2023 Agenda
(from 2023 Conference)

Alpha on the Delta is a gathering of prominent investors, niche investment managers and entrepreneurs during Jazz Fest in New Orleans. The business agenda will take place on Thursday through Friday and we encourage our guests to stay into the weekend for this "mother of all music festivals".

Our Welcome Party will feature Son of a Saint founder Sonny Lee. This highly respected organization guides disadvantaged boys and young men in New Orleans toward meaningful, successful lives, www.sonofasaint.org.

Our Business Agenda will feature one-on-one meetings with compelling investment managers and entrepreneurs, including our panelists and additional managers who will be in attendance. Our Panel Topics will include Healthcare Investing: Current Perspectives from Venture Capital and Hedge Fund Investors, The Impact of Fed Tightening on Real Assets Investing, The Rise of Multi-Manager Platforms, Risks and Opportunities in the Recent Tech Downturn, 2023: A Bull Market for Private Corporate Credit?, and Lunch Interview: A Day in the Life of a Regional Bank CEO.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Our conference aligns with "Jazz Fest", a 10-day cultural feast in which thousands of musicians, cooks, and craftspeople welcome visitors from around the world each year. We hope you’ll join us for a packed agenda spanning the Alternative Investment industry, music, and world-class cuisine.

2023 Presenting Managers and Speakers
(from 2023 Conference)

Healthcare Investing: Current Perspectives from Venture Capital and Hedge Fund Investors

Manish Kothari | Co-Founder, First Spark Ventures
Manish Kothari is the Co-Founder, together with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, of First Spark Ventures, a venture capital firm focused on pre-seed through to Series B opportunities within Deep Tech. Prior to First Spark, Manish was President at SRI International, a leading research institute in Silicon Valley and the birthplace of companies such as Intuitive Surgical, Nuance, and Siri, where he incubated and invested in over 25 Deep Tech startups. Prior to SRI, Manish was serial entrepreneur in medtech hardware and software, including by cofounding Mytrus, a software startup focused on direct-to participant clinical trials.  Manish has a postdoc from UCSF in Medical Physics, a PhD from Cornell in Bioengineering, and undergraduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai in Aerospace Engineering.

Michelle Ross | CIO, Managing Partner, StemPoint Capital
Michelle Ross is the CIO and Managing Partner of StemPoint Capital, a long-short equity hedge fund dedicated to the global life sciences industry. Prior to founding StemPoint, Michelle was the Portfolio Manager of Sphera Biotech Fund, managing approximately $1bn in AUM at peak. She spent three years at PointState (2013-2016) as a Vice President covering Biotherapeutics and Medical Technology sectors, was the global healthcare sector analyst at Soros Fund Management from 2006 to 2013, and worked at Ursus Capital from 2004-2005 covering the biopharmaceuticals industry. She completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at Stern College and earned her Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Columbia University in 2003 with her thesis work focused on Hematology and Molecular Medicine.

Lorin Van Nuland  |  Venture Partner, Apeiron Investment Group
Lorin Van Nuland is a Venture Partner at Apeiron Investment Group, the  $3.5b private investment firm of Christian Angermayer, where he oversees health and wellness-related investments. Lorin is also the Co-Founder and CEO of 029 Group SE, an investment holding listed on the German regulated stock market. Lorin currently serves on the board of various public and private companies, including 029 Group SE, Limestone Capital AG, 029-001 Ltd, and Cambrian Biopharma Inc. (observer). Lorin has over 15 years of experience across venture capital and public markets.  He started his career as an M&A lawyer with Cleary Gottlieb in New York City, and holds graduate degrees in law & business from NYU and Maastricht University. Lorin is a Member of the Young Leaders Circle of the Milken Institute.

James Peyer | CEO, Co-Founder, Cambrian Bio
‍James Peyer is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Cambrian Bio, a therapeutics company focused on lifespan-enhancing biotechnologies, and holds multiple board and executive roles across Cambrian’s pipeline. James was previously Founder and Managing Partner at Apollo Ventures, the first global longevity-focused venture capital firm, investing across the US and Europe. Prior to Apollo, James was a biotech R&D specialist at the New York office of McKinsey & Company, serving major pharmaceutical clients. He earned his PhD in stem cell biology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as a National Science Foundation Fellow and received his B.A. with special honors from the University of Chicago.

