Investment Team

Operating + Investing Experience = The Right Skill Set

Geoff Schneider – Managing Partner and Founder
     geoff@cavacapital.com
Geoff founded Cava Capital based on the idea that entrepreneurial experience is essential to being a great investor in start-ups. Geoff has more than 20 years of operational and leadership experience with a range of companies in consumer marketing and media, technology products and services, information services and Internet marketing. Mr. Schneider has helped build over twenty venture-funded businesses into viable high growth enterprises, been instrumental in the raising of millions of dollars of venture capital, worked with many companies as advisor and investor and sat on several boards of directors at various stages of company growth. Geoff has participated in several Angel investments and has been a strategic investor in two venture capital funds. Geoff led the investments of Cava portfolio companies etouches, Inc. and Zadspace, Inc.

Prior to forming Cava, Geoff was part of the team at Iconoculture, Inc., one of the leading consumer trend research and advisory services firms. Iconoculture was sold to Corporate Executive Board (EXBD) in 2010. Prior to his work at Iconoculture, Geoff completed the second of two stints (1993-1996 and 2001-2003) at Gartner Group where he ran worldwide demand management for the fast growing consulting division. From 1998-2001, Geoff participated in the early formation and growth of Scient Inc., the leading Internet Services Consultant. As head of the East Coast business development organization, he helped with strategic guidance for over 20 start-up businesses and large multinational spin-offs. Additionally, Geoff served as liaison to the Venture Capital community, providing capital and deal flow for Scient’s growing start-up client base.

At PointCast, Inc, the leading push technology and digital media company, Geoff helped develop and grow the Pointcast Business Network, one of the first premium pay for content services on the Internet. Pointcast was acquired in 1998. Lastly, as part of the Senior Executive team at Centrport, Inc., a leading Marketing Analytics Software company, Geoff built the Sales, Client Services and Marketing departments and helped raise Series A capital. In addition to these operating roles, Geoff has spent many years as an advisor to several high-net-worth family offices on asset class due diligence. Mr. Schneider maintains direct relationships with major investment banks, hedge funds, venture and private equity organizations and has developed a unique network of capital markets experts and business advisors that are available to all portfolio companies. Geoff received a B.S. in Business and Economics from Lehigh University and an M.B.A. from George Washington University. He is married with two children and enjoys competitive golf and fine wine.

Peg Jackson – Venture Partner       peg@cavacapital.com

Prior to joining NeoCarta Ventures, Peg was Vice-President of Business Development at NBC. She joined NBC in 1996, where her primary responsibilities included making technology and consumer internet investments including Tivo (TIVO), Preview Travel (acquired by Microsoft), Whowhere (acquired by Lycos), Wink (acquired by Liberty), Mail.com (MAIL), Sandpiper (acquired by Digital Island), Loudeye (LOUD) and Net2phone (NTOP). In addition, she managed a production group that developed NBC’s interactive TV programming. Prior to NBC, Jackson worked in the business development group at Reuters New Media, Inc., where she managed new acquisition and joint venture projects. Peg was also employed as a Media Analyst for the Toronto Dominion Bank.

Peg is a frequent speaker at technology conferences and is a published author. Recent speaking engagements include Consumer Electronics Show 2010, Digital Hollywood Spring/Fall, and Enterprise Software Outlook. She has been published by Aspatore Books in the 2006 book title: Internet Venture Capital: Leading Venture Capitalists on How to Find, Manage, and Exit Successful Investments in Internet Technology. Peg received a BA in Economics from Georgetown University and an MBA from New York University. Peg is married with three children and enjoys sailing, skiing and cooking.

Together, the Partners have many years of combined venture capital investing and operational experience in media, mobile and information services sectors. The Partners extensive experience investing in these focus sectors has resulted in relationships with many of the acquirers, investors, and entrepreneurs in these industries. 

Kevin Lynch – CFO and Fund Administrator
    kevin@cavacapital.com
Kevin is responsible for financial reporting and assisting with investor communications. Kevin has thirteen years of private equity experience as CFO and over twenty years of financial reporting experience in the financial services industry. His prior CFO engagements, either on a full time or outsourced basis, include AlpInvest Partners, Wall Street Technology Partners, Annex Capital, Equinox Capital, PJSC-JOSS Real Estate Partners and Atlantic Medical Capital. In addition, Kevin was Controller of Kleinwort Benson Holdings, Inc., Vice President of financial reporting for Credit Suisse First Boston and an auditor for KPMG. Kevin is a CPA and holds a B.S. from Fordham University.

Jason Denker – Senior Associate      jason@cavacapital.com
Jason joined Cava shortly after launch in 2007, working with Geoff on early formation strategy, fundraising, marketing and business plan diligence. Previously, Jason spent three years in the capital markets working on Wall St. with Hilliard Farber & Co. Inc. where he interfaced with many of the firm’s top clients and investment institutions. Jason holds a Series 7 license and has been an active Angel Investor. His ongoing role at Cava includes reviewing business plan submittals, early due diligence, marketing support and coordinating with the Cava Advisory Network. Jason holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan. He has a passion for golf and played professionally for a short time on the mini tours.

Advisory Chairman

Bob Howe

Bob has joined as management advisor to the Cava Investment Team. Bob is currently the Chairman of Montgomery Goodwin Investments, LLC, a private equity investment firm. Bob spent 1998 through 2002 as the Chief Executive Officer and/or Chairman of Scient, an e-business consulting and services company.  Bob was a part of the ten-person team that started the firm, which went public in 1999. At its height, Scient had over 2000 employees and an annual revenue run rate of $400 million with a market capitalization of $9 billion. From 1995-1998 he was the general manager of IBM’s global banking, financial and securities business. Prior to this, Bob founded the IBM Consulting business. Starting the group in 1991, Bob created the strategy and built a worldwide network of consulting practices, which supports all industries. Today it is the largest information technology consulting business in the world at over $30 billion in revenue. Starting in 1976 at Booz, Allen & Hamilton, he consulted extensively in the information technology and financial services arenas. He was head of the firm’s worldwide commercial systems division and the worldwide financial services practice. He was elected Senior Vice President in 1986 and served as a member of the Board of Directors for nine years. He was also on the firm’s Operating Council for over five years. Prior to 1976, Bob worked for Atlantic Richfield in the information technology area and was the Chief Information Officer of a Fortune 500 food conglomerate. Bob is an active angel investor in several consulting and Internet services companies. He serves on the Boards of JohnsonDiversey, Inc., and Symphony Services.