Capital Markets Expertise. Entrepreneurial Execution.

ThornRock team is the embodiment of our core thesis, blending institutional capital markets expertise with entrepreneurial agility and modern marketing-driven execution. Our professionals come from the world’s leading investment banks, private equity firms, and financial institutions, and have also built, scaled, and exited businesses themselves. We are bankers, operators, investors, founders, and advisors, bringing a uniquely integrated perspective to every engagement.

From capital markets advisory and merchant banking to strategic growth consulting and investor relations, our team brings decades of transactional experience, sector expertise, and a deep global network of institutional investors, family offices, and strategic partners. We’ve led financial strategy at Fortune 500 firms, guided companies through complex M&A processes, structured capital across every layer of the capital stack, and built high-growth businesses from the ground up.

Our strength lies not only in our experience, but in how we deploy it,
with speed, precision, and a relentless focus on execution. Every client we serve benefits from a team that understands both the discipline of institutional finance and the pace of modern business. This is the foundation of Kadenwood: deep capital markets knowledge, entrepreneurial perspective, and marketing-forward execution, delivered by a team built to meet the demands of today’s evolving financial landscape.

Team Members - ThornRock
Dominic Spoonerv > John O'Keefe > Gary Cuccia > Bert Pearsall > Dan Pastore > Jan Wald > Steve Sacher > Mike Henebery > Clayton Porscha > David Allen > Louis Garoz-Ferguson > Joshua Naudé > Ruben Schwagermann > Enriqúe Lopéz >

Dominic Spooner, BA, MBA

Chairman of Advisory Board

Dominic Spooner brings over 36 years of combined capital markets and investment banking experience to his role as Chairman of the Advisory Board at **ThornRock**. Throughout his distinguished career, Dominic has been a top-performing sales and investment banking professional at leading financial institutions, where he has developed a profound understanding of the financial industry.
In his current capacity at **ThornRock**, Dominic provides strategic guidance and leverages his extensive network to support the firm's growth and client success. His deep industry knowledge and leadership have been instrumental in positioning **ThornRock** as a premier merchant banking team.
Dominic's commitment to excellence and his strategic vision continue to drive **ThornRock**'s mission to deliver exceptional financial advisory services.

John O'Keefe

Managing Principle & Chief Compliance Officer

John O'Keefe is a seasoned investment banker with decades of experience in the real estate, technical, and financial services industries. As a managing principal and chief compliance officer, he brings a unique perspective to his work, leveraging his technical background to provide innovative financial solutions to clients. His expertise encompasses a wide range of financial services, including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, and strategic planning.
John's ability to analyze complex financial data and apply technical skills to financial modeling has been instrumental in achieving successful outcomes for clients across various sectors. His proficiency in balancing quantitative analysis, financial engineering, and capital markets knowledge has made him a valuable asset in the investment banking field.
John is committed to excellence and building lasting relationships with his clients. As a chief compliance officer, he ensures that all financial activities adhere to regulatory requirements and industry best practices, maintaining the highest standards of integrity in his work. His comprehensive understanding of real estate markets, economic factors, and financial trends enables him to provide strategic advice and tailored solutions to meet his clients' specific needs, focusing on value creation and long-term success.

Gary Cuccia

Chief Financial Officer

Gary Cuccia is a seasoned financial executive with over three decades of experience across investment banking, capital markets, and wealth management. He has held senior leadership roles at institutions including Citizens Bank, Gruntal & Co., and CIBC World Markets, where he led financial strategy, operations, and regulatory reporting across complex business lines.
Gary is the founder of FINOP & CFO Solutions, an advisory firm delivering outsourced CFO and FINOP services to broker-dealers and financial institutions. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Management Accountant (CMA), and holds Series 27, 7, and 24 licenses. Gary brings to **ThornRock** a unique blend of institutional rigor, entrepreneurial insight, and deep operational expertise.

