Drew is the Founder and Managing Director of Ascentage Group and Ascentage Advisors. He is also a Managing Director with Pickwick Capital Partners –  a member of FINRA and SIPC.

Drew’s role at Ascentage involves facilitating the business development needs of high-tech ventures and creative enterprises, including advising clients in the areas of strategic planning, channel expansion, licensing, international business, and facilitating strategic partnerships, mergers and acquisitions. Drew also serves on the board of directors of several of Ascentage’s clients.

Prior to founding Ascentage, Drew was the vice president of Legal and Business Development at Softdesk, Inc., a Nasdaq company that developed and distributed CAD software for architects and engineers worldwide. At Softdesk, he was part of the executive management team that took the company public and was responsible for negotiating strategic licensing agreements, spinoffs and multiple acquisitions. Ultimately, Autodesk (ADSK) acquired Softdesk in early 1997.

Drew was previously a partner at Frankel, Murphy & Ogden, an intellectual property law firm. He practiced in the areas of licensing, international business and distribution counseling. Drew has also held the positions of in-house counsel and director of international sales at an accounting software company and an operating system software company, respectively.

Drew holds a Juris Doctorate from UNH School of Law and a Bachelor of Science in finance from Franklin Pierce University. He is a member of the Bar of Massachusetts. Drew is also a registered principal, holding the FINRA Series 24, 63, 79, 82 and 99 licenses.

Office: +1.603.227.0500
Mobile: +1.603.491.9168
rdo@ascentageadvisors.com

Jeff joined Ascentage in 2019 to provide business strategy and corporate development support to players in the emerging construction technology space.

Jeff has over 30 years of international experience in starting, developing, buying/selling and turning around companies and senior management teams as a strategist, deal-maker and “company doctor.”

He was responsible for strategy, mergers & acquisitions and information technology at Turner Construction in the early 2000s and had the same roles with W.S.Atkins engineering until 2017. In both cases, he was responsible for incubating new technology enabled ventures and partnering with software, hardware and solution providers, from start-ups to Autodesk and SAP.

Jeff has completed over 50 transactions on buy- and sell-side in the US, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. Over the years, he has built a strong network of relationships with private equity, investment banking, legal and accounting firms.

Earlier in his career, Jeff was a strategy consultant and part of a start-up management team. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. He is also a Managing Director of Pickwick Capital Partners, a member of FINRA and SIPC.

Office: +1.603.227.0500
Mobile: +1.617.513.9455
jsh@ascentageadvisors.com

Jay joined Ascentage in 2023 to provide M&A advisory services.

In addition to his role with the Ascentage team, he is also the founder and president of Big Blue Innovations, a construction technology consultant to construction and technology companies. His firm helps construction companies improve their management and use of construction technologies typically resulting in reduced tech spend and higher employee engagement. BBI also advises construction technology startups to develop responsible solutions solving real problems in the industry.

Jay has been in the engineering and construction industry throughout his year. He has industry experience executing project management with a national general contractor, construction project executive at a southeast general contractor, corporate director of planning, design and construction for a healthcare system, founder of a tech startup, and founder of FMI’s technology and innovation practice.

Jay earned a bachelor’s degree in construction management from SUNY ESF at Syracuse University and a Master of Business Administration from Emory University. He is a decorated military officer, now serving as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force Reserve

Brad assists emerging, mid- market, and enterprise SaaS, Data and IA clients with their GTM planning, positioning and execution, Sales channel development along with the creation of sustainable best practices in support of near- and long-term growth targets. Brad specializes in efficient & effective, market tested GTM strategy and best practices. He is a proven entity in delivering thought leadership for SaaS/DaaS enabled companies regardless of growth phase.

Brad has over 30 yrs of Senior Executive operational experience successfully executing in Start-up, VC backed, Private equity and Large corporate companies. He has led and been a growth driver for transactions including Teleatlas $4.5b acquisition by TomTom, Envsita acquisition by Accela as well as the sale of Pitney Bowes Software and Data division to Syncsort/Precisely. Brad was a member of the Precisely Senior Leadership Team that supported and integrated multiple recent PE backed transactions and acquisitions.

 Experience includes SaaS Channel development and management including SLED and Federal Government expertise, MEDPICC, Force Management -Command of Sale, as well as Six Sigma certification.

Brad additionally has expertise in SaaS/DaaS new product and market pricing planning and development including B2B marketplaces along with extensive GTM modeling and SaaS launch phase development. Other key areas of expertise include Key Account management, VEBA, Data enrichment, Data Integrity, AI/ML, Customer Success, Sales operations, compensation plan development as well as Salesforce expert with integration launch and automation experience for VC backed companies.

