Strategic Advisory Board – Innovate Capital Growth Fund

Bob Palmer

Partner

Bob will be primarily responsible for deal sourcing, evaluating, underwriting and executing investments and implementing Fund policies and procedures and portfolio management. Bob has served in various roles in the banking and private equity industry for the past 30 years. Prior to Innovate Capital, he co-founded and was a partner with CMS Mezzanine Fund where he invested structured equity and mezzanine debt for the fund. He was responsible for all aspects of the fund including marketing, operations, and strategy and was a member of its Investment Committee. Bob was previously a Principal with Spring Capital Partners in Radnor, PA where he sourced, underwrote and managed mezzanine investments for private equity backed and direct investments from 2000-2008. Prior to Spring Capital, Bob provided commercial banking and investment banking services to middle market companies while at Brown Brothers Harriman and the Philadelphia National Bank (now Wells Fargo).

Bob is a graduate (Phi Beta Kappa) of Gettysburg College with a management major and an accounting/finance concentration. He has served as an observer to the board for Aetea Information Technology, Swiss Farm Stores, Smooth Fitness, Integrus, BioPharm, Sport & Health, MIS Training, National Asset Recovery Services, Skip Barber Racing Schools and is a current observer to the board for Seitz, LLC. Bob is on the board and is past president of the Philadelphia Chapter of RMA and is a member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Association of Corporate Growth.

Della Clark

Partner

Della will focus primarily on deal sourcing, fundraising, and executing transactions. She will also act as advisor and coach to portfolio companies specifically related to business and growth opportunities post-investment. Della has over 30 years of experience working with minority and women-owned businesses as President & CEO of The Enterprise Center. In 2012, she founded The Enterprise Center Capital Corporation which is a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Micro Loan Intermediary, Community Development Financial Institution, Community Development Entity, SBA Community Advantage Leader, and certified Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Community Bank. Della Clark has assisted more than 100 minority & women-owned business enterprises to growth stages. This has translated into over $273M in procurement for The Enterprise Center Capital Corporation, with more than $51M in financial transactions since 2018.

Della received Bachelor of Science at American University, Washington DC in 1975 and Senior Policy Fellowship at George V. Voinovich Center for Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University in 1998-2000.

Blessy Thomas

Partner

Blessy will focus primarily on deal underwriting and execution, portfolio management and operations. Blessy draws from her extensive experience working with commercial teams in developing and executing growth strategies and driving profitability and cost savings initiatives. She has 12+ years of experience working with commercial leaders on growth strategy and financial management. As Director at The Enterprise Center (TEC), Blessy has been instrumental in investing, expanding, and managing the portfolio of debt and equity investments, implementing procedures, and advising minority and women-owned enterprises on their strategic and financial options. She was previously at VWR International, a product and services solutions provider for the global life sciences and advanced research market, where she spearheaded strategic and financial initiatives.

Blessy earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and Marketing from Drexel University in 2006.

Tim Reese, Chair

Steve Sanders

Michael Pearson

Sarah Kim

Steve Hobman

Emily Halpern

Sunny Eang

Arun Gupta

Chris Condelles

Esuga Abaya

Sophia Holder

Rod Robinson

Bob Palmer

Della Clark

Blessy Thomas