The Impact of Fed Tightening on Real Assets Investing

Jennifer Polli | Managing Director, Senior Operating Partner, ITE Management
Jennifer Polli is a Managing Director and Senior Operating Partner of ITE Management, a $4 billion transportation assets leasing manager established in 2014, where she oversees the ITE Intermodal Fund.  Jennifer has over twenty years of experience in the intermodal leasing space, including most recently as President and CEO of TRAC Intermodal.  Prior to that role, she was a Vice President at Fortress Investment Group with responsibility for managing intermodal businesses including TRAC, SeaCube Container Leasing and Seacastle Ships.  Jennifer holds a B.A. from Tufts University and an M.B.A. from New York University – Stern School of Business.

Careina Williams | Managing Director, Sundance Bay
CareinaWilliams is a Managing Director at Sundance Bay, a diversified private realestate investment firm, where she oversees the Sundance Bay Debt OpportunitiesFund. Previously, Careina wasPrincipal of Acquisitions and Asset Management at Artemis Real Estate Partners,where she grew the Core-Plus emerging manager business to over $1 billion andserved on the Investment Committee. Before Artemis, Careinaserved as Principal, Investments for Capri Capital Partners, where she wasresponsible for origination, investment structuring, and asset management ofequity and structured finance investments. Careina alsoworked in the Investment Banking division at Goldman Sachs and at BertelsmannMusic Group. She graduated with honors from Harvard University (A.B. Economics)and has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Nick Schupach | Co-Founder, Partner, Appia Capital Partners
Nick Schupbach is a Co-Founder and Partner of Appia Capital Partners, which invests in water-related assets in the U.S. Southwest. Prior to Appia, Nick was the Head of Natural Resources for the Barings Private Equity / Real Assets team, the successor firm to real asset investing pioneer Wood Creek Capital Management. At Wood Creek and Barings, a $350 billion asset manager, Nick was responsible for sourcing and underwriting Natural Resources investments across the water rights, farmland, timber and carbon sectors, with a primary focus on water rights. Prior to joining the firm in 2006, Nick worked for hedge fund Rayner & Stonington, where he was an analyst and trader. Nick holds a B.S. in Finance and an M.S. in Global Financial Analysis from Bentley University, where he was a recipient of the Chancellor’s Scholarship. Nick is also a CFA charter holder.

Austin Sperry  |  President, Co-Founder, Maritime Partners
AustinSperry is President & Co-Founder of Maritime Partners, a leading providerof U.S. inland marine leasing and financing solutions that manages a fleet ofover 1,600 vessels through the American Rivers Fund.  Austin was previously Vice President ofBusiness Development and Head of Commercial Marine for Gunderson Marine,Greenbrier’s shipbuilding entity (NYSE:GBX), where he was responsible forapproximately $125m in executed deals. Prior to Gunderson Marine, he was a Business Analyst for Florida MarineTransporters, the fourth largest inland marine transportation company in theUS, and a consultant to Gulf Coast Shipyard in Gulfport, Mississippi.  Austin was a member of the US Olympic SailingTeam that competed in the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Richard Blair  |  Vice President of Investment Research, Sheperd Kaplan Krochuk
‍Richard Blair is Senior Vice President of Investment Research for SKK, with primary responsibility for developing investment strategy and alternative investment research. He conducts research on capital markets, securities analysis, macroeconomics, investment strategies and portfolio construction for institutional, endowment & foundation, and high-net-worth clients. Rich leads qualitative and quantitative due diligence of alternative investment managers and strategies. Rich is a member of the Firm’s Research Committee and assists the Firm’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining SKK, Rich contributed to asset allocation, portfolio construction, and manager selection for the Amherst College Investment Office. He is a graduate of the University of Delaware, and is a CFA charter holder.

