Firm Overview:
G2 Investment Group is an investment company, which creates partnerships with asset operators rather than fund managers. The economic effect of the operating model is 10-20x more profitable than the fund model. We provide our operator partners with appropriate architecture and strategic capital to enable them to invest in sustainable businesses for generations. We focus on enterprise value rather than two and twenty fee structures. Our subsidiary and affiliate companies will have committed to fund and or manage in excess of $12B by year end 2016.
As a company, we operate under the premise that there are only three ways to outperform markets: Innovation, mispriced assets and structural alpha. We believe that this is the only way to find positive convexity, or asymmetric returns. We invest in what we think of as “pillars of human need:” Energy/power, food/water, finance/credit, impact, real estate, communication/media, technology/big data, security, healthcare and education/innovation. The end result is that G2 is a conglomerate of asset operators who invest across a diverse set of assets of need.
Investment Management Strategies:
G2 works with the leading managers and operators to actualize our investment thesis.
– Assets of human need imply a duration which is theoretically infinite. As an obvious example, if you have an asset, such as real estate, which is as old as the civilized planet, we reject the idea that you should invest with a one-year lock-up fund or even a private equity fund which forces you to sell the assets when you should instead be encouraged to hold them, as Warren Buffett says, forever.
– We seek practitioners in each “Pillar of Need” who have proven, superior track records and industry knowledge but who, ironically, often have the wrong capital structure to prosecute their thesis.
– Our long-term economic value is provided by “structural alpha,” derived by taking equity in our asset operating companies which is designed to generate long-term, compounded returns.
G2 Executive and Investment Partner Bios:
- Todd Morley
Co-Founder & Chairman, G2 Investment Group
- Todd Morley is founder and Chairman of G2 Investment Group. He also co-founded investment firm Guggenheim Partners LLC, which has over $300 billion assets under management. He served on the Guggenheim Board as well as on its Executive Committee. G2 was founded in 2009, when Mr. Morley identified an opportunity with several partners to build an investment group that creates and sustains profit for individuals, families and institutions. The firm acts on the principle that investments in basic “pillars” of human need – food, water, energy, shelter, health care, communication, education – often create asymmetrical return profiles, many of which act as a hedge against inflation.
Mr. Morley is a Series A financier for Amplify, Hint Inc., and Blueline Grid and principal investor and architect of enterprises including Rising Holdings, MB Global Partners, i(x) Investments, Threat Pattern and Forbes Private Capital Group. From 2010-2014, Mr. Morley served as Chairman of Forbes Private Capital Group, a private equity formation group co-sponsored by the Forbes family. Mr. Morley currently serves on the Board and the Investment Committee of MB Global Partners, an international private investment group and i(x) Investments, an impact investing platform Mr. Morley co-founded. Mr. Morley also serves on the Lycée Français de New York Endowment Investment Committee.
David Sams
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, G2 Investment Group
Dave Sams is CEO of G2 Investment Group. He retired as President of Sammons Enterprises, Inc. at year-end 2008. Mr. Sams continued to serve as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sammons and also as a consultant to the company until August 31, 2011. He was named President of Sammons effective January 1, 2006, having previously served as a consultant to and board member of the company. Prior to his full-time employment by Sammons, Mr. Sams was Principal/Owner of Otter Cove Associates, a financial services consulting firm he formed in 1999. He retired as President of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company following the merger and successful integration with Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company where he was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Sams was recruited to Connecticut Mutual after spending 27 years with Providian Corporation in Louisville, Kentucky, where he began his business career after service in the United States Army. He ultimately served as Chief Executive Officer of Providian’s agent-sold insurance operations and as Chairman of Providian’s life insurance company subsidiaries. In addition to the Sammons Board, Mr. Sams also served as a Director of Guggenheim Capital, LLC, until August of this 2011. He formerly served on the board of Pictet New Finance Fund (Pictet & Cie), Geneva, Switzerland, as Chairman of the Board of MV Transportation, Fairfield, California, on the board of EDIT, an internet transaction processor acquired by Washington State Dental, and on the board of Pan American Bank, Orlando, Florida, now part of Bank of America. Mr. Sams attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and earned a B.S. degree from the University of Louisville. Mr. Sams also completed The Executive Program at the Amos Tuck School, Dartmouth College
Antonio de la Rua
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, G2 Investment Group
Antonio de la Rua is Co-Founder of G2 Investment Group. He is also Founding Partner of Bonds Cay Company Ltd, which is developing a mixed-use seaside community in the Bahamas, as well as a worldwide luxury resort brand around the Bahamas concept. In 2002, Mr. de la Rua became CEO of Light Productions. Prior to Light Productions, he participated in and ran several successful political campaigns in Latin America, including the 2001 election of his father, Fernando de la Rua, as President of Argentina. Mr. de la Rua is a Co-Founder and Director of ALAS, a philanthropic foundation dedicated to supporting early childhood development.
