GOVO Venture Partners Announces $50 Million Dollar Venture Fund With Government And Regulatory Focus
Winter Park, Florida
Winter Park, Florida - GOVO Venture Partners today announced the launch of a $50 million dollar venture fund. The fund focuses on investing in early-stage companies for which doing business with governments or navigating government regulations is an important success factor for growth. While not geographically-limited, the fund will also seek to leverage its partners’ and advisors’ ties to Florida’s innovation hubs. The fund’s general partners are Jonathan Kilman, Rob Panepinto, Brian D’Ambrosio and Winter Park, Florida-based 1858 Capital Partners. Panepinto will serve as the Managing Partner of the Fund.
The GOVO Fund had its first close in December and will continue to raise capital.
Commenting on GOVO’s launch, Kilman said, “The fund is a natural outgrowth of the career trajectories of our general partners. Our investment thesis is closely tied to an area in which each of us has extensive experience–government-related business. We intend to invest in outstanding entrepreneurs leading companies that can benefit not just from our capital, but from our combined expertise and professional networks.”
Panepinto said, “If you look at any innovation-driven industry, you see government acting as an accelerant or a brake. This creates unique challenges for entrepreneurs trying to scale their innovations and investors assessing their risk. We believe that, through GOVO, we will help these companies grow while driving strong returns for our investors. We don’t need to look far to apply our investment philosophy. For industries driving innovation in Florida such as aerospace, defense, artificial intelligence, healthcare, transportation and fintech, GOVO is well-positioned to support those entrepreneurs through our General Partners and Strategic Advisors.”
Kilman, Panepinto and D’Ambrosio each have professional backgrounds related to government and regulated industries, and experience supporting the growth of early-stage companies.
Kilman is the co-founder and Chairman of Converge Public Strategies, a Miami, Floridaheadquartered national public affairs firm with government relations practices operating throughout the U.S. He and Converge have successfully supported numerous innovative companies facing regulatory hurdles. He is also Vice Chair of Marcman Solutions, a diversified managed services company that provides solutions in the government sector. In addition, Kilman serves as the Chair of the Board of Advisors of Axiom, a fast-growing Florida-based healthcare company that offers an innovative model for providing services to patients with lymphatic disorders. Kilman is an attorney and holds a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance, with highest honors, from the University of Florida.
Panepinto has over 25 years of experience in scaling high-growth companies as an executive, operator, investor, mentor, and entrepreneurial ecosystem leader. He was part of the founding executive team for Connextions, helping them grow from a small manufacturing company to become an innovative healthcare technology and services company based in Orlando. Connextions was acquired by Optum Health in 2011. He has served as Director of Strategy and Partnerships for the UCF Innovation Districts and Business Incubation System. Panepinto is also a Founder and Chair of the Rally Social Enterprise Accelerator and its social venture fund, the EIA Social Enterprise Fund. Rob was a candidate for Orange County Mayor in 2018. He holds an undergraduate degree from New York University and a graduate degree from Fordham University.
D’Ambrosio serves in the roles of Managing Director, North Star, and Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Managed Care at Northwell Health, New York’s largest integrated health system. Prior to joining Northwell, D’Ambrosio spent twelve years as an investor in the alternative asset management industry and most recently was a Principal and Director of Research for Arrow Capital Management. He began his career as an Analyst in the Global Leveraged Finance department within the Investment Banking Division of Merrill Lynch & Co. He graduated cum laude from Cornell University with a degree in Applied Economics and Management and is a CFA charterholder.
1858 Capital Partners is a boutique advisory firm that focuses on middle market transactions. Its diverse team of mergers and acquisition professionals have experience as operators, principal investors, sell side advisors, lenders, and legal counsel. Mike Ward, managing director of 1858, said, “Joining GOVO Venture Partners as a general partner is a unique opportunity for 1858 Capital Partners. The position gives us an opportunity to leverage our back-end services as a valuable contribution to the Fund."
In addition to its General Partners, GOVO has amassed a growing number of fund investors who serve as Strategic Advisors with deep subject matter expertise in areas of interest to the fund.
Strategic Advisors:
George “Bud” Scholl: CEO of the blood centers nonprofit, OneBlood
Waymon Armstrong: simulation and training industry pioneer
Mitch Bierman: government and regulatory attorney
Shari Dingle Constantini: healthcare entrepreneur and executive
Patrick Murphy: former congressman, construction executive, and founder and CEO of Togal AI
Michael Ward, CFA: investment banker and mergers and acquisitions advisor
More information about GOVO Venture Partners can be found at www.govovp.com.