Interest Rate Trajectory, Inflation Expectations
and China Coming Back Online; Macro Outlook for 2023

David Gorton | Founder, Chief Investment Officer, DG Partners
David is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of DG Partners which was founded in 2002 and today manages over $2.5 billion in global macro and systematic trading strategies. David began his trading career in 1986 at Chemical Bank making markets in bonds. He also created and subsequently acted as joint head of Chemical’s Eurobond trading. In 1989 David joined HSBC in London and ultimately ran HSBC’s proprietary risk-taking activity in New York. In May 1997, David joined Chase Manhattan to become CIO of Chase London Diversified Fund Limited and head of proprietary trading for the European Rates division. In 2002, he left JP Morgan Chase to establish DG Partners. As DG Partners’ CIO, David has had sole ultimate responsibility for the firm’s global macro strategy since October 2009.

Jay Tatum | Co-Founder, Portfolio Manager, Valent Asset Management
Jay Tatum is the Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager of Valent Asset Management, a $1b hedge fund focused on opportunities in metals trading created by the ”renewables revolution”. Jay has over seventeen years’ experience as a metals trader, most recently at Blenheim Capital Management.  Prior to Blenheim, Jay was a portfolio manager at Millennium Management, The Carlyle Group/Vermillion Asset Management and Susquehanna International Group. At Vermillion, he managed risk across the firm’s funds in base and precious metals and launched Vermillion’s Aeris Metals Fund in 2014.  Jay holds a B.A. in Computer Science from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid.

Trevor Barnett  |  Partner, Head of Distribution, Old City Investment Partners
‍Trevor Barnett is a Partner at Old City Investment Partners, responsible for distribution activities across the platform. Prior to Old City, Trevor founded Circular Formation, which engages in capital partnerships with emerging companies in the alternative asset management, services, and health & wellness sectors. Prior to Circular Formation, Trevor established and led as CEO the U.S. broker-dealer and holding company of Challenger Ltd., a Sydney, Australia-based publicly listed Asset Management and Life Company. He is a Director of the Board at the Anacostia Riverkeeper and a member of the Society of Fellows at the Aspen Institute. Trevor holds a B.A. in Economics and English Writing from St. Lawrence University.

The Rise of Multi-Manager Platforms

Ari Glass | Founding Partner, Boothbay Management
‍Ari Glass is the Founding Partner of Boothbay, an investment firm running two global multi-strategy multi-manager platforms, where he oversees all investment decisions including strategy allocations and risk management. Previously, Ari served as President of Paine Heights Management, where he managed a special opportunity hedge fund. From 2007 through 2009, he was the President of Platinum Management, and from 2000 to 2007, he served as the Chief Operating Officer of “Tiger Cub” Intrepid Capital Management, a $2.5 billion hedge fund seeded by Soros Fund Management. Prior to Intrepid, Ari was Chief Financial Officer at Vector Capital Management, a statistical arbitrage hedge fund in Norwalk, CT, and worked at Coopers & Lybrand and Prudential Securities. Ari graduated in 1993 from Queens College, with honors, with a B.A. in Accounting and Information Systems.

John Feintuch | Head of Portfolio Implementation, New Holland Capital
‍Jon Feintuch is a Principal and Head of Portfolio Implementation at New Holland Capital (NHC), a $7b alternative investment manager focused on absolute return strategies for institutional clients. In his role, Jon is responsible for sourcing, evaluating, and monitoring investments across NHC’s client portfolios, and is a non-voting member of the firm’s Investment Committee. Jon is also responsible for ensuring that client portfolios are consistent with their stated mandates and risk preferences, and liaising with clients to discuss portfolio related questions. Prior to joining NHC in 2009, Jon was an Investment Banking Analyst within the Global Technology Group at Barclays Capital. Jon graduated summa cum laude from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Economics.

