BRAND VELOCITY PARTNERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Founding Partner of BVP
Austin is a Founding Partner of BVP with a focus on building sustainable, scalable businesses through an operationally focused, hands-on approach to value-added private equity. Austin comes from a third-generation family business and founded RunCap Partners, the lower-middle market investment arm of an affiliated family office.
Previously, Austin served as CEO of Omniboard, a technology and services provider offering three tools - data-extraction hardware, enterprise platform software, and a 24/7/365 call center - and an electrical contractor installation service that together allow building managers to remotely monitor and control their major electricity-consuming devices (e.g., HVAC, lighting).
Prior to Omniboard, Austin worked as an Associate directly with BVP Managing Partner Steve Lebowitz at the private equity firm Steve co-founded. Before that firm, Austin was an Analyst at private equity firm Fundamental Capital. Austin graduated from UCLA with a focus on Economics and Political Science. He is a former four-time All-American long-distance runner, UCLA record holder (3000m), and Adidas-sponsored professional athlete.
Austin and his wife, Kate, have two young boys, Miles and Graham. In addition to spending time with his family, Austin loves to play sports (any sport) as well as play the acoustic guitar.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Founding Partner of BVP
As a Founding Partner of BVP, Drew has more than 20 years of leadership experience developing innovative, successful revenue programs and new business ventures to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in the entertainment/sports and media industries.
Previously, Drew was Senior Vice President of Brand Ventures at WME-IMG, Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer for the Breeders' Cup, President of Simon Brand Ventures, and VP Business Development for Madison Square Garden, The Coca-Cola Company, the Baltimore Orioles, and the New York Mets. Drew's franchises broke attendance and revenue records and achieved industry recognition for innovation.
His noted groundbreaking accomplishments include establishing a new profit center revenue model for the commercial real estate industry and a new model for athletes becoming business owners, and the creation of sports as entertainment business ventures (e.g., MTV Rock n' Jock, and the entertainment/sports industry's first-ever interactive FanFest for Major League Baseball and The Coca-Cola Company). He has been featured in media including CNN, CNBC, ABC News, New York Times, NY Post, Business Week, Sports Illustrated, Sports Business Journal, and Boston Globe.
Drew lives in New Jersey and loves spending time with his family. An outdoorsman, he enjoys time at the beach and playing tennis. Always incessantly curious, Drew takes great joy in learning and experiencing new things. He is a passionate sports fan with the Giants and Mets as his favorite teams.
Eli Manning joined the BVP team as a Partner in 2021. A proven leader on the field and a savvy investor and brand-builder off it, Eli is involved in all aspects of the firm, including supporting its growth, sourcing new investment opportunities, and enhancing the value of its portfolio companies.
Throughout his 16-year career with the New York Giants, Eli was regarded as one of the NFL's most elite quarterbacks. Known for his incredible work ethic, iron-man mentality and natural leadership skills - he led his team to Super Bowl wins in both 2008 and 2012, earning Super Bowl MVP honors each time.
The former number one selection in the 2004 NFL Draft, Eli's accomplishments extend well beyond the field, as he was recognized as the co-recipient of the 2016 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his work in the community. He lends his time to numerous charitable efforts, including Tackle Kids Cancer with the Hackensack University Medical Center, March of Dimes, Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and the American Red Cross. He also has raised millions for The Eli and Abby Manning Children's Clinics and the Manning Family Fund - launched in partnership with the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Eli attended the University of Mississippi, where he received numerous academic and athletic honors and graduated with a degree in Marketing. He and his wife Abby reside in New Jersey with their four young children. In addition to serving as a coach for many of their youth sports ventures, Eli also has become an expert on the state's Sloppy Joes and is working on his paddle tennis game.
Jack joined BVP in 2020 and is a Senior Associate on the team. Jack brings an established track record in consumer & retail and M&A and a strong background in finance and accounting.
Previously, Jack was a Vice President at Threadstone Advisors, a boutique middle-market investment bank focused exclusively on the consumer & retail sectors. At Threadstone, Jack closed a variety of transactions across apparel, specialty retail, food & beverage, beauty & personal care and more. Before Threadstone, Jack was a Senior Associate in Deloitte's Business Valuation & Financial Modeling Practice.
Jack received his BA in Economics from Vanderbilt University and a Master's in Accountancy from Vanderbilt's Owen Graduate School of Management. Jack is also a CFA Charterholder. Jack lives in Brooklyn and enjoys spending his time seeing live music, hiking in the Hudson Valley, and relaxing in Northern Michigan with his family.
Job Titles:
- Director of Brand Development at BVP
Russell is the Director of Brand Development at BVP. Russell works to drive and accelerate both brand and business growth for BVP portfolio companies.
A seasoned marketer, Russell joined the BVP team in 2020. Previously, Russell worked at Endeavor where he supported prominent consumer brands, teams/leagues, properties, and talent in order to develop new partnership models, creative campaigns, digital content/distribution strategies, experiential programs, and PR/social communications plans.
Russell graduated from The George Washington University and began his career with the New York Mets. He later joined Turner Broadcasting within its Entertainment Ad Sales division.
Russell lives in Brooklyn Heights with his wife, Aliza, and daughter Rylie. An avid sports fan, he supports the Knicks, Jets, and Yankees. Russell is also a self proclaimed "foodie" who enjoys trying new restaurants and testing his culinary limits at home.
Job Titles:
- BVP Managing Partner
- Founding and Managing Partner
Steve is a Founding Partner and the Managing Partner of BVP. Steve combines financial expertise with a disruptive approach to value-add strategies in private equity. Previously, Steve was a Co-Founder and a Managing Partner of a lower-middle market private equity fund focused on the consumer sectors.
Steve was previously a corporate lawyer at Kirkland and Ellis, and Cahill Gordon & Reindel. Steve received his BA in East Asian Studies with honors from Harvard College in 1992 and his JD from Harvard Law School in 1995. He was the New York State High School Chess Champion in 1988.
Steve is married to his wife, Gretchen, and has three boys, Andrew, Joshua and Matthew. In addition to spending time with his family, Steve is passionate about traveling, classic rock music, Disney and the Buffalo Bills.