Long Ridge Equity Partners Named to GrowthCap’s List of Top 25 Growth Equity Firms of 2021

Founder & Managing Partner

Jim Brown

Jim is the Founder and Managing Partner of Long Ridge. He is also a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee.

Jim has over 25 years of experience investing in and supporting high-growth companies across the financial and business services sectors. At Long Ridge, Jim leads the overall strategy and direction of the firm, in addition to leading deal teams focused on the sourcing, evaluation, and management of the Firm’s portfolio companies. Over his long career, Jim has partnered with some of the most successful and innovative players in the financial services space and has served as a board member and advisor to numerous public and private companies.

Prior to founding Long Ridge, Jim was a Partner at TH Lee Putnam Ventures, a $1.1 billion growth capital firm, where he led the firm’s financial services investment efforts. Before THLPV, Jim served as a Senior Vice President of GE Equity where he led investments in financial services, technology, consumer, and media companies. Prior to joining GE Equity, Jim worked at Lehman Brothers as a Vice President and at Bain & Company as a Consultant.

Jim received a B.S. from New York University and an M.B.A. with Honors from the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Portfolio Companies:

Managing Partner

Kevin Bhatt

Kevin joined Long Ridge in 2010 and serves as a Managing Partner and a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee.

Kevin leads the overall strategy and direction of the Firm, in addition to managing deal teams focused on the sourcing, evaluation, and management of Long Ridge’s portfolio companies. Over his investing career, Kevin has served on the boards of numerous public and private financial services and business services companies, partnering with visionary managers to build leading companies across a range of sectors.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Kevin was a Vice President with AEA Investors, a private equity firm with over $10 billion of committed capital. Before joining AEA, Kevin was a member of the financial services and business services teams at TH Lee Putnam Ventures, a $1.1 billion growth capital firm. Kevin started his career in McKinsey & Company’s New York office, serving as a consultant to financial institutions.

Kevin received a A.B. in Economics with Honors from Princeton University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Portfolio Companies:

Partner, Chief Financial Officer, & Chief Compliance Officer

Donna Little, CPA

Donna joined Long Ridge in 2013 and serves as Partner, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, and a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee.

At Long Ridge, Donna is responsible for the Firm’s financial operations, including financial reporting, compliance matters, tax preparation, investor relations and internal controls.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Donna worked for five years as CFO and Partner at Alternative Investment Management, LLC (“AIM”), an independent, privately-held investment management firm. While at AIM, Donna served as a member of the Investment Committee, managed all operations functions and implemented their first Operational Due Diligence program. Prior to that, Donna worked for Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, a leading hedge fund, as a Controller/Senior Accountant. While there, Donna focused on the daily & monthly financial reporting for a multi-billion dollar hedge fund that traded in a broad range of products including convertible arbitrage, distressed securities and long/short equities. Prior to Och-Ziff, Donna was an Accounting Manager at International Fund Services (IFS), a State Street Company, and a Senior Mutual Fund Accountant at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers.

Donna received a B.S. in Business Studies (accounting concentration) with honors from Stockton University. She is a member of Delta Mu Delta, the International Honor Society in Business Administration. Additionally, Donna is a Certified Public Accountant.

Partner

Angad Singh

Angad joined Long Ridge in 2012 and serves as a Partner and a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee.

At Long Ridge, Angad leads deal teams focused on all aspects of the Firm’s investments, from origination and due diligence through deal structuring, execution, and post-investment portfolio management. Angad also serves on several portfolio company boards and works closely with Long Ridge’s executive teams to accelerate growth.

In addition to his investment responsibilities, Angad enjoys the business-building aspects of growing the Firm, including recruiting and training junior members of the investment team.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Angad was an Associate at Alinda Capital Partners, a leading private equity firm focused on infrastructure investments. At Alinda, Angad primarily invested in the energy and telecom sectors. Angad started his career as a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company, where he worked in the Corporate Finance Group. While at McKinsey, Angad focused on growth strategy projects in the financial services and energy sectors.

Angad received a B.A. in Biology with Honors from Haverford College.

Portfolio Companies:

Partner

Andrew Cedar

Andrew joined Long Ridge in 2016 and serves as a Partner.