Elise Crumbine | Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Stormborn Capital Management
Elise is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Stormborn, a fundamental long-short equity fund focused on the consumer sector that manages an SMA for a major multistrat fund. Elise has been investing in the consumer sector for over 22 years, beginning her buy-side career as an equity analyst with ING Funds, and later becoming a top portfolio manager at Balyasny Asset Management and Visium Asset Management before founding Stormborn in 2016.  Stormborn focuses on high-quality growth while taking outsized bets on the short side after rigorous due diligence, and uses micro data sets to complement its investment theses.  Elise earned a BA from Cornell University in 2000 with a major in Psychology, where she was team captain of Cornell Gymnastics and earned an All-American title on the uneven bars.

Matthew H. Glasofer  |  Partner, Director of Research, Corbin Capital Partners
Matt is the Director of Research at Corbin Capital Partners, a New York based woman-led independent alternative asset management firm that specializes in multi-strategy hedge fund and opportunistic credit investing.  As the Director of Research, Matt coordinates the firm’s research process and is the co-portfolio manager of the Corbin Hedged Equity Fund. Matt is a member of Corbin’s Multi-Strategy Investment Committee and the Credit Investment Committee. Prior to joining Corbin in October 2006, Matt was a Co-Portfolio Manager at Asgard Capital Management, LLC, and an equity research analyst at Watchpoint Asset Management and Archery Capital. Prior, Matt worked as an Associate Equity Research Analyst at Goldman, Sachs & Co., and at Arthur Andersen, LLP, where he earned his CPA. Matt graduated from Muhlenberg College with a B.A in Accounting.

Risks and Opportunities in the Recent Tech Downturn

Lawrence Tosi  |  Managing Partner, Founder, WestCap Group
Laurence Tosi is the Managing Partner & Founder of WestCap Group, a $10b private equity firm focused on opportunities in the technology sector, and has been an operator, serial entrepreneur and forward-looking investor for over 25 years. Laurence has served in executive-level roles at leading global institutions Merrill Lynch (COO, CFO, Risk Committee, Head of Corp. Dev. and eCommerce), Blackstone (CFO, Management and Risk Committee Member, Head of the Innovations Fund and Blackstone Treasury Solutions fund) and Airbnb (CFO, Head of Payments, Customer Experience & Corporate Development).  He received his B.A. and J.D./M.B.A. degrees from Georgetown University.

Aron Dantzig  |  Chief Investment Officer, Co-founder, Capital IP
Aron Dantzig is the Chief Investment Officer and co-founder of Capital IP Investment Partners, a private investment firm focused on opportunistic investments in technology companies utilizing primarily structured debt. Capital IP’s customized investment structures provide significantly more financial flexibility compared to traditional venture debt, while minimizing dilution compared to traditional growth equity and venture capital. Before starting Capital IP, Mr. Dantzig was the Managing Partner of New Health Capital Partners, a life science focused structured credit fund. Prior to that, Mr. Dantzig was Managing Director and Co-Head of the Healthcare Group for the Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund at Fortress Investment Group. Mr. Dantzig earned his joint JD/MBA degrees from Case Western Reserve University.

Jeffrey Le Sage  |  Founding Partner, Liquid Stock
Jeff Le Sage is the Founding Partner of Liquid Stock, a fully independent, institutionally backed firm providing liquidity to employees and stockholders of privately held companies.  Jeff was formerly Founder and Managing Director of Envisage Partner, a growth equity private equity firm investing in technology businesses and path of progress business models.  Prior to Envisage, Jeff was a Partner in M&A and Venture Capital at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles, where he practiced for 16 years.  He is also Co-Founder and Chairman of Swift Brands and has been a board member of Marucci Sports.  Jeff earned a BA from Brown University and a JD from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.

2023: A Bull Market for Private Corporate Credit?

Richard Golaszewski  |  Managing Director, Hunter Point Capital
Richard Golaszewski is a Managing Director at Hunter Point Capital and serves as Co-Head of Hunter Point Capital GP Financing Solutions.  Prior to joining HPC, Richard was a Managing Director at 17Capital, a private equity portfolio financing firm, where he was responsible for originating, structuring, and executing preferred equity and NAV loan investments and co-led the firm’s U.S. investment team. Prior to 17Capital Mr. Golaszewski spent a decade at Nomura as a founding member of its Fund Financing & Solutions business.  Mr. Golaszewski earned a B.S. in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from American University.

