Leadership
Meet our Experienced Team of Entrepreneurs, Private Equity Investors and Investment Bankers
Our team’s entrepreneurial journeys include founding and operating companies, venture capital and private equity financings, IPOs, and buy-side and sell side M&A transactions. With decades of expertise in industries undergoing growth or disruption, we have a dynamic and proven track record in investment banking, C-suite executive and board-level leadership, business transformation, product innovation, fundraising and M&A. As entrepreneurs and investment bankers, we have managed companies and helped clients complete over 100 financing, private investment, M&A and IPO transactions resulting in over $5 billion in transaction value.
Braun Jones is the Managing Member of Stonehaven Capital LLC, a private equity and real estate investment holding company. In addition, Mr. Jones is CEO of AsiAmerica, LLC, an international market development and software distribution company. Mr. Jones is a veteran entrepreneur who has founded companies and exited successfully through M&A and IPO transactions. He has founded or co-founded seven companies, including two investment banks, and privately invested his own capital in over 35 companies and real estate projects, resulting in 15 successful exits. With 25+ years investment banking and transactional experience, Braun has managed or co-managed over 70 successful M&A, private equity investment and recapitalization transactions at three investment banks. Braun has served on multiple boards of technology companies and nonprofits including the Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business, School of Finance Advisory Board Co-Founder, the Virginia Tech President’s Leadership Council and the James Madison University Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Council. Mr. Jones earned his BS in Finance from Virginia Tech in 1987 and an MBA from James Madison University in 1988. He is a FINRA registered representative (Series 7, 24, 63, 79). Braun resides in Virginia with his wife and four children.
Tom has proven track record over 20 years of demonstrated CEO-level and board leadership, entrepreneurial success, business transformation, fundraising and M&A, and product innovation within industries undergoing dramatic growth or disruption. He has been at the forefront of the broadband, smart grid, smart building, and IoT industries and has extensive experience in growing companies across hardware, services, and SAAS business models. Over his career, Tom has been instrumental in the successful completion of venture capital funding rounds in excess of $100 million, acquired and integrated companies both domestically and abroad, attracted and consummated deals resulting in the acquisition of companies he has led and been part of a management team that has taken to the market and managed a public company. Tom was recognized as an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist in 2016 and Top 50 Smart Grid Pioneer in 2013 by Smart Grid Today.
As a co-founder of TXN Advisors, Matthew Locastro provides investment banking advisory services for capital acquisition and sell side mergers and acquisitions. He also runs an international outsourced c-suite consulting group where he helps global companies with business development, negotiations, investment and divestment of business units, corporate restructurings, and the hiring and management of personnel. His consulting group has recently constructed tax efficient structures for clients, managed the restructuring of $28.6 million in debt, negotiated the sale of a concession for a shipyard worth $60 million to a major yachting company, and negotiated and closed transactions totaling $22.7 million in 2021 and $24.5 million in 2022 on behalf of their clients. Previously Matthew and his brother ran a media and entertainment company with a film output deal from the largest TV broadcaster. While raising capital for 8-figure feature film budgets, Matthew and Thomas leveraged their strategic media insight as Emmy Award winners as well as their relationships with family offices and high net-worth individuals, to expand their core mission to include business transactions. They co-founded a transaction group called Global Vantage Capital Next Gen and built a global team that took the company from inception to 7-figures in revenue in under six months.
Thomas Locastro is another founding member of TXN Advisors. He specializes in offering investment banking guidance, particularly in areas of capital raising and mergers and acquisitions on the sell-side. Thomas also leads a global consulting firm that offers outsourced executive services, aiding international companies in aspects like business growth, negotiations, both investing and divesting in business sectors, corporate overhauls, and staff recruitment and management. His consultancy has recently been involved in creating tax-efficient solutions for clients, orchestrating a $28.6 million debt restructuring, facilitating a $60 million shipyard concession sale to a leading yacht company, and successfully completing deals worth $22.7 million in 2021 and $24.5 million in 2022 for their clients. Before this, Thomas and his brother managed a media and entertainment business, securing a film distribution agreement with a top television broadcaster. In the process of securing funding for films with multi-million dollar budgets, the duo, who are Emmy Award recipients, utilized their media expertise and connections with wealthy families and individuals to broaden their business focus. Together, they initiated Global Vantage Capital Next Gen, a transaction group, assembling an international team that propelled the company from its start-up phase to a seven-figure income within half a year.
Ron Everett has served as a corporate valuation expert to more than 3,500 companies since 1984. He has 25+ years of specialized expertise in valuing and pricing companies for purchase or sale, initial public offerings, private placements and recapitalizations. He has extensive experience in the valuation of intangible assets, including patents, developed technology, software, databases, trademarks, trade names, licenses, contracts, distribution rights, customer lists, leases, royalty agreements, franchises, debt instruments and non-compete agreements. Mr. Everett has held positions as Vice President and Director of the High Tech Valuation Practice for CBIZ, a publicly-held professional services firm, New England Director of Business Valuation Services for Ernst & Young, Director of Corporate Development for a high tech company, and President of a regional business valuation firm. Mr. Everett is a Certified Business Appraiser and Certified Valuation Analyst, and a 25-year member of the Institute of Business Appraisers and the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts. His client list includes venture capital and private equity firms such as Advent, Summit, Sequoia and TH Lee Partners. As Project Director on a 5-year contract with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), he performed or directed the valuation of 1,500 private equity and venture capital investments in the SBA’s Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Program.
Strategic Advisor specializing in technology and service businesses. Technically trained as an engineer with over 35 years in a wide range of senior leadership and board positions, Greg specializes in helping executives and founders manage complex strategic decisions, financing and exit scenarios. Over his career, Greg has held direct P&L responsibility for multiple companies with over $100M in revenues, restructured and exited businesses for over $500M, and managed thousands of employees in the US, Europe, India and China. He has raised over $500 million in venture capital and private equity and currently serves on multiple boards in the telecom, AI and tech-enabled software industries.