At Long Ridge, Andrew leads deal teams focused on all aspects of the Firm’s investments, from origination and due diligence through deal structuring, execution, and post-investment portfolio management. Andrew also serves on several portfolio company boards and works closely with Long Ridge’s executive teams to accelerate growth.

In addition to his investment responsibilities, Andrew oversees the Firm’s sourcing operation and analyst program.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Andrew worked at McKinsey & Company, where he reported directly to the Global Managing Partner and previously was a consultant advising companies in the U.S., Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. Previously, Andrew worked on the Obama Administration’s national security and foreign policy team, as Senior Director for Global Engagement at the White House National Security Council, an advisor at the State Department, and on the Obama-Biden transition team in 2008. Andrew also has experience as an investor at a $25bn hedge fund focused on special situations.

Andrew received a B.A. in Political Science summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University, an M.Phil in International Relations from Cambridge University, and an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School. Andrew is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was named a Global Shaper by the World Economic Forum.

Portfolio Companies:

Partner

Jason Melton

Jason joined Long Ridge in 2014 and serves as a Partner.

At Long Ridge, Jason leads deal teams focused on all aspects of the Firm’s investments, from origination and due diligence through deal structuring, execution, and post-investment portfolio management. Jason also serves on several portfolio company boards and works closely with Long Ridge’s executive teams to accelerate growth.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Jason worked at Barclays in the Financial Institutions Group, where he advised financial technology and services companies on M&A and capital markets transactions.

Jason received a B.S. in Business Management, with a focus on Entrepreneurship and Finance, from Babson College.

Portfolio Companies:

Principal

Doug Nelson

Doug joined Long Ridge in 2018 and serves as a Principal.

At Long Ridge, Doug leads deal teams focused on all aspects of the Firm’s investments, from origination and due diligence through deal structuring, execution, and post-investment portfolio management. Doug also serves on several portfolio company boards and works closely with Long Ridge’s executive teams to accelerate growth.

In addition to his work at Long Ridge, Doug is an Advisory Board member for the FinTech Sandbox, a non-profit accelerator that provides financial data, hosting, and mentoring to FinTech startups.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Doug was an investor with F-Prime Capital, a global venture capital firm affiliated with Fidelity Investments. Doug also previously worked in strategy for Fidelity Investments, product management for Amazon and finance for Flywire.

Doug received a B.A. in History magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Portfolio Companies:

Vice President

Devin Stearns

Devin joined Long Ridge in 2016 and serves as a Vice President.

At Long Ridge, Devin is actively involved in all aspects of the Firm’s investment process, including sourcing, due diligence, deal execution and managing and monitoring portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Devin worked at Fenox Venture Capital, an early stage technology-focused venture capital fund, and Wells Fargo Securities.

Devin received a B.A. in Economics with Honors and a certificate in Finance from Princeton University.

Portfolio Companies:

Senior Associate

Rachel Philbin

Rachel joined Long Ridge in 2022 and serves as a Senior Associate.

At Long Ridge, Rachel is actively involved in all aspects of the Firm’s investment process, including sourcing, due diligence, deal execution and managing, and monitoring of portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Rachel worked at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) where she advised clients across financial services, healthcare, and education. Rachel also previously worked on the program team at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) and on the Innovation team at Gentera, a Mexico City-based microfinance bank.

Rachel received a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Portfolio Companies:

Senior Associate

Sohum Daftary

Sohum joined Long Ridge in 2019 and serves as a Senior Associate.

At Long Ridge, Sohum is actively involved in all aspects of the Firm’s investment process, including sourcing, due diligence, deal execution and managing and monitoring portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Sohum worked at Millstein & Co., a boutique restructuring investment bank, and Arena Investors, a middle-market private credit firm.

Sohum received a B.S. in Finance, summa cum laude, from The Wharton School and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering.

Portfolio Companies:

Senior Associate

Anshita Khandelwal

Anshita joined Long Ridge in 2023 and serves as a Senior Associate.

At Long Ridge, Anshita is actively involved in all aspects of the Firm’s investment process, including sourcing, due diligence, deal execution, and managing and monitoring portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Anshita worked in investment banking at J.P. Morgan where she advised companies across the technology and healthcare industries on M&A and capital markets transactions.

