NEW YORK & SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–FTV Capital, a sector-focused growth equity investor in innovative enterprise technology and services, financial services, and payments and transaction processing companies, today announced the promotion of Richard Liu to partner. Since joining FTV in 2014, Liu has played an integral role in expanding the firm’s successful enterprise technology and tech-enabled services practice.
With investing experience spanning security and compliance, vertical software, tech-enabled services and marketplaces, Liu has been instrumental in a number of notable investments at FTV. He is currently a board director at FTV portfolio companies A-LIGN, Security Compass and Sysnet, and actively involved with several other FTV investments, including Egress, ID.me, PeopleCert and ReliaQuest. Before joining FTV, Liu was a senior associate at TCV and an investment banking analyst in the technology group at Stifel/Thomas Weisel Partners and CRT Capital. He received a B.S. in finance from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.
“Over the last seven years, Richard has proven to be a true leader with sound investment judgement and extensive knowledge of the enterprise technology sector,” said Brad Bernstein, managing partner at FTV Capital. “Moreover, he is an incredible partner to entrepreneurs with a relentless commitment to helping them succeed. I have no doubt that Richard will continue to be instrumental to FTV’s momentum and success and to unlocking transformative value for our portfolio companies.”
Additionally, FTV promoted investor Adam Hallquist to principal. Hallquist joined FTV in 2014 as a member of the firm’s financial services and payments practice. He is currently a board director at Docupace, a wealth management back-office operations platform, and he was a board member at Riskalyze, a risk-centric wealth management platform, which was recently recapitalized. Hallquist is actively involved with other FTV investments including Xplor (fka Clearent), LoanPro and True Potential.
“Adam continues to demonstrate impressive rigor and deal team leadership with a keen understanding of the important trends impacting the financial services landscape,” said Bernstein. “We are thrilled to recognize his achievements and look forward to his continued success at FTV.”
The firm also promoted Marija Periša Kegel to principal of strategic business development and brought on senior leaders in marketing and investor relations.
Kegel has spent the last five years at FTV enhancing and expanding its Global Partner Network® (GPN), a cornerstone of FTV’s unique value add. Comprised of over 500 executives from more than 150 of the world’s leading financial services institutions, the GPN provides FTV and its portfolio companies with access to market intelligence and enables targeted commercial introductions for FTV portfolio companies. As a member of FTV Propel, the firm’s in-house team of operational experts dedicated to fueling the growth of portfolio companies, Kegel and the strategic business development team facilitate more than 300 commercial connections annually between portfolio companies and GPN members.
To oversee brand and marketing, FTV has hired veteran marketer Annis Steiner as a principal. Drawing on more than 15 years of experience within the financial services and technology investing sectors, Steiner will lead all of FTV’s marketing efforts. Additionally, she will join the FTV Propel team, where she will partner with the firm’s portfolio companies on strategic marketing and communications initiatives. FTV also hired Alia Rafi as principal of investor relations and fundraising. With more than a decade of industry experience, Rafi will help drive fundraising efforts, working closely with FTV’s existing and prospective limited partners.
“We are proud of the world-class team we have built and committed to continually evolving so that we can best serve entrepreneurs, limited partners and valued ecosystem partners,” said Karen Derr Gilbert, partner and head of strategic business development and investor relations at FTV Capital. “Since joining FTV, Marija has done a remarkable job of expanding and nurturing our Global Partner Network, which has resulted in meaningful commercial impact. We look forward to her continued leadership and are equally excited for Annis’ contributions to build the FTV brand and Alia’s involvement with our limited partners, all of which are essential to driving our business forward.”
FTV also promoted Max Penn to senior associate on the enterprise technology and services team.