Accessing the Pipeline

How do we find opportunities where others are not finding them and how can we create an investment strategy where others have not found the value?" That question drives Garrison Jones, founder and CEO of Wailes Capital, a private equity firm focused on people-first businesses across B2B software, education, and healthcare. Garrison reflects on how he has crafted a career “at the intersection of purpose and profit,” an...

Growing up in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, Ernie Lyles found his Wall Street inspiration when he watched the news one day to see “this Black man on the golf course just hanging out with the president.” It turned out to be Vernon Jordan, then an advisor to President Bill Clinton. That inspiration propelled Ernie through Howard University School of Law and onto an Amtrak train to New York, where he met an HR executive in banking ove...

Recording live from the 2025 McGuireWoods Independent Sponsor Conference, hosts Abdul Lediju and Dan Howell invite the podcast’s first repeat guest to reflect on her journey over the past few years. Chelsea Celistan is now head of Independent Sponsor Strategy at Avante Capital Partners, a capital partner to independent sponsors. “I think that the independent sponsor asset class is really exciting,” she says, adding: “I think one of...

From Will Demas’ perspective, investing in clean energy is no longer about policy; “it’s a pure supply-demand and economic rational matter.” The Head of Americas for Macquarie Asset Management’s Green Investment Group, Will shares why current political rhetoric doesn't change the demand for clean energy in this conversation with McGuireWoods attorneys Abdul Lediju and Dan Howell. Tune in for his insights about Macquarie's 20-year c...

New Catalyst Strategic Partners chose its name intentionally. “New Catalyst” means that the investment firm catalyzes fund managers’ ability to grow business. It also catalyzes the corporate finance industry by putting managers of “all shapes and sizes” into business. 

“It’s really, really important that we practice what we preach,” says Demetrius Sidberry, the firm’s managing director and investment committee member. New Catal...

As a kid, Kendra Plummer dreamed of owning a boutique hotel. As she grew, she realized that hotels are more than just bricks and mortar. “Hotels are a real estate asset class, and they are very much an investment.”

Today, Kendra is the founder and CEO of Elise Capital. She helps all communities – especially those that are underrepresented in finance and capital allocation – unlock the hidden potential of hotel investments. 

With...

Is it possible to use real estate as a catalyst for attractive returns and meaningful social impact? 

On this episode of Accessing the Pipeline, McGuireWoods attorneys Dan Howell and PJ Harris talk with Chris Grant, the founder of Yoke Management Partners. Yoke Management Partners is a diversified real estate investment firm with a focus on affordable housing in the DMV—whose mission is to generate the best returns and have a p...

When you focus on building relationships with founders of companies, it allows you to avoid the bidding wars that you sometimes get with brokers. 

On this episode of Accessing the Pipeline, McGuireWoods partners Rubin Pusha III and Dan Howell, welcome guest Glenn Williams, Chief Operating Officer of Wayve Capital, a minority-owned asset management firm based in Philadelphia. A graduate of Duke University and Washington and Lee ...

“I've always kind of abided by the principle of: it's good sometimes in life to get comfortable with being uncomfortable,” says Sylvester “Sly” Burley of his decision to join Avante Capital Partners in 2019. Up until that point in his career, Sly’s experience was in private equity. When he saw the opportunity to join a private credit platform that was sector agnostic and diverse, he couldn’t say no.

On this episode of Accessing the ...

In this episode of Accessing the Pipeline, host and McGuireWoods partner Rubin Pusha III welcomes Kenneth Saffold, co-founder and managing partner of o15 Capital Partners, to discuss disparities in access to private credit and how o15 works to solve them.

Kenneth shares o15’s overarching thesis: making lasting impacts on social, racial, and gender equity by funding businesses that target the lower middle market. 

“[At o15], we'r...

In this episode of Accessing the Pipeline, a podcast from McGuireWoods featuring the voices of Black professionals in private equity and finance, host Rubin Pusha III welcomes Austin Smoak to the show. 

Austin is the founder of the private equity firm Grove Oaks Capital (GOC), an investment partnership focused on acquiring privately owned businesses in the lower middle market space. GOC is backed by various investors, including...

In this episode of Accessing the Pipeline, a podcast from McGuireWoods featuring the voices of Black professionals in private equity and finance, host Rubin Pusha III welcomes Omar Simmons to the show. 

Omar is the co-founder and president of Exaltare Capital Management, a consumer-oriented private equity firm with expertise in multi-unit and franchise businesses strategically partnering with lower middle market companies at in...

This is the second part of the conversation from episode two of Accessing the Pipeline, a McGuireWoods podcast for Black professionals in private equity and finance, where hosts Rubin Pusha III and Greg Kilpatrick are joined by 5th Century Partners’ co-founders Jessica Patton and Bruce Hampton. Jessica is a Principal at 5th Century Partners, and Bruce is a Managing Partner.   

In this episode, Jessica and Bruce contin...

Want to know what it takes to raise your first fund or how to evaluate if an opportunity aligns with your values?

In this second episode of Accessing the Pipeline, a McGuireWoods podcast for Black professionals in private equity and finance, hosts Rubin Pusha III and Greg Kilpatrick are joined by 5th Century Partners’ co-founders Jessica Patton and Bruce Hampton. Jessica is a Principal at 5th Century Partners, and Bruce is a Managin...

Accessing the Pipeline, a brand new podcast from McGuireWoods, features the voices of Black professionals in private equity and finance. Hosted by Rubin Pusha III, each episode welcomes special guests to offer insight into the world of capital and deal making, while also striving to develop relationships among Black professionals in the private equity industry. 

Rubin kicks off this series with guest Chelsea Celistan, vice pres...

Accessing the Pipeline is a podcast for Black Professionals in Private Equity and Finance brought to you by McGuireWoods. Join host Rubin Pusha III as he welcomes special guests offering insights into accessing capital, developing and expanding relationships, opportunities, and driving growth for Black-owned businesses. Tune in to access the possibilities!

McGuireWoods is a full-service firm providing legal and public affairs soluti...