John Shumate
John is Founder, Chairman & CEO of Venture First, an alternative investment group that also provides venture-focused financial services, including deal structuring, M&A and capital raise advice, fractional CFO services, and an array of equity and derivative valuation. He is General Partner in Whiskey Capital Finance Co., a debt fund lending to the craft American […]
Rob Penta
Rob Penta serves as the President, Chief Legal Officer and Vice Chairman of Venture First. He also serves as the Chief Legal Officer of Whiskey Capital Finance Co., and a managing General Partner of Whiskey Capital Finance Co. II. Prior to joining Venture First, Rob was a partner of Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs, LLP for […]
Jack Hellige
Jack Hellige is the VP of Funds and Transactions at Venture First. Jack started his career in sell-side equity research at Hilliard Lyons (now Baird) in Louisville prior to joining Venture First as a Financial Analyst in 2019. He spent over 2 years in the trenches supporting the CFO services and transactions groups working with […]
Evan Friedman
Evan Friedman is an Associate at Venture First. Prior to joining VF, Evan founded Precision Advisory, a consulting practice dedicated to helping healthcare providers navigate financial planning and strategic decision-making in an increasingly complex market. Through Precision Advisory, he became a leading voice on healthcare finance, speaking at conferences across the country to deliver expert […]
Mark Crane
Mark Crane serves as Venture First’s VP of Investor Relations. He is an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winner and has 25+ years’ experience as a Leader or Advisor for fast-growth companies in technology, healthcare, and manufacturing. Mark’s work has connected him to 200+ high net worth individuals, family offices, and venture […]