Scott Murphy rejoined Advantage Capital as a managing director and the chief investment officer after serving in the United States Congress representing New York from 2009 to 2011. He previously worked at Advantage Capital from 2001 to 2009, overseeing the firm's $88 million New York portfolio. As chief investment officer, Scott oversees the firm’s entire portfolio.
Scott is an experienced venture capitalist and highly successful entrepreneur with a robust background in public service. Prior to his tenure at Advantage Capital, he co-founded three high-tech companies, including a game company that brought fantasy football and baseball to the Internet. He also founded an online auction company that was sold to eBay and a website building company that was sold to iXL. He earlier spent two years as a structured finance associate at Bankers Trust, where he focused on the insurance industry. In addition to his time in Congress, Scott previously served in the administrations of two Missouri governors.
Scott received his bachelor’s from Harvard College and has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. As a former president of the Upstate Venture Association of New York, he maintains a strong commitment to civic affairs.
Carl Weatherley-White is a managing director at Advantage Capital where he leads the firm's renewable energy investment platform.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Carl was the chief executive officer of VivoPower International PLC. He also served as president of renewable energy company Lightbeam Energy, Inc, and the chief financial officer for utility scale solar developer K Road Power Holdings, LLC. During this period, he led the acquisition, development and financing for approximately 3 GW of renewable energy projects, primarily utility scale solar, including more than $2 billion of project debt, tax equity and development capital.
Earlier in his career, Carl was global head of project finance at Lehman Brothers and Barclays. In that role, he was responsible for all non-recourse financing of energy infrastructure assets, leading his team to a Number 1 ranking in U.S. project finance league tables for both high-yield loans and investment-grade bonds in 2009 and 2010.
Carl received his bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Brown University and held a Rotary Graduate Fellowship at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.
Liam Davidson is a member of the Solar group, where he focuses on transaction structuring, due diligence, and portfolio management.
Prior to Advantage, Liam worked at Sunwealth Power, an impact-driven 3rd party financier and developer focused on the commercial and industrial solar markets. Led analysis of new market opportunities and monitored relevant policy developments.
Earlier in this career, Liam was a policy analyst in the office of former Secretary of State John Kerry.
Liam received a BA in History and Government, from Dartmouth College.
Pete Grum serves as a Venture Partner for Advantage Capital and continues his career of investing in private companies. He has spent the past 25 years president, chief executive officer and director of a publicly traded investment company.
Pete received his MBA in finance from Rochester Institute of Technology and his bachelors in economics from Eisenhower College. He is currently an adjunct professor at University of Buffalo where he teaches corporate finance. His various community activities include board roles as trustee of Buffalo State College, Community Foundation, Horizon Health, 43 North and a variety of investment committees.
Colin Kelly is a vice president of solar energy development at Advantage Capital. As a member of the solar development team, he focuses on implementing utility scale solar projects from inception through development and construction to operations.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Colin developed wind, solar, natural gas combined cycle, combined heat and power, and renewable natural gas plants for Exelon, EDL Energy, Brightmark, and Noble Environmental Power. Colin is also a combat veteran having served as an officer in the U.S. Army in South Korea on the demilitarized zone and in Anbar Province, Iraq.
Colin received his bachelor’s degree in economics from Seton Hall University, Stillman School of Business and his MBA from the University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business.
Tiffany Mc Mahon is the executive assistant to the CIO at Advantage Capital. Along with providing executive support, she serves as the office manager handling day-to-day functions of the New York office.
Prior to joining the firm, Tiffany worked as an operations specialist in the staffing industry supporting fortune 500 companies. Tiffany was responsible for processing payroll, preparing audits, and managing the communication flow to operations boxes.
Tiffany received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Buffalo State University.
A seasoned investor and portfolio manager, James O’Rourke is a managing director in Advantage Capital’s New York office. He is focused on developing the firm’s reach in the northeastern region of the U.S.
James brings 12 years of investing experience in a wide variety of sectors. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a managing director at Lampe, Conway & Co., an investment fund based in New York where he focused on private equity and debt, and special situations investments. He has sourced and helped manage a large portfolio of investments in the consumer, food, manufacturing, technology, clean tech, health care and telecommunications sectors. James began his career clerking for Judge Adrian Duplantier, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He also worked for several years as a corporate associate at Davis Polk, and as an investment banker at Thomas Weisel Partners and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.
A native New Jerseyan, James holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was awarded First Years Honors; a J.D. from Stanford Law School; and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, graduating magna cum laude.
Jack Plaster is a member of the solar group, focused on development. Within this group, he focuses on new business development, financial and budgeting and due diligence. He has previously had internships in Wealth Management with Stifel and was an ESG Analyst at Aristeia Capital.
Jack received his bachelor’s degree in business with a major in finance from Miami University.
Marjorie Reed is an associate with InState Partners where she focuses on the firm’s economic development, public policy and public finance initiatives at the state and local levels.
Prior to joining the InState team, she was a Project Assistant on the Intellectual Property team at Latham & Watkins LLP. Marjorie previously served as an Associate Director in the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
Marjorie received her bachelor’s in Economics with a minor in Development Economics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Gabe Rosen is a vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm’s investment team, he focuses on sourcing investments, performing due diligence, structuring transactions and portfolio management.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Gabe worked at Goldman Sachs where he held roles analyzing and evaluating several asset classes.
