Brian Ford Partner KIRKLAND & ELLIS

Brian Ford is a debt finance partner in Kirkland & Ellis’ Los Angeles and Bay Area offices. He focuses on complex financing transactions for private equity firms, commercial lending institutions, portfolio companies, hedge funds, asset managers, alternative capital sources and other private and public companies. Such transactions have included the negotiation, structuring and documentation of secured and unsecured financings, including senior, mezzanine and subordinated debt transactions, acquisition financings, recurring-revenue based loans, dividend recapitalizations, debtor-in-possession financings, exit financings and workouts. Brian has also advised on some of the most cutting-edge out-of-court liability management transactions.

Erik Bissonnette Managing Director and Co-Head of Tech Investing BLUE OWL CAPITAL

Erik Bissonnette is a Managing Director at Blue Owl Capital and serves as the Co-Head of Technology Investing. Blue Owl’s Technology Investing Platform manages $16B in assets, focused on making debt and equity investments in established enterprise software and technology companies.

Prior to joining Blue Owl, Mr. Bissonnette was a Managing Director and Head of Technology Leveraged Finance at Capital Source from 2009 to 2017. Preceding Capital Source, Mr. Bissonnette was an investor at ABS Capital Partners, and worked in investment banking at Wachovia Securities and Banc of America Securities.

 Mr. Bissonnette received a B.A. in Economics with a double major in English from Wake Forest University

Stewart Hanlon Managing Director – Co-Head, Technology Finance, & Co-Portfolio Manager, Software & Technology MONROE CAPITAL

Stewart Hanlon, Managing Director – Co-Head, Technology Finance, & Co-Portfolio Manager, Software & Technology. Mr. Hanlon is a Managing Director & Co-Head, Technology Finance of Monroe Capital.  He is responsible for co-leading relationship sourcing and the origination and underwriting of new business opportunities within the software, technology and tech-enabled services industries. Mr. Hanlon has over ten years of experience. Prior to Monroe, he was a Director at White Oak Global Advisors, LLC, where he was responsible for sourcing, underwriting and managing new investment opportunities within the Technology sector for White Oak’s private debt funds. Prior to White Oak, he was formerly an Associate with Saints Capital, a Technology and Healthcare focused secondary and private equity firm, where he was responsible for analyzing control and minority equity opportunities within the Technology sector. Prior to Saints Capital, he began his career with Ernst & Young. He earned his M.S. with honors in Financial Accounting and B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado, Leeds School of Business. 

Erwin Mock Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets THOMA BRAVO

Erwin Mock is a Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets at Thoma Bravo. Based in San Francisco, he joined the firm in 2015 and oversees Thoma Bravo’s capital markets activities related to new investments and existing portfolio companies. Additionally, Erwin is responsible for managing and helping grow the firm’s relationships with investment banks, direct lenders and debt / equity investors. Prior to Thoma Bravo, he served as a Managing Director at UBS Investment Bank in the leveraged finance group. Prior to that role, he had several leveraged finance and restructuring advisory roles at RBC, UBS and Credit Suisse / DLJ. Erwin graduated from Stanford University with a BA degree in Economics

Jay Ramakrishnan Senior MD, Head of Originations AB PRIVATE CREDIT INVESTORS

Jay Ramakrishnan joined AB in 2014 and is a founding member, Head of Originations, and a member of the investment committee of AB Private Credit Investors. In addition, she is responsible for business initiatives such as technology-focused growth capital solutions, oversees investments in the healthcare/HCIT sectors, and covers select East Coast financial sponsors with an emphasis on technology, healthcare and business services. Previously, Ramakrishnan was a managing director with Barclays Private Credit Partners, and as a founding member of the business was involved in various aspects of business launch, transaction sourcing and execution. Prior to joining Barclays, she was a vice president at Goldman Sachs, in the Specialty Lending Group in New York, and in London, where she oversaw a European leveraged-loan portfolio and managed restructurings. Before that, Ramakrishnan was in investment banking at Goldman Sachs and Bear Stearns, and she started her career as an associate consultant for Bain & Company. She holds a BA (Hons) in economics from the University of Cambridge, England, and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Location: New York