Our Team
We are a diverse team of professionals . . . . . . a financial data scientist, a CFO and business engineer, a growth hacker, an investment banker and VC, and a corporate attorney. As entrepreneurs we have started, scaled, bought and sold businesses in a range of industries. As managers we led companies through dozens of rounds of venture capital, hundreds of debt financings. As professionals we have analyzed hundreds of businesses and have managed hundreds of millions in debt and equity financing. As the Phoenix Strategy Group we bring this expertise to owners and managers of middle-market companies.
David Metzler
Investment Banking -Venture Capital - Entrepreneurship
Linkedin - david@phoenixstrategy.group
David is an entrepreneur, manager, venture capitalist, and investment banker with a passion for bringing growing companies to the next level. He founded Phoenix Strategy Group to focus on helping founders and entrepreneurs fund, build, manage and sell middle-market companies and works with founders to turnaround, reinvent, and recapitalize their businesses.
He started his career in the Navy where he was a decorated rescue swimmer and air-traffic controller. After attending Columbia University he joined CIBC World Markets and closed over $626M transactions as an investment banker. He then became a venture capitalist and placed $38M of direct investments. From there he started his first company as an entrepreneur, OneHealth. He raised $16M and grew the business to over 60 employees. After exiting, he raised $4M to create a fitness platform, Wildfire Inc., and built it to over 450 studio locations.
He has a passion for social impact and throughout his career has led projects to end hunger in Ghana, save lives through improved health care, and reduce childhood obesity.
John Zdanowski, MS, MBA
Investment Banking - Venture Capital - Entrepreneurship
John is a visionary business leader and expert in financing and buildng high-value companies. After earning an MBA from Harvard Business School, he has served as a founder, manager, investment banker, and CFO for a host of profitable companies. John now serves as fractional CFO, board member, and investor for a host of fast-growing companies including serving as Managing Director of Assembled Brands where he is re-inventing venture financing for the 21st century. Backed with $100m from Oaktree Capital Management, Assembled Brands provides working capital, services, and community to rapidly growing consumer brands.
Early in his career John was director of M&A at Interliant, Inc. an internet application service provider where he led ~$200M in transactions including 15 internet-related companies, culminating in a $420m public exit. John then co-founded Affinity Internet, Inc. and grew it into a highly profitable, top-five web-hosting company with approximately 200,000 customers. In a variety of executive roles, including COO and CFO, John led fundraising, financial analysis, strategy, acquisition, and integration activities, including the initial $60M financing and six acquisitions. John moved on to co-found HouseValues, where as CFO he managed its growth from 100 people and $20M in revenue to over 500 employees and $100M, including its $94M IPO in 2004.
He later led Linden Lab, the creators of Second Life, as CFO as it grew from $10M to $80M in revenue. He managed the world's largest virtual economy and its virtual currency exchange (LindeX).
John also holds a BS and MS in electrical engineering. John lives on a family farm in Rancho Santa Fe with his wife, four kids and about 67 animals depending on the day.
Jared Coleman, JD
Legal Strategy - Financing - Business Analysis
Jared has spent 20 years serving as outside general counsel to dozens of companies internationally representing his clients in venture capital and M&A transactions, technology transactions, IP strategy, government relations, regulatory compliance, and a wide range of litigation.
After NYU Law School, Jared began his career as a co-founder of one of the first mobile-phone marketing technology platforms, MobileMetrics. After raising $5M in venture capital he managed software and product development and managed the European office of 23 employees in Helsinki, London, and Milan. The Company launched among the first mobile-assisted marketing campaigns and helped pioneer mobile device marketing applications and processes. After exiting MobileMetrics in 2003, he entered legal practice where he has helped dozens of companies start up, raise capital and establish themselves in emerging markets.
Jared lives and works in San Diego and enjoys visiting his eight children who are now scattered throughout the world.
Ethan Hu
Data Science - Accounting - Growth Strategy
Ethan is an innovative business data scientist, investor, and serial entrepreneur. He has spent his career working with investors to vet investment opportunities and advising startups on how to create scalable, disciplined, and innovative companies.
Since graduating from UC San Diego in applied mat and accounting, Ethan has worked as an analyst and senior associate for a large family office with over $1B under management. In that role, he sat on the office's investment committee and managed a portfolio of commercial real estate, hospitality businesses, and technology startups.
He has since moved on to consulting small and mid-sized businesses on accounting systems, business data analysis, revenue growth, fundraising, and M&A. Ethan lives in La Jolla, Caliornia.
Sumeet Harish
Sumeet is a seasoned entrepreneur, consultant, marketing systems expert, and “growth hacker” who specializes in growing enterprise value through accelerated sales and marketing. Sumeet began his career as a management consultant in the pharmaceutical research industry and went on to help founders launch and build dozens of companies across a range of industries.
He has deep experience in executing sales and marketing strategies for SaaS and technology services, consumer products, luxury products, pharmaceuticals, supplements, and professional services. He lives in San Diego with his wife and newborn daughter.
Marketing Management - Systems - Growth Hacking