Our Team
MAKE AN IMPACT
Our business is not about capital – it’s about people. That’s why we strive to keep business human. With zero patience for posturing, disrespect or pointy elbows, we have high expectations for ourselves – and others. We love to win, we hate to lose, and we aim for exceptional every time.
What makes us unique? The volition to be the best.
Investment Team
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Sean Cantwell
Managing Partner
Sean Cantwell
Managing Partner
“I admire the tenacity and guts of the founders we work with. They possess a level of relentlessness that inspires me to push harder for them. I consider it my personal mission to help them reach their goals. I absolutely love investing, but my favorite part of this job, by far, is the people I get to work with. I strive to have a personal relationship with every founder and every management team I meet.”
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Larry Cheng
Managing Partner
Larry Cheng
Managing Partner
"I want to be and believe I am the go-to partner for my founders and CEOs. When things are challenging, I’d like to be the first call because they know I will do anything and everything possible to help support them. When things are going well, I’d like to be there celebrating all of the little and big wins during the journey. I hope to be the most trusted and most impactful partner they can imagine."
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Roger Hurwitz
Managing Partner
Roger Hurwitz
Managing Partner
“I see value in the investment opportunities others may not immediately see. I believe recognizing what’s beneath the surface is extremely powerful. I’ve helped several companies expand into market leaders in their segment by identifying what could be. At the end of the day, I have this passion for helping founders transform their businesses. My love for this job continues to grow. There’s really no other way to do this every day other than with your whole heart all in it.”
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Tomy Han
Partner
Tomy Han
Partner
“The businesses that I get the most excited about are those that have strong relationships with their customers, with a commitment to helping each other grow and improve. What I love most about working with entrepreneurs is the opportunity to form a true partnership – both inside and outside the boardroom.”
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Jim Ferry
Partner
Jim Ferry
Partner
“I view investing as a true partnership and not a business transaction. Because of that, I spend the majority of my time on the road meeting entrepreneurs in-person and discussing how Volition can be a value-add partner. All startups have their unique challenges that I strive to understand and come up with tailored solutions to ensure Founders can realize their ambitions.”
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Steve Achatz
Principal
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Tiger Henderson
Vice President
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Kyle Howard-Johnson
Vice President
Kyle Howard-Johnson
Vice President
“Partnering with founders and entrepreneurs building the companies of tomorrow is endlessly interesting and rewarding. The mix of courage, creativity and passion required of them is a unique combination that only a select few possess, and supporting them along their journey is a privilege.”
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Melanie Nabar
Vice President
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Michael Brannan
Sr. Associate
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Emily Pawlak
Sr. Associate
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Isabelle Tashima
Sr. Associate
Isabelle Tashima
Sr. Associate
"There is nothing more fulfilling to me than partnering with passionate founders who are addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Growth equity enables me to be a part of their journey, support their missions, and dynamically solve problems alongside them. In this role, the learning never ceases."
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Danielle Brown
Associate
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Sinjon Goldberg
Associate
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Ella Steinhilber
Associate
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Carolyn Woll
Associate
Carolyn Woll
Associate
"I was drawn to work in the growth equity field because of the opportunity to interact with passionate founders every day and play a role in growing their companies to the next level. At Volition specifically, I am excited by our focus on creating partnerships with aspirational and authentic founders.”
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Justin Chung
Analyst
Justin Chung
Analyst
"Working in growth equity is incredibly exciting as it allows me to engage deeply with visionary founders at critical inflection points in their entrepreneurial journeys. I am constantly inspired by the passion, authenticity, and positive attitude that the Volition team brings to every partnership."
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Hannah Ditmars
Analyst
Hannah Ditmars
Analyst
“Several of my close family members worked at technology start-ups, and I have seen firsthand how these innovative companies can impact and transform not only their own tech industries, but also the lives of the people behind the companies. Observing the grit, passion, sacrifices, and sharp decision-making skills of these entrepreneurs has instilled a deep sense of respect and admiration for their acumen and accomplishments. I am excited to have the opportunity to partner with and provide strategic support to these ambitious founders.”
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Trevor Eckler
Analyst
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Juliet Fitzgerald
Analyst
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Chad Kemmerer
Analyst
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James McGibbon
Analyst
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Cassidy Piersiak
Analyst
Cassidy Piersiak
Analyst
"I was drawn to Growth Equity by the opportunity to work with founders driving innovative business growth. What drew me to Volition specifically is my peers' strong work ethic and commitment to making a meaningful impact. I am excited to be part of a team that is determined to empower passionate founders to reach their utmost potential.'
