MAIN STREET ADVISORS - Key Persons


Christine Banian

Job Titles:
  • MANAGING DIRECTOR - PORTFOLIO STRATEGIES and ALTERNATIVES
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2014, Christine co-managed the $4 billion public equity portfolio at Stanford Management Company, Stanford University's Endowment, where she was responsible for investments in emerging market and global long only and long short strategies. Prior to that she helped to manage the real asset portfolio at Stanford Management Company consisting of public and private investments in real estate and natural resources. Her career began at JP Morgan where she developed investment strategies for individual investors within the Private Bank. Christine holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Walter A. Haas School of Business.

Christopher Fillo

Job Titles:
  • CO - FOUNDER & COO, HEAD of PORTFOLIO STRATEGIES and ALTERNATIVES
Prior to co-founding Main Street Advisors in January 1997, Chris spent four years in investment banking at Schroder Wertheim & Co., ending his tenure there as Vice President covering entertainment, lodging, recreation and leisure companies. Prior to that, Chris worked for Security Pacific Corporation in their commercial finance business lending to middle market private equity backed companies. Chris sits on the Board of Directors of ACRA Re, Ltd. Chris is an MBA graduate of The Anderson School of Management at UCLA, where he was a Venture Capital Fellow Scholarship recipient, and obtained a B.A. in Government from Cornell University.

David Mossé

Job Titles:
  • CO - HEAD of DIRECT INVESTMENTS and CLIENT ADVISORY
Prior to joining Main street Advisors, David was a Partner and global General Counsel of TPG's $14 billion growth equity platform, including TPG Growth and The Rise Fund, a leading impact fund. David's responsibilities at TPG spanned new investments, portfolio company oversight, new products, business development and operations. Prior to TPG, David served in several operating roles including as Chief Strategy Officer and General Counsel of Dick's Sporting Goods; Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel of Cnova N.V., a global e-commerce company; and Senior Counsel and founding team member of Trian Partners, a leading activist hedge fund. David started his career as an Associate with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. David received his BA from Duke University and his JD from New York University.

Elizabeth Braiman

Job Titles:
  • MANAGING DIRECTOR - DIRECT INVESTMENTS and CLIENT ADVISORY
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2018, Elizabeth was the Vice President of Corporate Development and Strategy at A+E Networks. In this position, Elizabeth led strategic equity investments for A+E Ventures, which included of a portfolio of early-stage media, content and technology companies. Prior to this, Elizabeth was Senior Director of Digital Distribution and Business Development at A+E Networks, where she was responsible for the identification of new distribution and revenue opportunities across all of A+E Networks, including A&E, History, Lifetime, and Viceland. Elizabeth received her MBA from New York University and Bachelor of Science Degree from Georgia Tech.

Gregg Watts

Job Titles:
  • VICE PRESIDENT - DIRECT INVESTMENTS and CLIENT ADVISORY
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2019, Gregg worked in the Financial Restructuring Group at Houlihan Lokey, a publicly traded global investment bank, where he was responsible for executing advisory engagements across industries. Previously, Gregg worked in the Credit & Cross Capital Structure Research Group at Cowen and Company and CRT Capital Group, where he specialized in distressed and special situations investing. Gregg holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Political Science from Vassar College and is a CFA® charterholder.

Ishu Chadha

Job Titles:
  • VICE PRESIDENT - DIRECT INVESTMENTS and CLIENT ADVISORY
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2017, Ishu worked in the Growth Private Equity division of Kayne Anderson, a multi-billion private equity firm based in Los Angeles, where he was responsible for identifying and executing lower middle market software and technology investments. Prior to that, Ishu was at FTI Consulting's restructuring & corporate finance division, where he was engaged in projects to advise clients with respect to turnaround, restructuring, and performance improvement. Ishu is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Business Administration from the Marshall School of Business and a B.S. in Accounting from the Leventhal School of Accounting.

Jay Potts - CFO, COO

Job Titles:
  • CFO
  • DIRECTOR of OPERATIONS
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2014, Jay was an auditor in the Asset Management Group at Rothstein Kass (now KPMG) where he was responsible for managing the audit process of multiple clients in the venture capital, private equity, hedge fund, broker dealer and entertainment. Jay's career began at McGladrey where he managed the audits of banks and credit unions. Jay holds a Bachelors degree from Suffolk University in Boston, MA.

