MARK THOMANN, VENTURE PARTNER
EXPERT IN DISTRESSED TRANSACTIONS, CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND BRANDS, VENTURE CAPITAL
Mark is a creative force and financial innovator with a long history of building brands and scaling businesses. Born outside of Boston and the son of a diplomat, he spent his high school years in Milan, Italy, where he learned to speak Italian and perfect his soccer skills. In the mid-1990’s, Mark began his career in politics. He worked as the Finance Director for two regions for the Clinton/Gore campaign and the DNC. From there he shifted into a business career in the restructuring/turn around field. In the mid-2000’s, Mark launched his own consulting firm, 363 Group Inc., and spent 10+ years as a financial advisor for distressed M&A deals and workouts. He then sold the company to the merchant bank Ocean Tomo and was appointed head of Corporate Finance.
Through this experience working in intellectual property, Mark realized that many discarded brands were not being valued properly when sold in distressed situations. Mark then became CEO of River West Brands, a firm that specialized in acquiring dormant brand assets, redeveloping and monetizing them. The brands he has worked with include Brim Coffee, Aiwa, Cross Colors, Underalls and Coleco. After a serious 2012 illness from which he fully recovered, Mark became interested in health and wellness and took on the role as the CEO of FarmedHere, the largest indoor organic farm in the US, which ran on aquaponics. He successfully improved the company’s margins and helped them win a significant contract to sell products to leading retailers, where he developed close relationships. Shortly thereafter, in 2016, Mark met Michael Kaplan, who wanted to create a venture capital firm that invested seed capital in health-focused consumer product companies. The two teamed up and formed Spiral Sun Ventures.
Mark is married, lives in Raleigh North Carolina with three children and is a proud fan of his junior tennis-playing kids. He is a Board Member of Naturally Chicago and serves on the board of several portfolio companies. He is a graduate of College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a BS in Political Science.
LinkedIn: (45) Mark Thomann | LinkedIn