Our Team
Jeff
Managing Director
Jeff has worked in the private equity/venture capital industries for more than 25 years. His experience spans roles as both an asset allocator in funds and direct investments. Jeff began his career at Liberty Mutual Insurance in Boston. During his 15 years, he rose to the position of Sr. Managing Director where he oversaw a $4.5 billion global private markets portfolio. After Liberty Mutual, he took on the role of Head of Private Markets for Rockefeller & Company managing the alternative assets of their ultra-high-net-worth clients. Subsequently, Jeff joined Central Park Group as Head of Private Equity building their private equity platform by developing and managing private market offerings for high-net-worth investors. He also served as a Managing Director for Harken Capital Securities helping emerging private equity managers raise capital from institutional investors. Jeff believes that successful investing requires a long-term approach and finding partners whose interests are similarly aligned.
Jeff’s academic background includes a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University and a Master of Science in Management from the Sloan School of Management at M.I.T. He has received his designations as a Chartered Financial Analyst, Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst, and Certified Market Technician and received his FINRA Series 63 and 82 licenses. Outside of Ground Squirrel Ventures, Jeff enjoys golf and spending time with his wife, Maggie and four children.
Brian
Operations Manager
At Ground Squirrel Ventures Brian helps develop and manage operations. His formal training is in corporate/operational finance with a BS in Finance from Bentley University, but he loves helping other entrepreneurs through their journey to success as an analytical advisor and operational executor. He brings entrepreneurial grit to Ground Squirrel from former experience launching, positioning, and successfully exiting his own SME’s, and has consulted with numerous businesses, applying his expertise to help drive their success.
In his free time, Brian volunteers for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary – leading a number of local programs to advance recreational boating safety, increase public awareness, and maintain currencies in operational missions to support his community. He nerds out on financial analysis, KPI management, & tech implementation, and his hobbies include snow sports, hiking, boating, building RV’s, and traveling.
Eric
Founder and Managing Partner
Eric is the founder of Ground Squirrel Ventures. He got his start at Wayfair as a customer service rep when the company was below 10 employees, and grew with the company through its IPO. In his time there, he oversaw functions in sales, marketing, customer acquisition and retention, UX, UI, international expansion and pricing algorithms and more, acting as SVP of Global Sales & Marketing and leading Wayfair’s international expansion. After Wayfair’s IPO, he left to get back to the smaller, earlier stages of business building that inspired him with a focus on climate mitigation and making the world a more just and equitable place for all people.
Eric is a firm believer that effective execution is the most reliable path towards business success and has a bias towards iterative learning and improvisation over top-down business plans. Outside of Ground Squirrel Ventures, he’s an avid runner, traveler, and backpacker. He and his wife Holly divide their time between Boston, Massachusetts and Berlin, Germany.