NEW YORK & MENLO PARK, Calif. & MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Riverwood Capital, an investor that manages $5.6 billion and makes investments in high-growth technology businesses globally, today announced the promotions of long-tenured executives Joe De Pinho, Alex Porto, and Ramesh Venugopal to Partner.
“Beyond being exceptional investors, Joe, Alex, and Ramesh standout as true business builders and technologists that embody Riverwood’s unique principles as active operating partners to founders, CEOs, and executives,” said Francisco Alvarez-Demalde, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Riverwood Capital. “We are thrilled to recognize the amazing contributions of these three individuals to the Riverwood franchise, the greater portfolio, and the technology industry at large. These promotions are also an indication of the expanding market opportunity that underpins Riverwood’s strategy and our historical focus on developing the best human capital to help companies scale.”
In the last three years alone, Riverwood’s headcount has grown 40% while simultaneously experiencing strong retention—senior investment team professionals have worked an average of 12+ years together.
Team growth mirrors success at the portfolio company level. Since inception, Riverwood has invested in more than 70 technology companies, which have grown their revenues at 46% per year on average for over a decade. 2022 represented the strongest period of revenue growth for the portfolio in recent years, with active investments growing their revenues 60% on average during the year, compared with 49% in 2021.
“Back when Riverwood was founded in 2008, we had great conviction in the opportunity to invest behind proven mid-size technology companies that could scale at a fast pace driven by a growing number of secular technology adoption trends such as mobile/connectivity, cloud/SaaS, big data and analytics, AI and automation, among others,” said Jeff Parks, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Riverwood Capital. “Regardless of the macro context and in the face of life altering worldwide events, including the 2008 financial crisis, different cycles of interest rates and economic activity, the global pandemic, and a shifting geopolitical landscape, we have remained focused on fundamentals and our companies have continued to scale and help transform multiple sectors across the economy. Joe, Alex, and Ramesh not only share this vision, but are a driving force in its success, and we are excited about their future as 360 investors and true growth partners to industry defining technology businesses.”
Since joining Riverwood in 2015, Joe has been an important contributor to building the firm’s deal ecosystem, brand identity, and culture and has established himself as a trusted investment partner to fast-growing technology companies globally. Joe is a current or former Board Member at 99Taxis (Observer), Cognosos, Greenhouse (Observer), Gupy, Insider, Intelipost (Chairman), Omie, Pixeon, SecurityScorecard, ShipHero, and SUMA SaaS (Chairman). Joe previously led corporate development at Riverwood portfolio company Pixeon, where he executed an active consolidation strategy. Earlier in his career, Joe worked in investment banking at J.P. Morgan and in management consulting at McKinsey & Company. Joe earned an MBA from Columbia Business School, where he received the David L. Dodd scholarship, and graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University.
Alex joined Riverwood in 2013 and over the last decade has established himself as a respected voice in the global fintech industry, while also contributing to the success of Riverwood’s investment process and cultivating the firm’s investment team talent. Alex is a current or former Board Member at Arquivei, Billtrust (Observer), Cortex, Dock, Geopagos, Industrious (Observer), Mandic, Metrotel, Nium, Technisys, and VTEX (NYSE: VTEX; Observer). Prior to joining Riverwood, Alex worked at technology-focused private equity group Augusta Columbia Capital and in the Technology Group at Harris Williams & Co., where he focused on M&A advisory for software and services companies. Alex graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in Government.
Ramesh joined Riverwood in 2017 and has been a critical contributor to the Riverwood ecosystem, leading the evolution and implementation of its Executive Advisor program, and enhancing the Riverwood Scalability Playbook (RSP), a framework for how the firm actively partners with companies for growth acceleration and profitable scalability. Ramesh co-authored seven patents and is a current Board Member at FullPath (formerly AutoLeadStar), HG Insights, SauceLabs, and SensorTower. Prior to joining Riverwood, Ramesh was in the operating arm at Vista Equity Partners, helping to drive improvements ranging from sales to product at major companies. Ramesh was also a Partner on the deal team at VantagePoint Capital Partners, investing in enterprise software, internet, and energy innovation. Earlier in his career, Ramesh worked at Texas Instruments, where he helped bring products spanning digital and analog technologies to market. Ramesh has a BS and MS in Materials and Geosciences and a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Purdue University, as well as an MBA from the University of Chicago.
ABOUT RIVERWOOD CAPITAL
Riverwood Capital invests in high-growth companies in the technology and technology-enabled industries. Riverwood offers a unique combination of operational, strategic, technology, and financial insight to portfolio companies that typically need growth capital and expertise to scale on a global basis. The firm seeks to invest in established businesses with a proven technology and business model, and the proper fit in terms of culture and values. Riverwood was founded in 2008 and has had the opportunity to invest in and support over 70 companies since inception, which have grown revenues at 46% per year on average during that period. The Firm has offices in Menlo Park, CA; Miami, FL; New York, NY; and São Paulo, Brazil. For more information, visit www.riverwoodcapital.com.
