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 Vice Chairman and General Counsel of Venture First, a member of its Board of Directors, 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Randy Strause
Randy Strause is a Senior Associate with Venture First. Randy has served in numerous capacities at the company including the lead of multiple M&A transactions, primary analyst for Whiskey Capital, as well as the analyst for over 10 CFO clients. Prior to Venture First, he worked for a boutique law firm focusing on business litigation […]
Brad Couch
Brad Couch is an Associate at Venture First where he has worked with clients across many different industries including ed-tech, health tech, digital therapeutics, waste management, automotive trade, bourbon/whiskey, ag marketing, and manufacturing. Brad is also an active member of the buy-side private equity team, evaluating new investment opportunities and conducting due diligence throughout the […]
Cole Roberts
Cole Roberts is a Senior Analyst with Venture First. Aside from servicing CFO and Valuation clients, Cole is an active member of the buy-side private equity team and is the primary analyst covering Strike Ventures. Cole also spearheads investor communication efforts for recurring deal updates, economic research, and public & private market research. Before joining […]