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Ainsley Radell
Analyst
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Zane Salameh
Analyst
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Nikki Schwenk
Analyst
Operations Team
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Pete Lamson
COO & Head of Portfolio Operations
Pete Lamson
COO & Head of Portfolio Operations
"Building successful, sustainable businesses is hard work. There are no shortcuts or easy buttons. There is also nothing more rewarding, in every sense of the word. Leading a team from ideation to launch to become a high performing, high growth organization where customers happily exchange dollars for the solutions founders and their teams envisioned is the ultimate team sport. I have been very fortunate to be a part of several such teams and am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to assist Volition backed companies achieve their dreams."
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Steve Shaffer
Operating Partner
Steve Shaffer
Operating Partner
"Throughout my career I have had the privilege of working with gifted and visionary technology entrepreneurs. Building great companies is extremely difficult, but it is work worth doing -- and it takes the right team to be successful. Volition was a great partner for us at Insite Software -- so the chance as an operator to join Volition to support and resource our portfolio founders and executive teams is very exciting and purposeful for me."
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Mike Wilkens
Chief Financial Officer
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Kevin Lamo
Finance Manager
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Allyson Gallagher
Accounting Manager
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Chris Fahey
SVP, Talent & Human Resources
Chris Fahey
SVP, Talent & Human Resources
"Behind every business is an idea, but the success of that idea is the direct result of the humans operating and iterating behind it every day. Working in Talent at Volition, I get to help some of the best operators and leaders take their business to the next level through the addition of world-class talent."
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Kelly Barnum
Sr. Talent Manager
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Laura Moran
Sr. Director of Marketing
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Caitlin Burke
Community Associate
Caitlin Burke
Community Associate
"I’m excited to be working at Volition because of the unique opportunity to partner with innovative founders and portfolio company executives at a pivotal moment in their growth journeys. I’m especially looking forward to building on the already vibrant sense of community across the Volition portfolio and contributing to the collaborative, team-driven culture that makes Volition so special."
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Ashley Harding
Operations Specialist
Senior Advisors
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Michael Giannetto
Senior Advisor
Michael Giannetto
Senior Advisor
“The most rewarding moments of my career have been working through the myriad of high growth challenges with teams focused on building great businesses that create value for all stakeholders; customers, employees, and investors. High growth businesses require vision, hard work and constant learning to keep pushing through the challenges that constantly appear when you set high ambitions. In my role at Volition, my focus is on helping the portfolio company leadership work through those challenges quickly while leveraging my business experiences.”
Blake Day
Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer | Chewy
Blake Day
Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer | Chewy
Michael Blake Day is the co-founder and former Chief Technology Officer of Chewy, Inc. He founded the company with Ryan Cohen in 2011 and rapidly grew the business to become a market leader in the pet industry, selling to PetSmart for $3.35 billion in the largest e-commerce acquisition at the time. Today, Blake focuses on his personal investments in both public and private markets. He currently lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Raul Fernandez
Vice Chairman & Partner | Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Raul Fernandez
Vice Chairman & Partner | Monumental Sports & Entertainment
Raul Fernandez is currently Vice Chairman and Owner of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, a private partnership which owns some of Washington DC’s major sports franchises including the WNBA’s 2019 Champion Washington Mystics, the NHL’s 2018 Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals, the Washington Wizards, and Wizards District Gaming NBA 2K team. The partnership also owns and … Continued
Karen Flathers
Fmr. Chief Customer Officer | BlackLine
Karen Flathers
Fmr. Chief Customer Officer | BlackLine
Strategic Customer Executive with a proven history of driving customer-centric revenue growth and retention. Today, Karen is the Chief Customer Officer for Volition Portfolio company, Qure4u. Prior, Karen was the Chief Customer Officer for Blackline, where she led all post-sales customer functions through a successful IPO, multiple acquisitions, and significant domestic and international growth. Prior … Continued
Anna Griffin
Chief Market Officer | Commvault
Anna Griffin
Chief Market Officer | Commvault