Bert Pearsall

Managing Director

Bert Pearsall is a seasoned executive with a dynamic background in financial services, commercial real estate, and corporate leadership. He holds a comprehensive range of securities and insurance licenses, including Series 4, 7, 24, 53, 63, 65, and 79, as well as Florida Life, Health, Disability, Annuity, and HMO insurance licenses, held with Net Shares Investment Bank in Houston. In addition, he is a licensed Commercial Real Estate professional affiliated with Equity Commercial Real Estate in Columbus, Ohio.
Bert has served in senior leadership roles across multiple sectors, including as President of Lifeshirt Products, Inc., Senior Advisor at Equity Commercial Real Estate Solutions, and President of Pearsall Global Consulting LLC. His work spans capital formation, business strategy, investor engagement, and operational growth across both private and public sector initiatives.
A committed civic leader, Bert currently serves on the boards of the Orlando Health Foundation, the Orange County Sheriff Foundation, and the Pi Kappa Alpha University of Central Florida Alumni Board. He is also a certified facilitator with The Pacific Institute, where he focuses on mindset and performance development for individuals and organizations.
At **ThornRock**, Bert brings a multidisciplinary perspective grounded in capital markets expertise, strategic advisory, and community leadership, helping clients navigate complex challenges and create lasting enterprise value.

Dan Pastore

Managing Director

Dan Pastore has over 25 years of experience in institutional financial services in both public and private markets. His extensive background includes senior institutional sales and strategic leadership roles at prominent firms such as ABN AMRO, Schwab Capital Markets, Potomac Research Group, Silverwood Partners, and Alira Health. Dan's expertise spans fundamental, regulatory, macroeconomic, and geopolitical research across various sectors, with a dedicated focus over the past decade in the private healthcare market in the US and EU.
He has led engagements across medical devices, biotech, specialty pharma, and digital health, closely collaborating with C-suite executives of venture-stage companies on their capital-raising initiatives.
Dan previously founded a boutique consulting firm specializing in reimbursement-related due diligence for private equity transactions, as well as strategic consulting on payer relations. At Alira Health, he played a key leadership role in the successful sale of its broker-dealer division to **ThornRock** Capital. Dan earned his BA in History from Boston College and holds an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Jan Wald

Managing Director

Jan Wald has over 30 years of experience working with medical device and technology companies, most recently as a healthcare investment banker. Prior to his investment banking role, he was a sell-side healthcare analyst specializing in cardiology and neurology within the medical devices and specialty pharma sectors, providing institutional research and conducting due diligence for capital markets activities. Jan also held significant management positions at Guidant Corporation and Honeywell Inc., focused on Clinical Sciences and Research and Development.
At Guidant, Jan was responsible for developing software and algorithms for the first implantable dual-chamber defibrillator, while also overseeing clinical protocol development, trial execution, and data analysis within the Cardiac Rhythm Management business. Earlier, at Honeywell, he managed programs developing image processing, robotics, and machine learning algorithms, many of which transitioned into Honeywell's product divisions. Jan completed post-doctoral studies at the University of Minnesota's Center for Human Learning, holds a Ph.D. from Brandeis University, and earned an MBA from the University of St. Thomas.

Steve Sacher

Managing Director

Steve Sacher has 30 years of experience in institutional financial services across various sectors, with a specialized focus on healthcare. He possesses deep expertise in analyzing companies within life sciences, managed care, digital health, diagnostics, and medical devices. Steve began his career in academic research, co-authoring several publications at the Harvard School of Public Health, followed by consulting engagements at PwC and Coopers & Lybrand. He further honed his analytical skills as a healthcare analyst at ABN AMRO and Leerink Swann, where he extensively modeled and published research.
Steve subsequently transitioned into institutional sales, cultivating strong relationships with asset managers and hedge funds during his tenure at Leerink Swann, Mizuho Securities, Avondale, and Soleil Securities. Prior to joining **ThornRock** Capital, he was dedicated to wealth management at Fidelity Investments. Steve holds a BA in Integrated Sciences from The University of Rochester and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Mike Henebery

Vice President

Mike Henebery is an experienced business leader and investor with a background spanning private equity, capital formation, and early-stage company building. He spent part of his career with Gresham Private Equity, one of the UK's leading mid-market private equity firms, where he gained firsthand experience in institutional investing, portfolio company strategy, and operational execution across multiple sectors.
Over the past two decades, Mike has launched and led multiple ventures, founding eight startups since 2004 and raising over €50 million in capital across diverse industries. His work has focused on supporting founders, scaling businesses, and aligning capital with opportunity. He brings a founder's perspective to every engagement and is known for his ability to navigate complex growth challenges with calm, clarity, and focus.
At **ThornRock**, Mike leverages his private equity foundation and entrepreneurial experience to advise clients on strategic growth, capital markets, and business transformation. He remains passionate about empowering business leaders, challenging conventional thinking, and building companies that endure.