Gabe received his bachelor’s degree in economics as well as his MBA from Harvard University.
Michael Sponseller is a vice president at Advantage Capital, where he focuses on oringinating, structuring and executing investment for the firm's renewable energy platform.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Michael was a vice president at Lazard Frères & Co. in the Global Power, Utility and Infrastructure team, where he advised clients in the context of capital raising, M&A and strategic advisory.
Earlier in his career, Michael was the director of structured finance at Sungevity, Inc., where he led the structuring project finance commitment while supporting the company's Series D equity raise. Michael has also held positions at Green Lake Capital and Borrego Solar, where he performed investment analysis and due diligence for C&I and utility-scale solar projects. Michael began his career with Teach for America where he taught middle school math, science and social studies.
Michael received his MBA from University of Texas at Austin and his bachelor's degree in economics and international development from Vanderbilt Unidersity.
Rose Ann Ansty is a member of the solar team where she is responsible for stakeholder relations both internal and external in support of solar projects by conducting local community outreach initiatives with landowners and governmental officials. Project development management by monitoring financial and budget obligations, site control, schedules, permitting and due diligence.
Previously Finance Project Manager, at International Rescue Committee where she prepared and maintained project budget and financial reporting ensuring data was complete and all donor related information was disseminated to project, finance and logistics staff and partners. Prior to IRC, Rose Ann was a Program Officer at World Education where she provided technical, financial and contract management for $13mm projects in Mail, Benin, and Guinea. And prior to that an Analyst and Brokerage trader at Fidelity Investments.
BS in Economics from University of Utah and Certificate in Financial Accounting from NYU SPS and was in the Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa
Adam Constantinides is a vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the solar investment team, Adam focuses on sourcing investments, performing due diligence, structuring transactions and portfolio management.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Adam worked for Altus Power America, a renewable energy investment firm, where he was responsible for the development, underwriting and execution of solar investments. He also previously held a position at Regional Plan Association where he evaluated financial impacts of climate change in the New York metropolitan area.
Adam received his bachelor’s degree in environmental studies with a minor in social innovation/entrepreneurship from Tulane University where he graduated cum laude.
Anaëlle Croteau is a senior associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the solar investment team, Ms. Croteau is responsible for performing due diligence efforts, screening potential investment opportunities and monitoring portfolio companies. Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Anaëlle held positions with the ArcelorMittal Treasury in Paris, France, Meridiam in Dakar, Senegal and the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg.
Ms. Croteau received her MSc in Financial Markets and Management from the EDHEC Business School in France.
Carly Jefferson is an associate on the investment team. She focuses on sourcing investments, supporting business development efforts and providing due diligence support.
Carly holds a bachelor’s degree in statistics and business, with a minor in mathematics, from St. Lawrence University, where she served as captain of the women’s tennis team and club alpine ski team.
Thomas Keaveney serves as a board member and senior advisor for Advantage Capital. He has extensive experience in all phases of private finance, including deal origination, structuring, pricing and documentation.
Thomas previously served the firm as an investment banker with Credit Suisse First Boston, where he was Chairman of the Private Finance Department, and a member of both the Investment and Investment Banking committees. Prior to CSFB, he worked in the private finance department of Salomon Brothers and at the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association. He is a director of the Gregorian University Foundation in Rome, Italy.
Thomas earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics at Fordham University.
Josh Rogers is a principal at Advantage Capital. As a member of the investment team, he is responsible for helping to source investments, perform due diligence, structure transactions and manage portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Advantage Capital, Josh was an equity research associate covering mid and large-cap U.S. banks at ISI Group, now Evercore Partners. At UBS Investment Bank in New York, he was an investment banking analyst and an equity research associate director covering financials and healthcare services, as well as IT.
Josh received his MBA from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and his bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard College.
Sam Schlichting is an associate at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm’s investment team, he is responsible for sourcing investments, supporting business development efforts and providing due diligence support.
He graduated from Colgate University with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. While attending Colgate, Sam was a member of the football team.
Houston Sudekum is a data and research senior associate at Advantage Capital, where he focuses on data collection, analysis and reporting, system development and automation, and research to support impact strategy, performance and policy.
Houston comes to Advantage Capital with more than 5 years of experience in research focused on environmental biology, natural resources and economics. In addition to undergraduate and graduate research assistant roles, he has worked in various research capacities with the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, The University of Bologna in Italy, and most recently, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in Switzerland.
Among the many talents he brings to Advantage Capital is a broad proficiency in programming languages, software and skills used for geospatial, statistical, and data analysis, and data management and visualization. Houston also has numerous notable publications and presentations covering relevant topics including natural resources, energy markets, manufacturing, agriculture and rural policy.
Houston received his bachelor’s in Environmental Biology and a minor in Economics from Tulane University, and a M.S. in Natural Resources with an emphasis in Forest Resource Economics from the University of Missouri.
Alexandra Twyman is a vice president at Advantage Capital. As a member of the firm’s investment team, she provides due diligence support and monitors portfolio companies.
Ms. Twyman received her bachelor’s degree in commerce with a concentration in finance from McGill University.