Jim Wiatt
Vice Chairman, G2 Investment Group
One of the most well-respected senior executives in the global media and entertainment industry, Jim Wiatt served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the William Morris Agency (WMA) from 1999 until May 2009. Wiatt oversaw all areas of the entertainment company, including motion picture, television, music, publishing, theater, digital, commercial endorsements, sports marketing, business development, investments and corporate consulting. Before joining WMA, Wiatt was Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of International Creative Management (ICM). Among his accomplishments at ICM, he helped take the company from public to private sector and led the business to growth in stature, market share and profitability during his 22-year tenure at the company. Wiatt served as strategic advisor and a former member of the Board of Directors to AOL, a partner and advisor to G2 Investment Group, and a Board Member of Reel FX. Jim is a founder and Board advisor to Amplify LA, an innovative incubator to fund technology and entertainment start-ups. He has consulted for YouTube as well as several private companies. Lastly, he is a partner in New Form Digital, to create short form content. The other partners include Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Discovery Networks. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Wiatt is a member of the Board of Councilors for the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He is also Chairman of the Los Angeles Police Foundation, and an Advisor to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Executive Board for the Medical Sciences.
Nelson Rising
Chairman and CEO, Rising Realty Partners
Nelson Rising is a veteran of 40 years in the real estate industry and the Chairman and CEO of Rising Realty Partners, LP, a real estate investment and operating company. He has led two large publicly traded real estate companies, chaired the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and built some of the most iconic buildings and new communities in California and the West. Mr. Rising has also served as a top political strategist to some of the most powerful elected officials in the United States and has the distinction of having a street named after him in San Francisco, CA: Nelson Rising Lane. Prior to forming Rising Realty Partners, Mr. Rising was President & CEO of MPG Office Trust, Inc., the owner of over half of the institution-quality office space in downtown Los Angeles. From 1994-2005, Mr. Rising served as Chief Executive Officer of Catellus Development Corporation. During his tenure, he oversaw the company’s successful evolution from a railroad land company to a diversified development company and a real estate investment trust. Most notable of the many Catellus developments is Mission Bay in San Francisco, the largest mixed-use development in the history of the city. Catellus merged with ProLogis in September 2005 in a $5.5 billion transaction.
From 1983-1994 Mr. Rising was a senior partner of Maguire Thomas Partners. During this time he was the partner-in-charge of the Library Square development in downtown Los Angeles, which included the 73-story, 1.3 million square foot US Bank Tower (tallest office building West of the Mississippi) and the 54-story, 1.4 million square foot Gas Company Tower. He was also partner-in-charge of Playa Vista, located between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Marina del Rey. Playa Vista is one of the largest and most complicated multiuse developments in the history of Los Angeles and it includes the re-use of what was the heart of the Howard Hughes aircraft empire, including the famed “Spruce Goose” Hangar. A former Chairman of the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Mr. Rising is recognized as an authority in corporate and public finance. Mr. Rising is Chairman Emeritus of Washington, DC-based Real Estate Roundtable, which brings together leaders of the nation’s top publicly-held and privately-owned real estate ownership, development, lending and management firms to jointly address key national policy issues relating to real estate and the overall economy. Mr. Rising has also served as Chairman of the Grand Avenue Committee, and real estate advisor to and negotiator for the Joint Powers Authority, which consists of the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, and the County of Los Angeles. The Joint Powers Authority oversaw the Grand Avenue Project, a 3.6 million square foot, $3 billion development located on Bunker Hill in downtown Los Angeles. Mr. Rising currently serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of The Irvine Company, which controls over 98 million square feet of commercial, office, residential and resort properties in coastal California. He also serves on the board of Foley Timber & Land Company. Mr. Rising is also a member of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committees of the California Institute of Technology and the W.M. Keck Foundation.