Mobile: +1.603.738.3681
brad.steer@ascentagegroup.com

Larry assists Ascentage clients in creating growth through sales, market development, operational performance and turnarounds. He leads executive teams through strategic business decisions as well as tactical sales growth, product launches, new customer acquisition, channel expansion and other operational functions.

Larry has led and advised clients on new product launches, product marketing, revenue growth and turnarounds at over 40 technology companies since 2006. He is certified in SyncDev™ business process from Product and Market Development, Inc. applying the principles of “MVP Minimum Viable Product” from which Lean Startup later evolved.

He was a co-founder of Newforma, a venture capital-backed software company for the commercial building design industry, acquired by Battery Investments.

Earlier he had senior sales and operational leadership roles at FlowTraq Inc,. acquired by Riverbed, Microsoft Business Solutions, Great Plains Software, RealWorld Corporation, ESRI, Autodesk, Softdesk.

Office: +1.603.227.0500
Mobile: +1.603.491.4567
lnuttall@ascentagegroup.com

Mark advises clients on strategic planning, product strategy, managing growth, business partnerships, institutional and strategic capital, and M&A.

Mark has over twenty years of senior executive experience in the AEC software industry.  At Trimble he led AEC industry strategy and M&A across multiple divisions before retiring in 2022 to form AECuity LLC, a Colorado company specializing in consulting services to AEC-tech companies and private investors.

Earlier in his career, Mark co-founded Vico Software in 2007 and was its CEO until the company was acquired by Trimble in 2012.  Before starting Vico he was CEO of @Last Software, the makers of SketchUp, which he led through its acquisition by Google in 2006.  Prior experience includes his roles as president of ManagedOps, a New Hampshire based application service provider, and vice president and general manager of the AEC Market Group at Autodesk.

Mark is an active board director in several software startups.  He has served as Executive-in-Residence for the Engineering and Technology Management graduate program at the Colorado School of Mines, and has served as a member of the Industrial Advisory Boards of both Purdue and Stanford universities.  Mark earned his BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University.

Mobile: +1.303.332.1939
sawyer.md@gmail.com

Stephen assists and advises Ascentage clients on go-to-market initiatives, business development strategy and execution, as well as capital financing preparation and road map.

As a 25+ year IT industry veteran and entrepreneur with a background in enterprise software, 3D visualization, Model Based Enterprise (MBE), data management & collaboration, and Industry 4.0 applications & solutions, Stephen is an experienced operator with strong GTM, business development, team building, technology licensing, and equity and debt financing experience.

He is a serial company founder and entrepreneur, including his recent role as co-founder and CEO of Anark, leading provider of intelligent product data management & visual collaboration solutions for global manufacturers such as Boeing, General Electric, Cisco, Daimler, Lockheed Martin, Rolls-Royce, and the US DoD.

During his tenure, he led the company’s financing strategy to successfully raise institutional, corporate, and private equity capital and venture debt, and formed key industry partnerships and customer relationships to grow Anark into a profitable platform technology company with both on-premise and SaaS deployed offerings, and a 96+% customer retention rate.  Stephen also led and executed the successful sale of Anark’s visualization division to Nvidia, which became an integral part of a new growth business segment for the global leader in Artificial Intelligence Computing.

Stephen currently serves on multiple company boards and advisory boards, and he enjoys working with passionate entrepreneurs with great ideas that can be transformed into market value and success.

Mobile: +1.303.809.3346
Stephen.collins@ascentagegroup.com

Bob assists Ascentage clients accelerate their growth through effective product and market development. With nearly 30 years of technology product management experience, Bob has deeply internalized the key Lean principles of continuous improvement, focus on customer value, and respect for people, enabling him to build high-performing product teams time after time.

He has championed the use of technology in the AEC industry for over 40 years, and pioneered the introduction of Lean Six Sigma at Autodesk. Over the years, he has been a senior executive with Softdesk, Autodesk, Newforma (co-founder), LeanKit and Array Analytics, focused on innovation, product strategy and delivery.

Bob is a structural engineer by background and training, with a BS/MS in Civil Engineering from Lehigh. Bob practiced as a registered Professional Engineer with experience in nuclear power, water/wastewater, land development and transportation projects.

Bob serves as an independent board member for Branch Technology, and has been an advisor to over a dozen startups through AlphaLoft, Nashville Entrepreneur Center and Renewed Focus. Bob and his co-founding executives at Newforma were selected as the NH High Tech Alliance’s Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014.

