CLEARTHINK - Key Persons
Ari Brown - Managing Director
Mr. Brown joined ClearThink Capital at the time of inception. Previously, Mr. Brown worked at New World Merchant Partners as an Associate from August 2016 to August 2018 after interning for New World in the summer of 2015. Ari graduated in May 2016 from University Of Maryland's Robert H. Smith Business School with a Bachelor's degree in Marketing. Ari is a lifetime entrepreneur and has assisted numerous companies, ranging from small businesses to large publicly traded companies with marketing and creative services and investor presentations.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director of Clear Think Capital
Mr. Marshak is a Managing Director of Clear Think Capital, and has served as a Managing Director since joining the firm in March of 2021.
From 2018 through to 2021, Mr. Marshak has acted as the Senior Advisor to SHR Ventures LLC, the family office of Stanley Hutton Rumbough, whose Grandfather was the founder of E.F. Hutton. The Family Office also worked jointly with Mr. Marshak to co found Moringa Acquisition, ( a NASDAQ listed SPAC for which Mr. Marshak is a Vice chairman and Co - Founder). Since the year 2002, and through to the present time, Mr. Marshak has been one of the two Principals behind Israel Venture Partners ( see Israelventurepartners.com) a platform to identify and invest in Israeli technology and health care companies. Mr. Marshak started his investment banking career on Wall Street at Morgan Stanley in the Merchant Banking department, and thereafter, was in Corporate Finance and Mergers and Acquisitions at Wertheim Schroder, and later Schroders in London England. Subsequent thereto, Mr. Marshak started the London offices of Robertson Stephens, and from 1998 through to 2001 was Co Head of the Nomura Technology Merchant Banking Group in London England, with an emphasis on high growth companies in the Israel silicon valley sectors. Mr. Marshak's expertise includes advising on multi Billion dollar restructuring assignments, such as for Israels Israel Chemicals which was privatized from the Israeli Government ownership, Koor Industries, one of Israels largest conglomerates at the time, and the Manville Corporation, one of the largest and most complex restructurings of its era, for which Mr. Marshak and his team at Schroders ran the entirety of the engagement. Mr. Marshak received his A.B. degree, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Betta Kappa, from Duke University, received a Scholarship to the London School of Economics, as a Roger Alan Opel Scholar, and later achieved a J.D. degree at Harvard Law School.
Edward Hamilton joined ClearThink Capital in September, 2019.
Mr. Hamilton has over 30 years of asset management, investment banking, advisory, and real estate related experience. He spent a significant part of his career as a Managing Director at Kidder Peabody which later became Paine Webber Company. While there, Mr. Hamilton was responsible for managing global debt capital markets trading and distribution platforms while living in both New York and London.
Mr. Hamilton most recently founded Axel Ventures Inc., an alternative investment advisory and financial services consulting platform. Axel Ventures leverages deep experience and relationships in an effort to generate and create customized and structured private equity and debt transactions tailored to meet the needs of each client.
From 2009 through June 2013 Mr. Hamilton was a founding member and Principal of Eastbridge Group and Eastbridge Red Dot, a real estate investment platform. From 2006 through 2008, Mr. Hamilton was a founding partner of SAM Group, a New York based structured asset management platform in partnership with EFG International, a Swiss based and listed global wealth management platform with over $100 billion in managed assets. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Hamilton was a Senior Managing Director at Broadstreet Group, a New York based boutique investment bank specializing in structured finance solutions across various asset classes. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Hamilton was the Principal Member of Templeboy Ventures Inc, his own independent advisory services firm. He partnered as a consultant with The Options Group, a notable financial services executive search firm. While consulting with The Options Group Mr. Hamilton was also involved in all aspects of the executive search business including origination and successful individual and team placements in both the institutional and alternative asset management market place.
From 1987 to 2001, Mr. Hamilton was a Managing Director at Kidder Peabody & Co and Paine Webber Inc. He held senior management positions in the Debt Capital Markets group in both New York and London. During his tenure in London (1991-1997), he was the head of non-dollar financing and a member of the executive management committee who were responsible for the direction, growth and overall success of the non dollar global franchise.
Mr. Hamilton holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Pace University in New York.
