Principals
Jeff Batton Jeff Batton is a serial entrepreneur that has been a growth-stage executive for many businesses and investors throughout the region. His experience includes long-term leadership roles with a wide variety of well-known local businesses including Foundant Technologies, PFL, Wisetail, Blackmore Sensors & Analytics, and The Natural Baby Company. He has been directly involved in more than $400 million in transactions for venture-backed and HomeGrown businesses across the Northwest and in billions of dollars of funding for public companies. For the past several years, Jeff has been a key team member at Foundant Technologies, where his work culminated in a paradigm-breaking series of funding events of ~$20mm in 2019-20 that included investments from several of its foundation clients and other mission-aligned investors. He also played a key role for Blackmore Sensors & Analytics, where his work resulted in an oversubscribed Series B funding event of ~$18mm in early 2018 (key investments from BMW and Toyota) that made it the best-funded startup in Montana in decades. He has held leadership roles at Alaska Growth Capital (Alaska Native-owned for-profit CDFI with over $130mm under management), Ecotrust (impact investment pioneer with just under $100mm under management), and MOFI (non-profit CDFI with over $100mm under management).
Bill Stoddart is also president/founder of NorthFork Financial, a fiduciary planning and advisory firm that integrates wealth and purpose and that manages ~$100mm in client assets. He is a founder of GreenDrinks Bozeman and CeedNET, a nonprofit focused on community investment. He recently completed a 9-month Fellowship with the RSF Capital Institute, where he worked with fellow financial activists from across the country as they designed a variety of initiatives to further social justice and environmental sustainability. He has served on the Downtown Bozeman Urban Renewal District Board since 2010 and the Bozeman Public Library Foundation, Montana Wilderness School, and Headwaters Economics Boards for the past three years and recently was appointed to the Board of CibusDx, a HomeStake portfolio company. He is also active with numerous national impact investing groups.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-stoddart-8182849/
Associates
Wes Shifrin is a graduate of the University of Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He has worked with start-up and established companies across the West to build financial models and provide high level strategic direction. Wes has worked on all aspects of deal structuring, due diligence, and deal servicing for HomeStake portfolio companies, and also analyzes publicly traded environmentally and socially responsible investment portfolios at Northfork Financial.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wes-shifrin-bba0633b
Sarah Fitzgerald has more than a decade of experience in impact and community finance. Most recently, she led the New Markets Tax Credit team at MoFi (formerly Montana Community Development Corp) where she and her team closed over $300 million in projects in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Arizona and managed a nearly $500 million portfolio. Prior to that, she led the Small Business Lending team at MoFi, vetting, underwriting, and closing loans of $1,000 to $2 million. She helped grow the small business portfolio to over $40 million. She holds an MBA from University of Montana and undergraduate degrees in Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development from Prescott College. She is on the board of Red Ants Pants Foundation and CEI Capital Management.
Cody Casperson is an entrepreneur and business consultant with specific expertise in technology startups, entrepreneurial finance, business development and sales. He has helped a wide range of regional businesses across numerous industry verticals accelerate company growth and improve business performance. His specialties include financial modeling and analytics, business development execution and entrepreneurial financing strategies.
Advisors (Montana)
Susan Carstensen
Seasoned executive in technology companies. Board member and/or advisor for numerous regional growth businesses. Current and former affiliations: RightNow Technologies, Powerhouse Technologies, Quiq, WorkFront, Socrata, DA Davidson, Foundant, PFL.com.
Justin Bigart
Serial entrepreneur with long-term successes in both Main Street and fast-growth software businesses. Current and former affiliations: Old Sole Projects, SageBorn, Wisetail.
Jeremy Brown
Experienced securities attorney, in-house counsel for (public markets) capital management company. Current and former affiliations: Front Street Capital (Tarkio Fund), Dorsey & Whitney LLP, K&L Gates.
Eva Skidmore
Marketing, sales and go-to-market strategist and practitioner for organizations of all sizes. Current and former affiliations: Salesforce, Socrata, Bozeman Area Community Foundation, KERB, Oracle, RightNow Technologies.
Jeff Welch
Seasoned branding and business strategist for national and international brands. Current and former affiliations: MercuryCSC, First Interstate Bank, Montana Office of Tourism, Distill Productions, FarBank Enterprises (Sage/Redington/RIO), FishingOwl Farm.
Carl Borgquist
Pioneer in renewable energy, deep experience in succession planning & wealth management. Current and former affiliations: Absaroka Energy, DA Davidson, US Navy.
Advisors (National)
John Katovich -- Cutting Edge Capital, datavest, The Food Commons, Sustainable Accounting Standards Board
Joel Solomon -- Renewal Funds, RSF Social Finance, Tides Canada
Gary Holmquist -- Community Reinvestment Fund, seasoned commercial lender