Escalate Capital Partners

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Connor Woods
Connor Woods is responsible for originations and investment due diligence at Escalate. Before joining the firm in 2023, Connor was a senior associate at PIMCO, where he focused on portfolio analysis within the public pension practice and strategic business reporting for the institutional client management division. Connor received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Pomona College and is a CFA charterholder.
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Travis Wood
Travis Wood is responsible for sourcing and managing investments at Escalate. He joined Escalate in 2019 after a 20-year career at Silicon Valley Bank, serving in various managerial, sales, and portfolio oversight roles. He most recently served as managing director of the bank’s Credit Solutions team and oversaw the technology portfolio across the southwestern U.S. Travis received a bachelor’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin.
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Tony Schell
Tony Schell is a member of Escalate’s investment committee and is responsible for portfolio management and fund oversight. Before co-founding Escalate in 2005, Tony was a managing director of the Technology and Life Sciences division of Comerica Bank and its predecessor, Imperial Bank. Earlier, he held various corporate finance positions with The Sabre Group and Coopers & Lybrand. Tony began his career as a commercial lender with MBank Dallas (subsequently acquired by Bank One) and First Gibraltar Bank (subsequently acquired by BofA). Tony received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA from The University of Texas at Austin. Tony is a member of the McCombs School of Business Advisory Council at The University of Texas at Austin and was formerly a CPA.
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Kokila Lozano
Kokila Lozano is focused on originations and portfolio management at Escalate. Kokila joined Escalate in 2020 after almost a decade in the investment management industry focusing on investment due diligence and portfolio analysis. Before Escalate, Kokila worked for Sendero Wealth Management, where she focused on manager due diligence across long-only and alternative strategies, asset allocation, and portfolio management. Kokila began her career at FactSet Research Systems as an investment management consultant. She received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance and a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from The University of Texas at Austin. Kokila is an investment committee member of the alumni endowment at The University of Texas at Austin and a CFA charterholder.
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Chris Julich
Chris Julich is a member of Escalate’s investment committee and is responsible for originations and portfolio management. Before joining Escalate in 2008, Chris was senior market manager of RBC Centura Bank’s Knowledge Based Industries group, which he helped launch in the U.S. in 2001. Chris was previously a vice president with Comerica Bank’s Technology and Life Sciences group and managed Comerica’s Research Triangle, NC office. He was also an associate with Capital Investment Partners, a boutique investment banking firm focused on M&A and structured financial transactions for mid-market companies in the Southeast. Chris received a bachelor of arts from Wake Forest University.
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Simon James
Simon James is responsible for managing Escalate’s finance, administration, and reporting functions. Before joining Escalate in 2005, Simon worked for over 20 years in senior management roles across the banking industry. During his career in banking, Simon served as chief administrative officer of Comerica’s Technology and Life Sciences division and as vice president of Silicon Valley Bank’s Semiconductor Industry lending group. He previously held lending roles with Credit Suisse, the Industrial Bank of Japan, and the Banque Nationale de Paris. Simon received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Washington and holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
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Janan Ghaddar
Janan Ghaddar is responsible for originations and portfolio management at Escalate. She joined the firm in 2023 after working for more than a decade in the banking industry, focusing on venture lending and portfolio management. Janan previously held banking roles at Wells Fargo, Comerica & Texas Capital Bank and was most recently a senior vice president on the Credit Solutions team at Silicon Valley Bank. Janan received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from the University of Georgia.
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Ross Cockrell
Ross Cockrell is a member of Escalate’s investment committee and is responsible for originations and portfolio management. Before co-founding the firm in 2005, Ross spent ten years with Austin Ventures, where he was a general partner focused on investments in the software and services sectors. At Austin Ventures, he was responsible for the firm’s investments in Convio, Reactivity, Staktek, iMark, and Whisperwire. Earlier in his career, Ross worked for Lomas Financial, where he was involved in asset-backed securitization and structured finance. Ross received a bachelor of arts degree from Harvard University and an MBA from The University of Texas.
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Larry Bradshaw
Larry Bradshaw is responsible for portfolio management and compliance at Escalate. Before joining the firm in 2005, Larry spent three years as an associate in the Healthcare Corporate Finance group at JP Morgan. In this capacity, he was the primary corporate contact and managed all aspects of several M&A assignments in the healthcare services and medical device sectors. Previously, Larry was a research analyst at Joel Mogy Investment Counsel in Beverly Hills, where he was involved with portfolio management and related equity research functions. Larry received a bachelor of science degree from Duke University and an MBA from The University of Texas.
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