James Frank  |  Head of Strategic Capital, BTG Pactual
‍James is the Head of Strategic Capital at BTG Pactual. Prior to BTG, James Frank was a Senior Managing Director and Head of Tactical Opportunities at Medley Management.  Prior to joining Medley, Mr. Frank was a Partner at The Yucaipa Companies, where he focused on private equity and special situations. Prior to Yucaipa, Mr. Frank worked for Apollo Global Management, where he specialized in private equity and distressed debt investments. Mr. Frank began his career at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Mr. Frank has served on numerous boards, including: NorthStar Group Services, TexMark Timber Treasury, Americold Realty Trust (NYSE: COLD), Cloverleaf Cold Storage, Aurora Industrial, PSN, and Evergreen Environmental Partners, among others. Mr. Frank received a BA from Williams College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Dan Freuman  |  Founder, Nebari Holdings
Dan Freuman is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Nebari Holdings, an investment firm focused on creative financing solutions within the natural resources sector. Prior to Co-Founding Nebari, Dan was a Senior Trader at Glencore International AG and helped lead M&A and Business Development for Glencore’s Iron Ore Division. Prior to Glencore, he was an Analyst at Perry Capital and was also an Analyst at JPMorgan’s Investment Bank. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a B.A. in Economics & Finance, Magna Cum Laude, from Princeton University.

Lunch Interview: A Day in the Life of a Bank CEO

T. Heath Fountain  |  President, Chief Executive Officer, Colony Bankcorp
T. Heath Fountain is President and Chief Executive Officer of Colony Bankcorp, a Nasdaq-traded commercial, consumer and mortgage bank based in Fitzgerald, Georgia, in which position he has served since 2018. Mr. Fountain most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Planters First Bank in Hawkinsville, Georgia, from 2015 to 2018, where he led growth initiatives that included adding two new markets, a secondary market mortgage division and increasing loans and deposits over $50 million in three years. Prior to joining Planters First Bank, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Heritage Financial Group and Heritage Bank of the South from 2007 to 2015. Mr. Fountain joined the Board of Directors for Colony Bankcorp in July 2018 and serves on its Executive committee.

Amy Stone  |  Co-Founder, CEO, Fourthstone
Amy Stone is Co-Founder and CEO of Fourthstone, a long / short hedge fund with a focus on the US bank sector. Fourthstone has approximately $450m under management and has ranked among top-performing hedge funds according to Preqin multiple times during its 13-year track record. Prior to Fourthstone, Amy was VP of Strategy & Chief Marketing Officer for Save-A-Lot, a 1,300-store retail chain. Prior to that role, she led a $500m performance improvement program across five continents and seven strategic units at BP, where she supported the divestment of 50% of BP’s downstream US business and identified operational improvements across 60 countries. She also held global IT, process improvement and procurement leadership positions at BP and Motorola.

GUEST SPEAKER AND NON-PROFIT PARTNER

Bivian “Sonny” Lee III | Founder and CEO, Son of a Saint
‍As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Son of a Saint, Bivian "Sonny" Lee III has dedicated his life to transforming the lives of fatherless boys. Since the organization's inception in early 2011, Sonny has grown Son of a Saint to now serve 200 mentees with an operating budget of more than $3 million. Prior to founding the organization, Sonny served as chief aide to Tom Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints and the New Orleans Pelicans. He also previously served as the Director of Operations for the New Orleans Zephyrs AAA Baseball Team and Director of Programs for the New Orleans Jazz Institute. Sonny has a degree in Marketing and Management from the University of New Orleans and an Executive Master of Nonprofit Administration from the University of Notre Dame. A TEDx speaker on community service, decision-making and the importance of education, Sonny's nonprofit work has been highlighted on CNN, Al Jazeera America, NPR and local television stations and newspapers.

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