Clayton Porscha

Strategic Growth Advisor

Clayton Porscha is a seasoned business leader and entrepreneur with over 17 years of experience in technology, business strategy, and investment banking. As Vice President at Market Street Capital, he brings a proven track record of building and scaling successful ventures across multiple industries.
Throughout his distinguished career, Clayton has achieved five exits exceeding $50 million each and generated over $1 billion in revenue. His entrepreneurial journey includes founding and leading multiple successful startups while establishing a business accelerator where he personally invested in 30 of 34 portfolio companies during its first year. Simultaneously, he grew Verde Cannopy and developed a corporate technology accelerator that collaborated with major tech companies including Google and Yahoo.
At Market Street Capital, Clayton oversees financing, business development, and strategic advisory services. Over the past two years, he has been instrumental in propelling the firm to new heights, facilitating capital raises, strategic partnerships, IPOs, and M&A transactions that have grown the firm to over $7 billion in deal flow.
Clayton's expertise spans capital raising, strategic partnerships, and complex transaction management. He excels at identifying high-potential opportunities and providing the strategic guidance needed to transform emerging companies into market leaders. His deep business acumen enables him to secure financing, forge valuable partnerships, and guide firms toward sustainable growth and successful exits.
As a dedicated mentor, Clayton actively shares his entrepreneurial expertise and extensive network with emerging entrepreneurs through Market Street and various accelerator programs. His commitment to supporting the next generation of business leaders reflects his passion for innovation and value creation in the financial services ecosystem.

David Allen

Chief Legal Counsel

David Allen brings nearly three decades of experience in the securities industry, with deep expertise in regulatory compliance, capital markets, and financial firm development. Throughout his career, he has founded multiple financial services firms, provided litigation support in hundreds of legal proceedings, and advised clients on a wide range of SEC and FINRA regulatory matters.
David is a trusted advisor to financial institutions and securities issuers, offering practical guidance at the intersection of compliance, capital formation, and operational strategy. His work spans litigation consulting, regulatory navigation, and compliance infrastructure development. With a nuanced understanding of the challenges associated with raising capital and regulatory scrutiny, David delivers strategic support tailored to the evolving needs of today's financial marketplace.
At **ThornRock**, David leverages his regulatory expertise and entrepreneurial insight to help clients operate with confidence, clarity, and precision in complex capital environments.

Louis Garoz-Ferguson

Principal Owner

Louis Garoz is a dedicated finance professional with a focus on investment banking and marketing. As Managing Partner at **ThornRock** Group, he strives to support clients in achieving their financial objectives through thoughtful advisory services. Louis approaches his work with humility and a commitment to continuous learning, always seeking to better serve his clients and colleagues.

Joshua Naudé

Vice President

Joshua Naudé is a seasoned capital expert with extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, and e-commerce sales. As Vice President at **ThornRock** Group, he leverages his expertise to guide high-potential companies toward sustainable growth. Joshua has played a pivotal role in transforming company funding by providing direct access to qualified investors, ensuring startups are fully prepared to secure the capital they need.
Prior to joining **ThornRock**, Joshua served as an Account Executive at Pitch Capital, where he specialized in raising funds for sectors including gaming, SaaS, AI, and real estate. His commitment to empowering businesses is evident in his proactive approach to refining pitches and securing funding for ventures that previously faced challenges in investor engagement.
Joshua's dedication to fostering innovation and growth aligns seamlessly with **ThornRock**'s mission to provide strategic guidance and support to emerging companies.

Ruben Schwagermann

Vice President

Ruben Schwagermann is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in financial services and business development. Based in Mauritius, Ruben brings a global perspective to his role at **ThornRock** Group. His extensive experience spans multiple sectors, including investment banking, capital markets, and strategic advisory services. Ruben's commitment to excellence and his ability to navigate complex financial landscapes make him a valuable asset to the **ThornRock** team.

Enriqúe Lopéz

Vice President

Enriqúe Lopéz is a private equity executive who brings a hybrid background in structured finance, investment fund formation, mergers and acquisitions, rare earth mineral monetization, and institutional paper, with deep experience in private credit instruments. He has helped launch and scale multiple private funds by working directly with high-net-worth investors, family offices, and institutional partners.

Disclaimer

ThornRock Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The information contained on this website is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. The content is not intended to provide investment, tax, or legal advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results, and all investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal. We proudly provide a link (BrokerCheck) to assist investors in making informed decisions about our company.

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