDH Intelligence)

3. Developing investment opportunities for impact:

• Financing opportunities for Large Scale Food Fortification “LSFF” (on behalf of the Gates Foundation)
• Investment opportunities in small scale irrigation in SSA (on behalf of the Gates Foundation)

4. Design, structuring, and fundraising for financial vehicles:

• Design and structure of the Norad and USAID’s $70 million Fund of Funds to support agri-SMEs in Sub Saharan Africa (on behalf of Norad)
• Fundraising support for SME Impact Fund’s expansion from Tanzania to Kenya and Uganda (on behalf of SME Impact Fund)

5. Develop access to finance tools:

• Tool to assess supply and demand size of finance for food fortification (on behalf of USAID)

6. Build the Company’s knowledge management system on Notion:

• Features: company Wikipedia, research and project documentation and management, project management

Here’s what I did at the Private Credit Investment Fund, PennantPark (2018–2019):

• Overview: Invest in mid-sized US companies (~$10M-$50M EBITDA/cash flow) in the industrials, tech, consumer packaged foods, marketing, and hospitality sectors
• Specific Responsibilities: Screen and evaluate investment opportunities, write investment memos (including financial analysis, business, and industry analysis, credit assessment, due diligence, financial model and valuation, comparable analysis), pitch investments to the investment committee, structure and execute new investments, monitor ~15 portfolio companies’ financial performance
• Accomplishments: New investments closed: 1) Leveraged buyout of Altamira Technologies — US defense contractor providing deep tech and AI services to the US government agencies 2) Leveraged buyout of MeritDirect — B2B marketing services company 3) Investment into Advantage Solutions’ (NASDAQ: ADV) Term Loan B, pre-IPO

Here’s what I did at the US Investment Bank, JPMorgan (2015–2019):

• Overview: Execute debt financed transactions (M&A, LBOs, Recapitalization, Restructuring) using various types of debt financial instruments (bonds, term loans, revolvers, mezzanine debt, ABL, working capital finance) for US companies in the consumer, retail, and healthcare sectors
• Specific Responsibilities: Structuring and underwriting debt financed transactions, writing credit memos and Confidential Investment Memos for transactions (including financial analysis, business, and industry analysis, credit assessment, due diligence, financial model and valuation, comparable analysis), monitor 15 portfolio clients financial performance (monitoring financial performance, credit evaluations of investment grade and non-investment grade/high yield companies)
• Accomplishments: i) $3.0 billion debt financed leveraged buyout of Panera Bread Company by JAB ii) $150 million pre-IPO revolving credit facility for Blue Apron iii) $250 million debt recapitalization for Maravai Life Sciences iv) $45 billion bridge facility to bonds for CVS’ acquisition of Aetna