Anshita received a B.A. in Economics from Williams College and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Senior Controller

Rogy George

Rogy joined Long Ridge in 2023 and serves as Senior Controller.

At Long Ridge, Rogy is responsible for supporting the financial operations and reporting of the Firm.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Rogy worked at BlackRock as Vice President in Investment Accounting, where he worked on the investment book of records of over $40 billion in client assets. Prior to that, Rogy was at EnTrust Global, an alternative asset manager as Vice President in Product Accounting. He was responsible for the fund accounting of the firm’s various investment products. Rogy started his career at Citi Hedge Fund Services North America as a senior accountant, where he worked on the fund administration of various private equity and hedge fund clients.

Rogy has a B.S. in Finance from St. John’s University and a graduate certificate in accounting.

Investor

Jerry Chen

Jerry joined Long Ridge in 2021 and serves as an Associate.

At Long Ridge, Jerry is actively involved in all aspects of the Firm’s investment process, including sourcing, due diligence, deal execution and managing and monitoring portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Jerry worked in Strategic Finance at Poshmark, a consumer technology firm. Previously, Jerry worked at Broadhaven Capital Partners, a boutique investment bank, advising companies across financial services and technology.

Jerry received a B.A. in Economics, magna cum laude, and a B.A. in Mathematics from Amherst College.

Portfolio Companies:

Investor

Scott Kaden

Scott joined Long Ridge in 2021 and serves as an Associate.

At Long Ridge, Scott is actively involved in all aspects of the Firm’s investment process, including sourcing, due diligence, deal execution and managing and monitoring portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Scott worked at Houlihan Lokey, a boutique investment bank, in their Technology, Media & Telecom (TMT) Group.

Scott received a B.S. in Economics, magna cum laude, from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, with concentrations in Finance and Business Analytics.

Portfolio Companies:

Investor

Ben Hilkert

Ben joined Long Ridge in 2021. At Long Ridge, Ben is actively involved in the Firm’s investment process, including sourcing, due diligence, deal execution and managing and monitoring portfolio companies.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Ben Co-Founded Honesti, a wellness and peer to peer support platform designed specifically for college students, and worked at Guggenheim Partners, a boutique investment bank.

Ben received a BBA with concentrations in Accounting and Finance, Cum Laude, from The Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Portfolio Companies:

Investor

Rachel Sylwester

Rachel joined Long Ridge in 2022.

At Long Ridge, Rachel is actively involved in sourcing new investments and screening prospective opportunities for the firm.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Rachel worked at BlackRock in the Risk & Quantitative Analysis group and at the Federal Trade Commission in the Office of Technology Research & Investigation.

Rachel received a B.A. in Computer Science, with High Honors, from Princeton University as well as certificates in Statistics & Machine Learning and Technology & Society.

Investor

Zach Khazzam

Zach joined Long Ridge in 2022.

At Long Ridge, Zach is actively involved in sourcing new investments and screening prospective opportunities for the Firm. He also works on due diligence, deal execution and with portfolio company executive teams.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Zach worked at WestCap, a technology-focused growth equity firm.

Zach received a B.S. in Statistical Science from Duke University.

Investor

Sophia Africk

Sophia joined Long Ridge in 2023.

At Long Ridge, Sophia is actively involved in sourcing new investments and screening prospective opportunities for the firm. She also works with portfolio company executive teams and performs deal diligence and execution.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Sophia worked at Tesla, in the Manufacturing Finance group, and at Microsoft, in the Azure Data organization.

Sophia received a B.S.E in Systems Science and Engineering summa cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science and a B.S. in Finance summa cum laude from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Investor

Charlie Chen

Charlie joined Long Ridge in 2023.

At Long Ridge, Charlie is actively involved in sourcing new investments and screening prospective opportunities for the Firm. He also works on due diligence, deal execution and with portfolio company executive teams.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Charlie worked at Silversmith Capital Partners, a Boston-based growth equity firm.

Charlie received a B.A. in Economics from Boston College.

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING OPERATIONS

Annelise Han

Annelise joined Long Ridge in 2018 and serves as the Director of Marketing Operations.

