Leadership Team

Combining institutional finance expertise with proven entrepreneurial success across multiple exits and $11B+ in transaction experience.

Sean Smith, Managing Partner

Sean Smith

Managing Partner

Sean brings institutional finance expertise from CIBC, where he was involved in $11B+ in transactions, and M&A advisory experience at Applico Capital. As Managing Partner, he leads Search Fund Ventures' investment activities and portfolio strategy.

Nick Bryant, Founding Partner & Anchor Investor

Nick Bryant

Founding Partner & Anchor Investor

He co-founded a high-growth tech startup that was later acquired. At Search Fund Ventures, Nick leads technology enablement strategy.

NASA IRGLockheed MartinArcanium.vc

SFV Proprietaries

Our proprietary deal sourcing and acquisition team.

Matt Silva, Head of SFV Proprietaries

Matt Silva

Head of SFV Proprietaries

Former investment banker (Citi M&A, Credit Suisse Financial Sponsors), operator (CEO of CIS Group), and founder (West Fourth Sartoria, GLOOKAST). Matt leads proprietary deal sourcing and acquisition execution — targeting recession-resistant service businesses and B2B companies with $500K–$5M EBITDA.

NYU Stern (Cum Laude, University Honors Scholar)

Kierin Flanagan, Business Development Analyst

Kierin Flanagan

Business Development Analyst

Supports deal sourcing, market research, and outreach. Previously built and operated a lead generation agency ($50M+ pipeline), served as Account Executive at Procurement Sciences, and started at PepsiCo in Sales Management.

Advisors

Industry leaders who provide strategic guidance across finance, technology, operations, and growth.

Nelson Chu, Advisor

Nelson Chu

Advisor

Former founder of Percent.com, a leading private credit platform. Deep expertise in strategy, finance, fundraising, and fintech operations.

LinkedIn

Partner with Proven Leaders

Our leadership team's unique combination of institutional finance expertise and entrepreneurial success provides the foundation for superior investment performance.

Investment in private equity involves significant risk, including possible loss of principal. Past performance is not indicative of future results. All investment opportunities are subject to investor qualification and approval. Search Fund Ventures, LLC is a private equity firm focused on acquiring enduringly profitable small businesses through the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition (ETA) model.

This website does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities. Any such offer or solicitation will be made only through definitive offering documents. All information is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal, or tax advice. Consult with your professional advisors before making any investment decision.

All investments are offered to accredited investors only as defined by SEC regulations. You must meet income and/or net worth requirements to participate.

Forward-looking statements regarding target returns, IRRs, and investment outcomes are based on various assumptions and are subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties. Actual results may vary materially. Neither Search Fund Ventures nor SMB Investor Network guarantees any specific returns.

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