Mr. Rising is well respected for his role in advising elected officials at all levels of government and is credited with managing the successful Mayoral campaigns of the late and legendary Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, who served for twenty years as Mayor. He has chaired campaigns for California Governor and U.S. Senate as well. Mr. Rising received a B.A. with honors in Economics from UCLA and a Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law, where he served as Managing Editor of the UCLA Law Review. He practiced law at O’Melveny & Myers prior to entering the real estate industry.
Christopher Rising
Founder and President, Rising Realty Partners
Christopher Rising manages the day-to-day business activities of Rising, while also serving on its Investment Committee. Drawing on his experience as Senior Vice President, Asset Transactions at MPG Office Trust, Inc. (NYSE: MPG), Christopher is skilled at managing acquisitions and creative development. At MPG, he worked directly with the CEO to improve finances through debt reduction and restructuring. In 2003, he founded his own company, The Rising Real Estate Group (RREG.) As the company grew, he seized the opportunity to partner with BPG and created Hamilton Capital Partners (HCP), an equity fund vehicle. RREG is also a principal in 626 Wilshire Blvd, a 156K square foot office building located in downtown Los Angeles. He began his professional career as an associate at Pillsbury Madison & Sutro. He worked at Cushman Realty Corporation (CRC) under brokerage legend John C. Cushman, III. Christopher then served as a Director at Cushman & Wakefield of California, Inc. (C&W), joining C&W after its merger with CRC in 2001. Christopher received his J.D. Law, Real Estate from Loyola Law School and his B.A. in History and Political Science from Duke University. Christopher currently serves as a member of the Board of Regents of Loyola High School and chairs the Investment Committee. He is also Treasurer and a member of the Board of River LA and he chairs the Finance and Fundraising Committee. He is a member of the San Gabriel Valley Chapter of the Young President’s Organization. Christopher is also a member of the board of LA Phil and the Board of Overseers at Loyola Law School.
Maria Boyazny
Founder and CEO, MB Global Partners
Maria Boyazny is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MB Global Partners, a New York-based asset management firm focused on the credit and special situations markets. Prior to launching MB Global in 2010, Ms. Boyazny was a Portfolio Manager and Managing Director at Siguler Guff & Co., a New York-based private equity firm with assets under management of $8.5 billion. Ms. Boyazny oversaw its flagship Distressed Opportunities Funds I, II, III and IV from inception to $4.5 billion in assets over 10 years. She designed fund strategy, along with identifying, negotiating and executing investments. Ms. Boyazny was a member of the firm’s investment committee and was involved in all aspects of its investment activities. Ms. Boyazny is the author of several publications, a frequent conference speaker and media commentator for Fox Business, CNN, Bloomberg TV and other networks. She has been named as one of the top five most influential women in hedge funds, among other recognitions. Ms Boyazny is active in researching theoretical issues and their application to successful strategies for credit and special situations investing in various markets. Over the years, Ms. Boyazny has served on the Advisory Boards of many leading asset management firms investing in the U.S., Asia and Europe. Prior to her private equity career which started in 1997, Ms. Boyazny was a member of the Investment Banking Division of Smith Barney Inc., where she specialized in providing merger & acquisition and other corporate finance services to financial institutions. Ms. Boyazny graduated with a degree in Economics, with a concentration in Finance and minor in Mathematics, from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her M.B.A. from Columbia University.
