CARTER WEISS, Partner
Carter is an experienced entrepreneur and investor with nearly 20 years in venture and growth equity. Before co-founding the consumer growth equity firm Silas Capital, he co-founded Built NY Inc, where he served as CEO for seven years. During his tenure, he grew BUILT into a globally recognized, profitable consumer brand — growing sales from zero to $30 million with an equity investment of just $1.5 million. He guided the development of the BUILT brand and established its unique identity, helping it reach over 50 countries and partner with major retailers such as Amazon, Apple, MoMA, Target, and Whole Foods. Built was acquired by Lifetime Brands, Inc. (Nasdaq: LCUT). Before BUILT, Carter spent seven years as an early internet venture capitalist. He was part of the corporate venture capital fund Hollinger Capital, where he led successful investments in consumer internet companies like Shopping.com (acquired by eBay in 2005). Carter holds a BA in Accounting from Pennsylvania State University and has an ongoing appreciation of Internet cat photos.
FRANK T. LIN, Partner
Frank has over 12 years of experience as a consumer growth investor with prior experience as a generalist VC. He focuses on all areas across consumer and his investments include now established brands like Boll & Branch, Bare Snacks and ILIA Beauty, as well as new innovative brands like Mimikai. Prior to co-founding Silas Capital, he was at EuclidSR Partners, a fund formed by Euclid Partners and SR One, the corporate VC arm of GlaxoSmithKline. There, he served as an investor and advisor to software, technology and healthcare companies and was involved in the success of investments including SkinMedica (acquired by Allergan), FatWire (acquired by Oracle), and Plateau Systems (acquired by SuccessFactors). Before that, he co-founded and led strategy for MatchMetrix, a software company developing personalization tools for the consumer internet. He began his career at Neuberger Berman and Aberdeen Murray Johnstone after earning his AB in Economics from the University of Chicago.
BRIAN THORNE, Partner
Brian has over 15 years of experience as an investor and advisor in the consumer sector. Previously, he was at Tengram Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests exclusively in branded consumer and retail. Joining the firm shortly after its founding, Brian completed and managed investments in prominent brands such as NEST Fragrances, Laura Geller, DevaCurl and Algenist within the firm’s core Beauty vertical, as well as Luciano Barbera, Zanella and SWIMS within the Fashion/Apparel category. Prior to Tengram, he was at Catterton Partners (L Catterton), one of the largest and most experienced consumer-focused private equity groups in the world. There, he was involved in personal care and branded food investments including Frédéric Fekkai, Brach’s Confections, Van’s International Foods and Naya Water. Before that, Brian was in the Consumer/Retail Investment Banking group at Lazard. Brian earned his MBA from Harvard Business School and holds a BA in Economics and Psychology with Distinction from the University of Virginia.
GREG STUPORE, Chief Financial Officer
Greg is a CPA and has 7 years of experience working in private equity. He was most recently the Vice President of Finance at 747 Capital, a NYC-based private equity firm focused exclusively on the North American small-cap buyout market. At 747, Greg was responsible for all things finance and accounting related, including the monitoring and valuation of the firm's investment portfolio, fund reporting and administration, and investor allocations. Prior to joining 747 Capital, Greg spent three years working at Deloitte & Touche as an auditor in its financial services practice. While at Deloitte, he worked on client accounts within the banking and real estate industries and became a Certified Public Accountant in 2013. Greg graduated with a BA in Accounting and a minor in History from Boston College.
MARY MURTAGH, Vice President
Mary has over 6 years of experience as an advisor, investor and operator in the consumer sector. Most recently Mary was a Senior Associate at CAVU Consumer Partners, a growth equity firm that invests across the consumer landscape with a focus on Food & Beverage, Beauty & Personal Care and Pet. While at CAVU, Mary was responsible for evaluating investment opportunities and partnering with portfolio companies including Topicals, SkinnyDipped and Kettle & Fire. Prior to joining CAVU, she was part of the commercial finance and strategy team at Vita Coco (Nasdaq: COCO) working cross-functionally across the organization. Mary started her career as an investment banking analyst in the Consumer group at Rothschild & Co. Mary earned a B.A. in Finance from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.