Office: +1.603.227.0500
Mobile: +1.603.361.7600
bbatcheler@ascentagegroup.com

John’s role at Ascentage is focused on guiding small to mid-size technology companies to achieve their growth potential and explore strategic opportunities.

John has over 30 years of software business experience, mostly in senior executive positions including SVP of Portfolio Development at Bentley Systems as well as VP of Product Development and CTO at Autodesk.

John’s unique combination of business focus, market orientation and deep technical experience has helped him contribute to building market segment leaders throughout his career.

He has spearheaded over 40 acquisitions in his career, and led product teams through major platform and cultural shifts. John has a track record of enduring contributions to small to medium-sized businesses that helped them achieve sustainable growth, competitive advantage and optimal valuations.

Earlier in his career, John joined Autodesk when there were fewer than 100 employees and less than $35M in annual revenues. He quickly rose to the level of General Manager of the AutoCAD Division, and then VP of Product Development and CTO reporting directly to then CEO, Carol Bartz.

Interlaced with his corporate roles, John also started and sold two software businesses of his own.

Office: +1.603.227.0500
Mobile: +1.954.707.1324

Alain’s role at Ascentage is focused on the international markets of EMEA and Asia Pacific.  He guides small to mid-size technology companies to achieve their growth potential and explore strategic opportunities.

He joined the construction industry in 2008 after a career in Aerospace and Automotive.  His experience is the application of technology to create new channels and new business models.  In the AEC sector, he has held the CEO roles of VC backed ventures such as Atlas Industries and Satellier Inc.  His experience spans the AEC supply chain, across Europe, US and Asia.

Alain Waha is the co-founder of Cogital where he leads Ventures and Digital Strategy services.  In this role, Alain works with clients to implement technology initiatives.  He combines this activity with ventures incubation in #proptech and #buildtech.  Alain is a regular keynote speaker at Digital Transformation and industry events.

Mobile: +44.7841.947376
alain.waha@cogital.tech

Stephen’s role at Ascentage is to provide his experience to clients which includes financial management, M&A due diligence, accounting management, financial audits, Soc2 audits, business modeling, operational establishment and renewal, growth initiatives, financial statements, GAAP compliance, ASC 606 compliance, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, contract management, and managing financial staff.

Stephen is a strategic-minded entrepreneur and hands-on finance/accounting/operations leader with 25+ years of CFO and COO management experience.  During his career he has been involved with 8 M&A transactions and been charged with integrating acquired companies.

An overview of Stephen’s work experience:

• Price Waterhouse Coopers- Audit experience
• Principal of Stratographix, Inc.- acquired by American Reprographic (NYSE: ARC)
• SaaS CFO with SilverCloud, Inc.- acquired by a SaaS focused PE firm
• Principal of Cazenovia Creek Investment Management, LLC- acquired by The Hunt Companies Family Office
• Proven fractional CFO experience with successful engagements at over 15 privately held companies

He has demonstrated expertise in the SaaS business model, high tech firms, consulting practices, manufacturing, construction, and service businesses.  His skills include forging and maintain progressive investor and banking relationships. He has structured and raised over 1 billion dollars of debt and equity funding for businesses.  He has experience managing private equity portfolio companies and working with investors and management.

He has an active CPA license –Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts

Additional, he has extensive teaching experience with the University of Massachusetts- Lowell MBA program.

Mobile: +1.781.454.9866
schunias@ascentagegroup.com

Chris’s role at Ascentage includes assisting clients in all aspects of their financial operation, including reviews and implementation of systems and processes, financial reporting, financial presentations, budgeting, forecasting, cash flow analysis, internal controls, and compliance with GAAP.

Chris has an extensive career in financial operations, having been the top finance executive for four different early stage companies, both venture backed and boot strapped, over the past 23 years performing a hands-on role building process, rigor, compliance, and governance into the company accounting/ finance and administrative functions.

• Scope Communications, acquired by Hewlett Packard
• Bluesocket
• Azimuth Systems, acquired by Anritsu
• Assemble Systems, acquired by Autodesk

He has a deep background in M&A, where three of those four companies he helped lead to a successful M&A transaction. He has led manufacturing and SaaS based companies in different industries, with different sales channels and different revenue recognition and other balance sheet considerations.

Additionally, he has many years experience working with venture capital investors and banks, having helped raise venture capital financing rounds and negotiating/creating various bank debt arrangements.

Chris has earned both a Bachelor of Science in Finance and a Master of Science Degree in Accountancy from Bentley University. He has previously taught Finance classes at a local college, been a treasurer of a local school theatre group, and is a Certified Management Accountant.

Office: +1.603.227.0500
Mobile: +1.978-866-0441
cgollihur@ascentagegroup.com