Matt Homsy

Job Titles:
  • VICE PRESIDENT - DIRECT INVESTMENTS and CLIENT ADVISORY
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2019, Matt worked at H.I.G. Capital, a middle market private equity firm, where he evaluated and executed investments across a wide range of industries. Prior to H.I.G. Capital, he worked in Morgan Stanley's Growth Equity Group where he executed investments in the technology and consumer sectors. Previously, Matt worked in Morgan Stanley's Investment Banking Division where he advised clients on M&A transactions, capital raises and other strategic initiatives. Matt graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration.

Miguel Hollander

Job Titles:
  • VICE PRESIDENT - DIRECT INVESTMENTS and CLIENT ADVISORY
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2021, Miguel worked at Lion Capital, a middle market private equity firm and SPAC sponsor, where he invested in the consumer and technology industries. Prior to Lion Capital, he worked at Shamrock Capital Advisors, where he executed investments in the media, entertainment, communications, and technology industries. Miguel began his career in the Communications, Media & Entertainment investment banking group at RBC Capital Markets, where he advised clients on strategic initiatives including M&A transactions and capital raises. Miguel graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University's Charles H. Dyson School with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics and Management.

Mihir Parthasarathy

Job Titles:
  • SENIOR ASSOCIATE - DIRECT INVESTMENTS and CLIENT ADVISORY
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2021, Mihir worked at H.I.G. Capital, a middle market private equity firm, where he evaluated and executed investments across a wide range of industries including Healthcare, Consumer, Industrials, and Business Services. Prior to H.I.G. Capital, he worked in Credit Suisse's Investment Banking Division where he advised clients on M&A transactions, capital raises and other strategic initiatives. Mihir graduated with Honors from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics.

Mona Sekhon

Job Titles:
  • VICE PRESIDENT - INVESTMENT OPERATIONS
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2018, Mona was with Geller Advisors LLC focusing mainly on performance reporting and investment operations. Prior to Geller Advisors LLC, she handled portfolio implementation and equities trading at Bel Air Investment Advisors LLC, a wealth management firm in Los Angeles catering to high net worth individuals, families and foundations. Mona received her Bachelor of Science degree from California State University East Bay with a major in Business Administration with a concentration in Management.

Paul D. Wachter - CEO, Chairman, Founder

Job Titles:
  • CHAIRMAN
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • FOUNDER
Paul D. Wachter is the founder and chief executive officer of Main Street Advisors. Founded in 1997, Main Street Advisors provides a wide range of financial, strategic, business-building and asset management advisory services to a select group of artists, athletes, music, sports and entertainment executives. Prior to forming Main Street Advisors, from 1993 to 1997, Paul was Managing Director and head of Schroder & Co. Incorporated's Lodging and Gaming Group, its Sports and Leisure Group, and Schroder's West Coast investment banking effort. Prior to that, Paul was Managing Director at Kidder Peabody, where he founded and was responsible for Kidder's Hotel, Resorts, and Leisure Group. He also managed Kidder's Real Estate Group and Kidder's Los Angeles investment banking group. Prior to that, he worked at Bear Stearns. From 1982 to 1985, Paul worked at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as a tax attorney. From 1981 to 1982, Paul clerked for Judge Dorothy W. Nelson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Paul is a 1981 graduate of Columbia Law School, where he was a James Kent Scholar and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He graduated magna cum laude and Beta Gamma Sigma from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1978, and is a member of the New York State Bar. His advisory and board of director roles include, but are not limited to, being trustee of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's blind trust and First Lady Maria Shriver's blind trust; serving as a key advisor and strategist to Schwarzenegger's 2003 to 2006 campaigns and transition terms; serving on the Board of Directors of Time Warner Inc. from 2010 until its sale to AT&T in 2018; serving on the Board of Directors of Virgin America Inc. from August 2015 until its sale to Alaska Airlines in 2016; serving on the Board of Managers of Beats Electronics LLC & Beats Music LLC from inception through 2014 when Beats and Beats Music were sold to Apple Inc.-Paul was the lead negotiator on Beats' sale to Apple; serving on the Board of Directors of American Skiing company from 1996 to 2008; serving on the University of California, Board of Regents, 2004-2016 - Appointed by the Governor in 2004; University of California Chairman of Investment Committee of the Board of Regents, 2006-2016; Chairman of the UC Regents Governance Committee, 2009-2011; and serving as chairman of the Austrian Holocaust Reparations Committee formed by the United States District Court to administer the Austrian Bank Holocaust Settlement Fund. Paul was also special master for the Federal Court of the Southern District of New York for the Time Warner/AOL securities litigation and Moody's bond holders' lawsuits. Paul served on the Board of Directors for Ladder, a nutritional supplement company co-founded by Main Street Advisors with Arnold Schwarzenegger and LeBron James; 88 Rising, a hybrid music management and video marketing company; ATTN, a digital media company, and NTWRK, a pop culture e-commerce company co-founded by Main Street Advisors. He serves on the Board of The Iovine Young Academy at USC and on the Board of LeBron James' and Maverick Carter's entertainment companies SpringHill/Uninterrupted. He was the lead negotiator on LeBron James' lifetime agreement with Nike. He is a founding Partner of Content Partners, a Los Angeles based company that purchases back-end participations in entertainment assets from talent and studios. Paul is a founding member of Lagunita Biosciences, a healthcare investment company and incubator. Paul Wachter was executive producer of the Starz scripted series, Survivor's Remorse, and HBO's What's My Name, a documentary on Muhammad Ali, winner of the 2020 PGA Award for Outstanding Sports Program and the 2020 Sports Emmy.

