Board of Advisors

 

Douglas Mitman

Douglas Mitman is a co-founder of Grace Matthews and has worked in mergers, acquisitions, and capital fundraising since 1993. Mr. Mitman has completed over 50 transactions ranging in value from $5 million to $250 million, and has acted as a Board Advisor for several companies for which he raised capital. Prior to forming Grace Matthews, Mr. Mitman established an investment banking office in Prague, Czech Republic, for a U.S.-based investment bank and went on to develop the transaction financing practice for that firm upon his return from Europe.

Before his investment banking career, Mr. Mitman worked as a Trader for Fidelity Investments in Boston and as a Market Maker for Susquehanna Investment Group on the floor of the American Stock Exchange in New York.  Mr. Mitman received his B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College and his M.B.A., with Highest Distinction, from the Johnson School of Management at Cornell University.

 

Matt Landa

Matt Landa, president of The Active Network, Inc., has been instrumental in directing the company’s merger and acquisition activities as well as identifying and securing strategic alliances and partnerships that position the company as a technology solutions and marketing services leader and drive significant revenue growth.

Landa also oversees the company’s community, government, golf and commerce operations as well as its full service, integrated marketing and consumer promotions agency, Active Marketing Group. Under Landa’s leadership, Active Marketing Group was named among the top-ten, fastest growing promotions agencies in the nation by PROMO Magazine. Formerly President and Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Valley-based CMC Industries, Landa was credited with driving the electronics manufacturer’s growth from approximately $140 million in sales in 1995 to over $300 million in 1998. After merging with ACT Manufacturing in 1999, he served as President of the new company until March 2000. Prior to CMC, Landa was Chief Operating Officer of Silicon Valley Technology (SVT), a high-volume manufacturer of electronic products. Additional experience includes serving as an associate for Morgan Stanley’s Corporate Finance and Mergers and Acquisition departments in New York City, and as a consultant at Monitor Company, a strategic management consulting firm. Landa holds an M.B.A from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College with concentrations in engineering and economics.

 

Kevin Segalla

Kevin Segalla is the Founder and Managing Partner of CFC Capital Holdings, LLC, an investment firm with three areas of focus; Specialty Finance, Commercial Real Estate, and Entertainment/Digital Media.

With CFC, Segalla originated and financed Tilting Point Media, a rapidly growing player in the mobile gaming space that is led by a veteran team, including EA Partners founder Tom Frisina. Tilting Point is focused on empowering the world’s best independent developers, providing the resources and financing required to create high quality, original franchises.

Segalla also founded Connecticut Film Center, the leading Connecticut provider of production services and facilities for the entertainment industry. The Film Center operates 252,000 sq ft of production facilities across three locations. Over the past seven years, the Film Center has been responsible for bringing $800 million of motion picture and television production into Connecticut, housing over 50 productions including Revolutionary Road, Confessions of a Shopaholic, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Old Dogs, Showtime’s The Big C, All My Children, One Life to Live, and People’s Court.

CFC’s real estate holdings include over 1.5 million sq ft of commercial space, primarily catering to sports and entertainment, including the world headquarters for NBC Sports Network, state-of-the-art indoor sports facility Chelsea Piers Connecticut, NHL Network, and World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) Norwalk production center.

In specialty finance, CFC is a leading supplier of tax incentive based financing throughout the United States. Over the past five years CFC has financed over $400 million in film and digital media tax credits, as well as green building, renewable energy, historic, low-income housing, and brownfield tax incentives.

 

Thano Chaltas

Thano Chaltas is an accomplished Chief Marketing Officer and General Manager with deep expertise in driving business growth. With 20+ years in marketing and general management experience ranging from PE owned to mid-cap to Fortune 50 companies, Chaltas has consistently delivered in designing and implementing innovative brand strategies that simultaneously drive P&L, business, and brand success.

Most recently, Chaltas was Global Chief Marketing Officer at Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. where he was responsible for global brand development including strategy, advertising, media, digital & social marketing, consumer & shopper insights, and new product innovation. During his time at Ocean Spray, Chaltas helped implement a business turnaround while identifying revenue driving new products and trade cost reduction opportunities. Prior to joining Ocean Spray, Chaltas had progressive marketing experience with Kraft, WellPet and UST. He served as Chief Marketing Officer and Interim Head of Sales at WellPet, LLC, a private equity owned producer and marketer of premium, natural food for pets.  Chaltas delivered record revenue and double-digit profit growth each year (25% cumulative growth) while expanding market share with a first ever national advertising campaign and industry leading digital and social media efforts. Prior to Well Pet,  Chaltas was Vice President of Marketing at UST, which achieved record sales, profits, and EPS during his tenure, increasing the company’s market value 75%.

Chaltas also spent 13 years at Kraft Foods where he developed broad category and channel expertise working across beverage, snacks, coffee and cereal businesses. He worked on alliances with top media and sports properties (e.g., NASCAR, MLB, Nickelodeon), interacted with top retailers (Wal-Mart, CVS, Safeway, Dollar General) and managed highly visible brands (Post, Maxwell House, Kool-Aid).

Chaltas has served as a board member of the Ad Club of Boston, Stamford Center for the Arts, and the Brown University Alumni Club of Fairfield County. Chaltas has been a member of the Association of National Advertisers Senior Marketer Think Tank, Kellogg School of Management Marketing Leadership Summit and Executive Forum. Chaltas earned an undergraduate degree from Brown University and an M.B.A. in Marketing, Finance and Organizational Behavior from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.