“The purpose of First Bridge is to invest in the growth and continued success of companies by aligning First Bridge resources and experience with their vision. I look forward to learning more about your business."
Ronny Grunwald, Managing Partner
RONNY GRUNWALD
After graduating from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Grunwald spent three years in the Financial Sponsors and Leveraged Finance Groups of Jefferies & Co. investment bank. He went on to lead research efforts on private equity portfolio dynamics at IESE Business School in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group. Since 2010, Mr. Grunwald has worked with innovative businesses to build out critical financial processes. He’s led capital raises, complete P&L responsibility and day-to-day operations for multiple companies as they grew from pre-revenue to profitable.
For recent investment insights, see our series of reports about Tornado Global and its acquisition by The Toro Company, written by Ronny Grunwald
(previously published on Seeking Alpha)
Creative Thought Leaders Council
Lydia Guett
Lydia Guett
Ms. Guett is a finance and management professional with experience across ten countries in Central & South America, Europe and Asia. She invests in early stage impact ventures and also provides investment advisory services to foundations, endowments, and private wealth clients. Ms. Guett is passionate about bridging the gap towards low-carbon investments. She graduated with honors from the European Business School and earned her Masters in Sustainable Management from HEC Paris.
Yacob Girma
Yacob Girma
Mr. Girma is the Senior Vice President of Operations at Homie, a real estate company utilizing technology to change the way homes are bought and sold. Previously, as the first General Manager for Lyft in Las Vegas, Yacob scaled the rideshare service in the largest tourist market in the United States. Prior to Lyft, Yacob held strategy & operations leadership roles at Las Vegas Sands, Merrill Lynch and McKinsey & Company. Yacob cut his teeth in entrepreneurship early in his career when he co-founded Vushare. Yacob earned a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. In his free time, Yacob enjoys traveling with his wife Anjali, and playing with their son, Semai.
Randi Kleiner
Randi Kleiner
Ms. Kleiner is the Founder and CEO of SeriesFest, an international episodic content and television festival that each year features network premieres, special performances, panels, and bold new pilots. She also owns Trifecta Studios, an event production agency that works with major brands (Marc Jacobs, JC Penney, Sephora, Macallan, Godiva, Pepsi) to produce experiential events around the world. She has also previously co-produced major projection events onto the Empire State Building and Vatican for the Racing Extinction Campaign. Ms. Kleiner is a graduate of New York University.
Sasha Stankovic
Sasha Stankovic
Mr. Stankovic is the Founder and CEO of SMDesign Studio, a Los Angeles-based digital agency with substantial experience building the online presence of clients and developing innovative solutions for eCommerce. With an education in Fine Arts and a background in media and marketing, he has the ideal combination of creativity and professionalism needed to successfully run a full service web agency for nearly 17 years. Mr. Stankovic currently manages an international team of designers, developers, and online marketers that work seamlessly together across offices in several countries.
Marta González
Marta González
Ms. González is the corporate and legal manager for Wallapop, the largest online platform for reselling items in Spain and with a growing market share in the United States. Ms. González was a founding seed investor in Wallapop through ANTAI, a Barcelona-based Business Angels Network that she formed with successful digital media entrepreneurs. She previously spent eight years working at the IESE Business School, first as the Chair of the Family-Owned Business Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center and then as the Project Manager for Global Entrepreneurship Week Spain. Ms. González is a graduate of ESADE Business School.
Jason Ziven
Jason Ziven
Mr. Ziven is a litigator and entertainment attorney at Sanders Roberts LLP with a diverse background in business. His practice focuses on all aspects of business and employment litigation from inception to conclusion. Previously Mr. Ziven was Vice President of Business Development at Mills Entertainment, the leading producer of alternative live entertainment in the United States. He also served as the Head of Business Development at DigiTour Media, a producer of live experiences where he was an early shareholder and instrumental in securing the Company’s first round of investment. He launched his career at Oppenheimer & Co., a full-service investment bank, after earning degrees from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and University of Miami’s Law School.
Robert Dalie
Robert Dalie
Mr. Dalie is the Executive Director of Investments with The Summa Group of Oppenheimer & Co. He has been a central part of The Summa Group since its founding in 2003 and has developed a reputation for specialized work with sudden wealth from inheritance, divorce, stock sales, estate planning and closely held business sales. He sits on Oppenheimer’s Advisory Technology Committee, is a member of the Los Angeles Financial Planning Association (FPA), and holds the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation. He attended Pepperdine University where he graduated with a BA in business administration and a BS in sports medicine. Mr. Dalie resides in Glendale with his wife (whom he met at Pepperdine) and their four children.