Sherif Guirgis

Job Titles:
  • MANAGING DIRECTOR - DIRECT INVESTMENTS and CLIENT ADVISORY
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2021, Sherif was a Partner at Lion Capital, a private equity firm and SPAC sponsor focused on the consumer sector. Sherif was responsible for sourcing and executing new investments, as well as overseeing a number of Lion's portfolio companies. Prior to Lion Capital, he was a member of the private equity investment team at Apollo Global Management, where he focused on investments within the consumer and retail sectors. Sherif started his career as an investment banker at Credit Suisse within the Financial Sponsors group. Sherif received his BA from the Ivey Business School at Western University in Canada.

Steven Rindner

Job Titles:
  • CO - HEAD of DIRECT INVESTMENTS and CLIENT ADVISORY
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2016, Steven worked with NYC-based Pilot Group, a VC and private equity firm focused on investing in and developing digital media and direct-to-consumer companies. Among other duties, he led corporate development and served as the general counsel for one of its portfolio companies. Previously, Steven served as a Senior Vice President at Citigroup, developing and negotiating partnerships to create new revenue streams and bring innovation to the payments space. He has also served as a Senior Vice President at AOL Time Warner, where he developed and executed on strategies for content, website functionality, advertising, marketing, and subscriber acquisition. Before this, Steven worked as a corporate attorney at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson and at Sherman & Sterling, and also served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. Advisor and Board of Director roles:Board Observer, Mendocino FarmsAdvisor, NTWRK (Commerce Media Holdings) Board Observer, Kate Farms

Talia Jurkowitz

Job Titles:
  • ASSOCIATE - DIRECT INVESTMENTS and CLIENT ADVISORY
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2021, Talia worked at Inspire Clean Energy, a Cleantech company that focuses on decarbonizing the energy grid. She worked across both the finance and strategy teams where she analyzed the internal business model and potential growth strategies. Prior to Inspire, she worked in Centerview Partners' Investment Banking Division where she advised clients on M&A transactions and other strategic initiatives. Talia graduated with Honors from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration and a focus in Environmental Science.

Todd Rosen - Chief Legal Officer

Job Titles:
  • GENERAL COUNSEL
Prior to joining Main Street Advisors in 2018, Todd was a Partner at Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP where his practice focused on financial restructuring, and included a broad range of corporate and litigation matters. Prior to Munger, Tolles & Olsen LLP, Todd worked as an investment banker at Saybrook Capital where he advised companies and creditor committees in financial restructuring matters. Todd began his career at Irell & Manella LLP where he practiced tax and corporate law. Todd received his law degree magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and serves on board of trustees of the Children's Institute, Inc. and West LA Little League.