Guest Profile
David Frank is the Founder and CEO of Stonehaven, a private capital markets FinTech operating system (technology + infrastructure + data) and collaboration network (origination + distribution) for investment bankers and placement agents (Affiliate Partners) to support companies and investors.
David leads the strategy, design, and execution of all aspects of Stonehaven’s technology, data, compliance, legal, due diligence, finance, and operations architecture. He founded Stonehaven in 2001, initially cutting his teeth raising capital and then building teams to orchestrate a broad range of investment banking and placement agent activity. Stonehaven pivoted into a FinTech business in 2018 to create a next-generation platform to support the needs of capital market professionals.
Prior to founding Stonehaven, David worked in the Mergers & Acquisitions group of Robertson Stephens in San Francisco. He has expertise across a wide range of disciplines, including venture capital, real estate, private equity, private credit, hedge funds, infrastructure, M&A, secondaries, private placements, and traditional asset management.
David graduated with honors from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business with a B.B.A. and is a CFA charter holder and active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization where he helps lead the Investment Banking Network.
Topics Covered
- What does Stonehaven do? [1:20]
- Why is an operating system necessary for intermediaries in M&A transactions? [5:10]
- What is a professional investor? [7:36]
- What are the different types of capital raising? [13:10]
- What different types of capital raising options are there for private equity transactions? [13:08]
- What percentage of venture capital (VC) deals involve intermediaries? [14:31]
- What are the different concerns between venture capital and private equity companies? [19:49]
- Are there any notable differences between the private and the public capital markets right now? [23:57]
- How are investors responding to investment opportunities? Are they excessively concerned about exit options in the future and other dynamics outside of a particular industry? [26:09]
- What global issues are professional investors most concerned about? [35:07]
- How concerned are investors about the ability of companies to obtain talent? Is this leading the drive toward global workforces? [37:06]
- What has the experience been like for Stonehaven in moving to a global workforce? [39:49]
- What’s the biggest challenge, from a cultural standpoint, in having a global team? [41:52]
- To what extent are investors using global remote talent? [46:57]
- What is the market right now for hedge funds and in the public markets, and what are the correlations between the markets? [51:44]
- What is the impact of artificial intelligence (AI), and to what extent are investors in technology, like AI, concerned about the current market dynamics? [54:23]
- How is the investment and business landscape changing with the increased utilization of AI? [57:50]
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Resources Mentioned
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Acronyms or Terms Used in This Episode
- VC – venture capital
- Series A and Series B – references to the first and second rounds of funding for startups
- SPAC market – a special purpose acquisition company
- IPO market – the initial public offerings market
- Unicorn startup – a startup valued at $1 billion or more in U.S. dollars
- Decacorn startup – a startup valued at $10 billion or more in U.S. dollars
- Hectocorn startup – a startup valued at $100 billion or more in U.S. dollars
- SVB – Silicon Valley Bank
- FOMO – fear of missing out
- AI – artificial intelligence
- Web 3 – the concept of the next version of the World Wide Web
- YC – Y Combinator – a startup accelerator and investment fund
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