At Long Ridge, Annelise administers and manages deal origination activities, including the Firm’s CRM and pipeline tracking processes. She also leads marketing, communications, and brand-building efforts for the Firm.

Previously, she was a consultant in the Capital Markets Communications practice at FTI Consulting, where she advised clients in the financial services, energy, and industrials sectors on their investor relations programs, including investor days, buy- and sell-side targeting, and quarterly earnings preparation. She also provided event-driven counsel for IPOs and M&A announcements.

In addition to her experience in financial communications, Annelise has an interest in K-12 education and education technology, and recently served as a chief of staff at a charter school in Brooklyn, where she managed internal communications and the school’s board and regulatory relationships. Additionally, she co-organized Startup Weekend’s first Chicago EdTech event. She started her career as an investment banking analyst in the healthcare group at Deutsche Bank.

Annelise received her B.A. in Economics and a minor in English from Wellesley College.

Staff Accountant

Laura Orr

Laura joined Long Ridge in 2023 and serves as a Staff Accountant.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Laura worked as a Supervisor at SEI Investments, a global fund administrator. She was part of their Private Equity Fund Administrator Group and oversaw reconciliations, capital activity, and financial reporting for private equity clients.

Laura received a B.S in Music and from Temple University, an M.B.A. from Villanova University, and an M.S. in Accounting Practice from the University of Delaware.

Office Manager & Executive Assistant

Krystina Romano

Krystina joined Long Ridge in 2019 and serves as the Firm’s Office Manager and as Executive Assistant to Jim Brown and Kevin Bhatt.

At Long Ridge, Krystina is responsible for overall office operations as well as assisting with the planning and execution of the Firm’s special events, including annual meetings and offsites.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Krystina worked for Marcum LLP as the scheduling coordinator for the assurance department.

Krystina received a B.A. in English Language, Literature, and Criticism from Hunter College.

People Operations Manager

Victoria Mussalli

Victoria joined Long Ridge in 2018 and serves as People Operations Manager.

At Long Ridge, Victoria assists the Firm with managing recruitment, immigration and visa procurement, cybersecurity compliance, IT oversight, event planning, and more.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Victoria had extensive experience in administrative roles across various industries, including healthcare, education, and film production.

Outside of Long Ridge, Victoria works as a voice actor, specializing in commercial and character work, and has worked with companies like: Nexplanon, WIRED, Fancypants Baking Co., Timken, and HMH. She has also been featured in scripted podcasts alongside Bethany Joy Lenz (One Tree Hill, Dexter), Clive Standen (Vikings, Doctor Who), and Michael O’Neill (Jack Ryan, Dallas Buyers Club).

Victoria graduated summa cum laude in three years and received a B.S. in Television-Radio with a minor in Spanish from Ithaca College.

Executive Assistant

Whitney Baldwin

Whitney joined Long Ridge 2021 and serves as Executive Assistant to Angad Singh, Andrew Cedar, and Jason Melton. Whitney also supports the planning of Long Ridge’s annual Executive Summit and other firm events.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Whitney planned festivals and events and served as the Executive Assistant to the CEO of Linder Global Events in Washington, DC.

Whitney received a B.A. in Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and graduated Cum Laude from Virginia Tech.

Executive Assistant

Emily Wong

Emily joined Long Ridge in 2022 and serves as an Executive Assistant to Doug Nelson and Devin Stearns.

At Long Ridge, Emily is responsible for overall office operations as well as assisting with ad-hoc projects such as financial reviews, marketing initiatives, and recruiting.

Prior to joining Long Ridge, Emily worked for Nexus Equities as the Head of Operations and as a Chemical Analyst at PIDC. Emily graduated Magna Cum Laude at Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the College of Lyman Briggs.

Office Assistant

Jessica Barr

Jessica joined Long Ridge in 2023 and serves as an Office Assistant. At Long Ridge, Jessica is responsible for assisting with the operations of the office.

Prior to Long Ridge, Jessica co-founded a retail company Daily Soulshine where it focused on products with uplifting phrases.

Jessica graduated Cum Laude from Florida State University where she received a B.S. in Management Information Systems and a minor in Psychology.