WESLEY KENNEDY

WESLEY KENNEDY is an experienced investment banking & finance professional with 15+ years of experience executing various financings and change-in-control transactions for both public and private companies. Wesley has experience with a wide variety of financings, including convertible debt and other equity-linked securities as well as municipal finance, revenue participation notes and venture finance with an aggregate total in excess of $10 billion.

Currently, Wesley is the founder of Sift Finance, an advisory-as-a-product company addressing many of the pain points facing early-stage technology and consumer-facing companies. Prior to founding Sift, Wesley was an advisor to early-stage companies where he worked with more than 50 startups ranging from concept-level startups to those raising advanced rounds of financing. Previously, Wesley was the lead Equity Research Analyst covering SaaS companies at Tier1 Research and an Associate for Thomas Weisel Partners in San Francisco, where he executed various financings while simultaneously working with TWP’s proprietary trading desk specializing in convertible bond arbitrage. Prior to Thomas Weisel Partners, Wesley covered REITs as an Equity Research Associate at Green Street Advisors. Prior to Green Street, Wesley was an Investment Banking Analyst at Ziegler Capital Markets. Wesley began his career at SVB Financial Group, where he provided venture (debt, equity and equity-linked) financing to early-stage companies.

Wesley graduated from Santa Clara University with a BS in Mathematics and later received an MS in Economics from Golden Gate University.

Selected investment banking transaction experience:

• Structured $1 billion convertible senior note offering for multinational bioscience company
• Structured $250 million convertible senior note offering for US semiconductor company and subsequent $300 million acquisition of Boston-based semiconductor company
• $200 million municipal financing for not-for-profit company in Hawaii

Selected private company transaction experience:

• Structured Series D financing for rapidly growing SaaS company
• Structured Seed and follow-on Series A financing for online marketing company
• Structured leveraged buy-out of private technology company
• Structured innovative Revenue Participation Notes for expanding fitness brand

Selected equity research coverge:

• Notable Software Coverage: Intuit, Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce.com, SAP, SuccessFactors & Symantec
• Notable Other Technology Coverage: Amazon, Google & Intel
• Notable REIT & Hotel Coverage: Hilton Hotels, Marriott & Starwood Hotels