Claudio Phillips
Managing Principal, MB Global Partners
Claudio Phillips is a Managing Principal of MB Global Partners, LLC. Prior to joining MB Global Partners, Mr. Phillips was a Managing Director at The Commonfund from 2006 to 2011, where he was the Head of their dedicated distressed funds which accounted for approximately $920 million in assets under management. From 2004 to 2006, he was a Managing Director at The Seaport Group where he was responsible for running the performing and non-performing bank loan trading group. Previously, Mr. Phillips was a Managing Director at Citigroup/Salomon Smith Barney where he was in charge of all non-European Global Performing Loan (including emerging markets) trading. He was also with NationsBank and Midland Plc where he focused on emerging markets and was responsible for establishing and building out proprietary loan trading teams in each of those organizations. Mr. Phillips also served as an Assistant Executive Director at Habitat for Humanity of Westchester for two years. He graduated with an A.B. in Government from Harvard University.
Trevor Neilson
CEO, i(x) Investments
Prior to launching i(x), Trevor Neilson served as President of G2 Investment Group, where he helped lead the firm’s initiatives in energy, real estate, and security. Trevor is the Co-Founder of Global Philanthropy Group, an advisory firm which helps individuals, foundations, and corporations to design and implement philanthropic strategies. Through Global Philanthropy Group, Trevor has contributed to creating and implementing many of the world’s most respected philanthropic initiatives and has worked with more than 50 major philanthropists.
Trevor has also served as the Executive Director of the Global Business Coalition (GBC), a coalition of over 200 multinational companies. GBC focuses on global health issues and was created with investments from Bill Gates, George Soros, and Ted Turner. While at GBC, Trevor reported to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and President Obama’s former Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. Prior to his leadership of GBC, Trevor worked closely with Bill and Melinda Gates, both in their family office and as Director of Special Projects and Director of Public Affairs for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Named by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in 2005, Trevor served in the White House during the Clinton administration. He is passionate about and personally works for a variety of philanthropic initiatives, including the Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation and the Los Angeles Police Foundation.
Howard Buffett
Co-Founder i(x) investments
Howard W. Buffett is a co-founder of i(x), where he brings leadership experience from roles in government, philanthropy, academia, and international development. Buffett is a Lecturer in International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. He was previously the Executive Director of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, which invests over $100 million annually in initiatives to improve the lives of impoverished and marginalized populations across Africa and Latin America. While at the U.S. Department of Defense, Buffett led economic stabilization and redevelopment programs in Iraq and Afghanistan. For his service, he received the highest civilian honor presented by the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the request and approval of Combatant Commanders. Buffett also served as a Policy Advisor in the White House where he co-authored the President’s cross-sector partnerships strategy. During this time, he launched the White House Energy Innovation Conference series, resulting in the government’s Small Business Clean Energy Innovation Fund. Buffett earned his BA from Northwestern University and his MPA from Columbia University. He is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and on advisory boards for the Aspen Institute and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He co-authored the New York Times Bestseller 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World.
Par Lindstrom
Managing Partner, i(x) investments
Pär Lindström brings 20 years of investment experience and business development expertise through a career focused on Venture Capital, Growth Capital and Private Equity investments in the U.S., Europe and the Emerging Markets concentrating on Technology, Life Sciences, Renewables, Energy, Industrials and Water/Agri industries. Pär is based in Dubai, responsible for international investments and business development in the Emerging Markets and Europe. Previously, he spent over five years as Principal in the Global Special Situations and Private Equity groups at the Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC), where he drove direct investments and backed various investment teams across multiple asset classes. He also co-wrote the Private Equity Department’s Strategy and developed its Investment Guidelines. Prior to ADIC, he was a Principal at Partners Capital, a firm backed by Lord Jacob Rothschild and Sir Ronald Cohen, where he headed up the Private Equity, Growth Capital and Venture Capital investments. Earlier in his career, he was co-head of Applied Value’s New York office, a global turnaround advisory firm with a Growth Equity investment arm and a senior investment professional at Investor Growth Capital (Wallenberg family) and Affarsstrategerna VC. Pär has also held positions with Bain & Company’s Private Equity Groups in Europe and the U.S. where he led private equity due-diligence analyses in a variety of industries, and KPMG Banking & Finance. Pär holds a Bachelor of Science from University of California at Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School and he is a two-time Olympian in Swimming.