Anna Griffin is the Chief Marketing Officer at Intercom. She brings more than two decades of experience in senior marketing roles and was most recently Chief Marketing Officer at Smartsheet. Before Smartsheet, Anna was the Cheif Marketing Officer of IEX Group, a disruptive trading exchange for U.S. equities. Prior to IEX Group, Anna spent five … Continued
Mindy Grossman
Partner, Vice Chair | The Consello Group
Mindy Grossman
Partner, Vice Chair | The Consello Group
Business icon, entrepreneur, mother, fashion enthusiast and self-proclaimed ‘accidental CEO’ are just a few ways to describe Mindy Grossman. One of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business and Fortune’s Business Person of the Year, Mindy is a high-energy, disruptive leader with over 38 years of experience in building and transforming consumer brands. In July … Continued
Sam Hall
Chief Product Officer | Epidemic Sound
Sam Hall
Chief Product Officer | Epidemic Sound
Sam Hall serves as Chief Product Officer at CLEAR and brings deep experience and leadership to his role executing CLEAR’s platform strategy and expanding its product vision. Before joining CLEAR, Sam was Chief Product Officer at Grubhub. Prior, Sam was chief product and technology officer of ClassPass, leading the company’s engineering, product, and design teams. … Continued
Paul Melchiorre
(Former) CRO | Anaplan
Paul Melchiorre
(Former) CRO | Anaplan
Paul Melchiorre is an independent director at R3, an enterprise blockchain technology company, and was previously an independent director at Scout RFP, a sourcing and procurement software company that was acquired by Workday (NASDAQ: WDAY). He also sits on the board of nonprofit Spark.Org. Previously, Paul served as Global Customer Officer and Chief Revenue Officer … Continued
Lynne Oldham
Chief People Officer | Dataiku
Lynne Oldham
Chief People Officer | Dataiku
Lynne is a successful global Chief People Officer and business leader with 20 years of progressive experience in strategic HR leadership and key talent acquisition in various industries, driving profitable growth strategies for startups, private and public companies, and international organizations. She is currently the Chief People Officer at Stash. Prior, Lynne served as Zoom’s … Continued
Cathy Polinsky
Chief Technology Officer | DataGrail
Cathy Polinsky
Chief Technology Officer | DataGrail
Cathy Polinsky is a technology executive with over 20 years of industry experience. Currently, Cathy is the VP of Engineering at Shopify. Prior to that, she was the Chief Technology Officer at Stitch Fix, an online personal shopping. She joined in 2016 prior to the Stitch Fix IPO and led the Engineering, Product and IT … Continued
Niraj Shah
Co-Founder & CEO | Wayfair
Niraj Shah
Co-Founder & CEO | Wayfair
Niraj Shah co-founded Wayfair with Steve Conine in 2002 and the pair rapidly grew the business to become the largest online retailer of home furnishings, housewares and home improvement goods in the U.S., Wayfair generated $13.0 billion in net revenue for the twelve months ended September 30, 2020. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with operations throughout … Continued
JD Sherman
Former CEO & Current Advisor | Dashlane
JD Sherman
Former CEO & Current Advisor | Dashlane
JD Sherman is the Chief Executive Officer of Dashlane, where he leads a 300+ global team across New York, Paris, and Lisbon, supporting Dashlane’s continued commitment to building the best password management service for both businesses and consumers. Prior to joining Dashlane in early 2021, JD served as President and Chief Operating Officer of HubSpot, where he … Continued
Shauna Spenley
Global Chief Marketing Officer | Warner Bros. Discovery
Shauna Spenley
Global Chief Marketing Officer | Warner Bros. Discovery
Shauna Spenley is the President of Global Entertainment at Riot Games, where she manages music, animation, film, television, 3rd party games, and consumer products. Prior to joining Riot Games, Shauna was the Vice President of Marketing and Publicity at Netflix, where she spent 15 years in various roles. Shauna led North America Marketing strategy and … Continued
Tim Wallace
(Former) CEO | iPipeline
Tim Wallace
(Former) CEO | iPipeline
Tim Wallace is a Strategic Advisor to iPipeline and has over 30 years of experience in the software, service, and consulting industry. In 2008, Tim joined iPipeline as CEO with the mission of scaling the company and solidifying iPipeline as an industry leader and innovator. Under his successful leadership, the company grew to be the … Continued
Vince Thomas
Founder & (Former) CEO | Billhighway
Vince Thomas
Founder & (Former) CEO | Billhighway
Vince Thomas is currently the Chairman of Highway Ventures and lead investor of StandUpDetroit, a group of gritty and relentless Detroit based investors who are passionate about business. In 1999 from his college apartment Vince founded Billhighway, an enterprise level cash management, accounting, and payment processing platform for member and donor based organizations. As the … Continued
Julie Wainwright
Founder | The RealReal
Julie Wainwright
Founder | The RealReal
Julie Wainwright is an e-commerce pioneer whose latest venture came to her as an epiphany while shopping in a brick-and-mortar consignment store, an industry she felt was ripe for reinvention. She founded The RealReal in June 2011, bringing luxury consignment online and into the modern world with a digital marketplace for authenticated luxury consignment. In … Continued