HOW TO SECURE PRIVATE EQUITY AND VENTURE CAPITAL FINANCING

Do you need additional capital to take your business to the next level? Demystify the due diligence process and be prepared for when opportunity knocks. Remember, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

Speakers: Praveen Sahay, Managing Director, WAVE Equity Partners; Matt Polimeno, Operating Partner, WAVE Equity Partners

Presenter

Matt Polimeno

A Senior Operations leader with over 25 years of
experience working for and/or with public, privately owned
and private equity-sponsored companies. Matt has a
wide range of experience that includes manufacturing,
quality, supply chain, logistics, contract negotiation, field
service, design, development, program management,
government sales, marketing, and lobbying. Matt prides
himself in building trust, credibility and respect to obtain
complete buy-in that translates into peace of mind and a
structured and well laid out plan of action that produces
favorable results.
Prior to starting his own consulting company, Matt served as Vice President of Operations for Segway Inc. where he led his
team to a Manufacturing Leadership Award for Operational Excellence Leadership. Matt currently consults for early stage
companies as well as performing due diligence for private equity to assess potential investments by reviewing all facets of the
organization (leadership, human resources, legal, supply chain, manufacturing, facilities, finance and operating controls,
design, product development, quality, etc.) and by defining actionable steps within specified time periods that are required to
move companies into highly efficient and profitable entities.
Westley Sorgente, John Maxwell and Dale Carnegie Certified Coach, stated:
“Matt is one of the hungriest learners I have encountered! He was constantly looking for ways to improve himself 1st, and then for best
practices in how to mine the gold and get the best out of his team… Matt is one of those few leaders who WILL improve profits and reduce
costs because he is not only process-driven, but genuinely cares about his people!”
Praveen Sahay, Founder & Managing Director at WAVE Equity Partners, stated:
“I consider Matt a manufacturing and supply chain management guru. He has helped us assess manufacturing readiness for companies
before we make initial investments. He studies the opportunity and prepares well in advance, is extremely detail oriented, and is a straight
shooter… I have come to rely not only on his judgment of systems and processes, but also his reading of people's motivations and
capabilities...”
Rick Woryk, Vice President Portfolio Management at Rockland Capital, stated:
“After acquiring Beacon Power through bankruptcy, we entrusted Matt with managing the completion of Beacon’s multi-million dollar
flywheel plant and he rewarded our trust by completing the plant under budget and well ahead of the mandated schedule. From there, Matt
took over as Director of Manufacturing & Materials as was responsible for more than $30 million dollars and healing many of the supplier
relationships damaged during the bankruptcy. He also greatly improved the performance of the organization through labor efficiencies,
contracts, process improvements, quality, etc.”
Al Sokol, Partner at Partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP, stated:
“Matt has the unusual advantage of combining business skills with some skills more customarily associated with lawyers. On the latter, he
has an unusual ability to understand technical legal documents, and an even more unusual patience for the slogging, detailed analysis that
is required when dealing with the most complex legal documents. This means that in negotiations, he is able both to rise above the details
and keep things on the right business track, and also, when needed, dive deep into something to probe a point. This combination gives him
a real competitive advantage for his company and his team.”
Matt received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Minor in Social Psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is
Lean Six-Sigma Green belt certified and has earned several certificates from Dale Carnegie training that include Advanced
Leadership, Front Line Leadership, Professional Effectiveness, Senior Leadership, and Advanced Management. Matt
currently serves on the Board of Directors of Family Continuity, a private, non-profit mental health and social services agency

Presenter

Praveen Sahay

Praveen is a nuclear physicist and gained experiences in oil exploration, petrochemicals and power industries. Thereafter he took on leadership roles, first becoming an Armed Forces battalion commander, and then with the UNO as National Coordinator (CIVPOL) for the first ever democratic elections in Mozambique, for which he was awarded a UN Peace Medal. For the last 15 years, he has been investing in technology companies. Praveen’s talent lies in identifying technological and business innovations that will catalyze rapid market adoption and generate strong investment returns. He is a member of WAVE’s Investment Committee.

Background
Prior to founding WAVE, Praveen was a Director with VIMAC Ventures, an early stage venture firm, since 1993. Before that, he was an Associate at Updata Partners, an investor in IT and communications startups. He was also a strategy consultant to technology corporations and private equity investors during his tenure at Dean & Company. Praveen has an eclectic set of experiences that include managing mutual fund retail operations, exploring for oil and gas deposits in the Arabian Sea, and leading armed troops as a Deputy Commandant in situations involving threats to industrial safety and security. He was also the National Elections Coordinator (CIVPOL) at the United Nations Operation in Mozambique where he played a key role in the country’s transition to democracy.

Education
Praveen has an MBA from the University of Chicago, a degree in Geophysics from IIT, Roorkee, an MS in Nuclear Physics, and BS in Physics (Honors) from St. Stephen’s College in New Delhi.