Darren Wallis
Co-Founder and Managing Partner, AVI Partners
Mr. Wallis is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of AVI Partners, LLC, an event-driven investment firm that is a lift out of a team from Guggenheim Partners. AVI focuses on acquiring significant stakes in undervalued public companies in the technology, media, and telecom sectors, aspiring to create value for all shareholders through its investment philosophy of constructive activism. Mr Wallis attend the University fi Notre Dame and received his JD, cum laude, from Duke University School of Law.
Jay Dunn
Managing Partner, AVI Partners
Jay brings over 20 years of professional investing experience in both public and private companies. Prior to AVI Partners, Jay spent over six years as a Managing Director at Miller Investment Management, LP(MIM), a multi-billion dollar registered investment advisor that maintains investment programs in global asset allocation, private equity, and private real estate. Jay played an integral role in the global asset allocation and private equity programs. Prior to joining MIM, Jay was a Managing Partner at Hatteras Investments, LLC, which operated a private investment fund focused on activist investing in undervalued companies and special situations such as spin-offs, re-organizations and other event-driven corporate actions. While at Hatteras, Jay participated in numerous activist engagements, mostly on a collaborative basis with management teams. Prior to Hatteras, Jay was a co-founder and President of Backwire,Inc. ,a multi-media content and technology company. He helped build the business to over 4.5million subscribers and multiple enterprise customers that utilized the company’s technology and communications platform. The business was sold to Leap Wireless International in 2001. Prior to Backwire, Jay was a principal at Graham Hamilton, a private investment firm that managed assets in the United-States fort wolarge European families. Jay led the investment program in small cap public companies. Similar to his responsibilities at Hatteras, he participated in numerous activist investments with successful results. Prior to Graham Hamilton, Jay was an equity analyst at ASB Capital, a multi-billion dollar institutional investment firm in Washington,DC. He covered a variety of investment sectors during his tenure with the firm. Previously, Jay was a credit analyst in the corporate finance group of Bank of America. Jay graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Economics. He then received a J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law.
Susan Gretchko
Managing Partner, Threat Pattern
Ms. Gretchko is currently a Senior Partner at G2 Investment Group and the Managing Partner of Threat Pattern, an elite private intelligence service for select individuals and institutions. Prior to joining G2 and Threat Pattern, Ms. Gretchko spent more than 28 years in senior executive positions such as A.T. Kearney, Deloitte and AON Consulting. She demonstrated a solid track record for driving growth, increasing profits and leading high performance, high impact teams. Ms. Gretchko’s work has been both highly strategic and tactical. She has personally served as the trusted advisor to Fortune 500 CEOs to position organizations for growth and improve operating performance. As a Principal at A.T. Kearney, Ms. Gretchko was responsible for the Organizational Effectiveness & Transformation Business. Her work focused on optimizing the value chains of two of the firm’s largest clients: General Motors and EDS. As a Senior Global Partner at Deloitte, Ms. Gretchko built the highly successful Human Capital Practice across 7 key industries and 22 countries—developing the platform for what is now a $1B+ revenue business. She was the co-leader for Deloitte’s global crisis response to the events of September 11. The response employed by Deloitte was considered best practice in business continuity and crisis response. While at Deloitte, Ms. Gretchko served in the Global Operations Committee. The Committee oversaw the operations of Deloitte’s consulting business. As a senior executive at AON Corporation, Ms. Gretchko co-led the successful multi-discipline pursuit and award of a $100M contract. Ms. Gretchko is a member of The Search for Common Foundation Board, and has previously designed and facilitated the Search for Common Ground Middle East Initiative for Peace and Cooperation’s Civil Society consultative meetings in London, Spain, Helsinki and Cyprus.
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