Meet Todd Najera:

Todd has over 25 years of experience as an investment banker, private equity investor, and senior operating executive. He has advised numerous companies on M&A, equity, and debt transactions, as well as general corporate strategy, and has broad experience across industry sector (business services, technology, telecom & media, energy, consumer, and industrial) throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. His core competencies include advising and collaborating with senior management on strategy and achieving financial objectives, structuring transactions, and managing multi-functional teams to deliver growth and shareholder value. 

Todd is currently a partner with American Discovery Capital (ADC) where he has advised middle market companies on M&A and capital raising since September 2017. ADC predominantly assists entrepreneur-led and family-owned businesses achieve their strategic objectives. He has also been actively involved with several recent private equity investments, including GreenSlate, Majestic Realty, SmartBug Media, and Entertainment Partners, and previously led the administrative functions for the firm’s investment banking operations. 

Prior to ADC, Todd was CFO and VP, Strategy and Finance at Materia, Inc. (now an ExxonMobil subsidiary), a technology company in Pasadena, CA serving the energy, chemical processing, pharmaceutical, and bio-refinery sectors from 2012 through 2017. Materia was founded to commercialize a technology for which Caltech professor Robert Grubbs won a Nobel Prize. He led the finance & accounting and corporate development functions, and also oversaw business development, legal, human resources, and operations. During Todd’s tenure at Materia, the company grew revenue six-fold. 

Prior to Materia, Todd was an investment banker at leading global investment banking firms in London, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles since 1993. He was the Global Co-Head of the Renewable Energy & Environmental Finance Group at Standard Chartered Bank, where he coordinated the bank’s cleantech practice, working from their London office from 2009 through 2011. Previously, he specialized in leveraged & acquisition finance and financial sponsor coverage for Morgan Stanley in London and Hong Kong from 2006 through 2009. Before that, he worked in various roles for Credit Suisse First Boston and, prior to its acquisition, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ) in London, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles. 

Todd is a board member and Treasurer of Healthy Humor, a charity that brings the healing power of joy and laughter to hospitalized children and their families at partner hospitals across the country. 

Todd holds an A.B. from Harvard University where he concentrated in Government. His personal interests include early American history; international relations; travel; hiking, fishing, and skiing; health and fitness; cooking; and dabbling in foreign languages (German, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese). 

Todd, his wife Sheila, son Tyler (9 years old), and golden retriever Maui live just north of Los Angeles in Altadena, California.