A versatile executive with a winning attitude, Mr. Gembicki relies upon a unique depth of insight and understanding gained as a leader in management consulting and technology operations for the Global 500, middle-market companies, and governments. Career highlights include:
• Recruited by the National Security Agency at age 16 with subsequent senior advisory and management roles to include Apple, Cisco, Deloitte, Dept. of Homeland Security, Executive Office of the President, FedEx, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), Ford, Intelligence Community, Motorola, and Westinghouse Science & Technology.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director, Business Development
Michael Timpone joined ClearThink Capital in September, 2019.
Michael Timpone is a serial entrepreneur with decades of business acumen. Michael helped start Services Unlimited, a Cleaning and Supply Company, with his father when he was 15. Michael worked at the company throughout college and eventually ran all aspects of the company, growing it to an exponentially larger organization. While running ACE Supply, a division of Services Unlimited, Michael worked with Helena Durst and the Durst Organization, guiding them on their Going Green initiative. Later, Michael co-founded a law firm when he realized there was a need for foreclose defense during the 2008 financial crisis. While running all business operations of the firm, Michael grew the company into a successful enterprise, helping hundreds of people save their homes or modify their loans.
Michael graduated from The College of NJ with a B.S. in Business Management. Michael is also an investor with numerous real estate and financial investments. Michael is a Cancer survivor with a passion for nutrition and ambassador at ProCure Proton Therapy where he can help others.
Michael is a loving husband and father to two children, Michael and Alexa.
Robert Brown - CEO, Managing Director
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Managing Director
Mr. Brown is a founding partner of ClearThink Capital and has served as a Managing Director since its inception. From August 2009 until August 2018, Bob served as a Managing Director and Co-Founder of New World Merchant Partners LLC, a merchant banking firm. From June 1995 through July 2009, Mr. Brown served as a founding partner of Reitler Brown & Rosenblatt LLC, a corporate and securities and merger and acquisition law firm in New York, New York, where he has specialized in public and private offerings of securities and mergers and acquisitions. From June 1992 to June 1995, Mr. Brown practiced at Squadron Ellenoff Plesent & Sheinfeld LLP, a law firm in New York, New York, where he was the principal participant in the securities offerings of The News Corporation Limited and its affiliates, as well as active on venture capital, public offering, and merger and acquisition transactions. From 1988 until 1992, Bob practiced at Shea & Gould, then an international law firm headquartered in New York, New York. Mr. Brown has participated in approximately 240 public securities offerings involving an aggregate of approximately $9 billion of public debt securities and approximately $6 billion of equity securities, as well as in numerous merger and acquisitions for companies including News Corporation, Fox, Tele-Communications, Comcast, Liberty Media and numerous investment banking firms. Mr. Brown has extensive experience structuring, negotiating, and effecting private and public financings and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Brown received his BA with Honors in Economics at Brandeis University and his J.D. at New York University School of Law.
Stephen McDermott has served as a Managing Director of ClearThink Capital since 2021. Mr. McDermott is a Serial entrepreneur who has served as CEO of several public and private companies in the finance, technology, and healthcare arenas. With additional experience in investment banking and institutional sales. Mr McDermott has proven success piloting startups and established companies across multiple industries, both public and private. He is poised to guide organizations through a myriad of transactions and endeavors. Mr McDermott excels at proactively identifying and avoiding potential pitfalls, mitigating risk, and saving a tremendous amount of time and capital. Mr. McDermott partners with other senior executives on a multitude of strategic business initiatives to drive large-scale growth.
Most recently, Mr. McDermott was the President of Kingsbury Companies where he advised small and medium-sized businesses seeking to raise capital or prepare for various transactions (equity raises, bank loans, credit facilities, etc.). He helped clients to prepare for the due diligence process and investor presentations, substantially increasing their prospects of securing capital. Some examples of his accomplishments during his time at Kingsbury, he supported a cannabis company in cultivating strategic hemp and CBD lab relationships in addition to developing CBD products such as crude, distillate, isolate, Delta-8, and Delta-10. Mr. McDermott assisted a mobile hemp drying services company with conducting critical dryer research, procurement, negotiating contracts, and drying scheduling and logistics.
Prior to his time at Kingsbury, Mr. McDermott was CEO of ProMac from 2007 to 2014. ProMac was a true startup, which he founded and operated as a microloan company focused on the medical community. Mr. McDermott piloted the business from ideation through funding and execution, ultimately achieving revenue of $15MM, EBITDA of $1.5MM, and a successful sale to one of the largest lending companies in the US.
Mr. McDermott holds a BBA from Syracuse University and is a long-term board member of Island Harvest (Long Islands Food bank).