Professional investors with firsthand business experience.
What distinguishes Snowbird from other mezzanine lenders or venture capitalists is our partners' backgrounds and business experiences. We have a team of highly successful entrepreneurs and finance professionals who know firsthand what it takes to maintain and grow a business operation.
Meet our team.
Nelson Carbonell - President & Chairman
John Carbonell - Managing Director
Bob D'Acquisto - Managing Director
Michael Lacy - Managing Director
Christine Piorkowski - Chief Financial Officer
Joe Dague - Vice President
Jason Laurent - Associate
Nelson Carbonell - President and Chairman
Reston, Virginia
Prior to starting Snowbird Capital, Mr. Carbonell founded Cysive and served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the board of directors since Cysive commenced operations in 1994. From February 1991 until March 1994, Mr. Carbonell served as Director of Commercial Systems, Inc. at PRC, Inc., now a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman. PRC Inc. is a leading provider of information technology and systems-based solutions for the U.S. Government and commercial customers.
Mr. Carbonell serves on the Executive Committee of the Washington-Baltimore Young President's Organization. Mr. Carbonell also serves on the Board of George Washington University. Mr. Carbonell received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University in 1985.
John Carbonell - Managing Director
Reston, Virginia
John Carbonell has over 10 years experience working with technology startup companies, with a background in IT consulting operations. Prior to Snowbird, he was the VP of Operations for Cysive, Inc. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Bob D'Acquisto - Managing Director
San Francisco Bay Area
bdacquisto@snowbirdcapital.com
Bob D'Acquisto has over 10 years of experience in business development, sales, marketing and product management. Prior to Snowbird Capital, Mr. D'Acquisto ran the West Coast business development and sales efforts for Cysive, Inc. Mr. D'Acquisto was also founder and ran business development and marketing for 2Roam, Inc. 2Roam raised over $28M of venture capital and was successful in building an impressive customer base. 2Roam was acquired by Air2Web in 2002. Prior to 2Roam, Mr. D'Acquisto held various senior business development, sales and marketing positions with Verifone, Inc. and Raychem (Tyco). Mr. D'Acquisto has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business from Santa Clara University.
Michael Lacy - Managing Director
Reston, Virginia
Michael Lacy has over 15 years of experience in investment banking and corporate finance. Prior to joining Snowbird Capital, Mr. Lacy was a Vice President of Investment Banking with Banc of America Securities and Hyde Park Capital where he advised on a wide variety of assignments including mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, going private transactions, fairness opinions, restructurings, public offerings of debt and equity, and private placements.
Mr. Lacy also served as Director of M&A and Corporate Development for a $350 million manufacturing and services business. His deal experience includes more than 100 transactions, raising more than $6 billion in the capital markets and advisory assignments totaling more than $4 billion. Mr. Lacy has a BA from George Mason University and a MBA from the College of William and Mary in Virginia.
Christine Piorkowski - Chief Financial Officer
Reston, Virginia
cpiorkowski@snowbirdcapital.com
Chris Piorkowski has over 15 years of experience in operational and financial management. Prior to joining Snowbird Capital, Ms. Piorkowski was Chief Financial Officer at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation where she managed both the operating budget and the Foundation's endowment. Ms. Piorkowski has also been the Chief Financial Officer and a Regional Director of Small Enterprise Assistance Funds (SEAF), a firm that manages $150 million in small business equity investment funds and operates in 10 countries. She has also held financial and operating roles at MuseumCompany.com, American Airlines and First American Bankshares.
Ms. Piorkowski has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the George Washington University and a MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia.
Joe Dague - Vice President
Reston, Virginia
Joe Dague has nearly ten years of experience sourcing, structuring, and underwriting debt and equity investments in middle market companies. Prior to joining Snowbird Capital, Mr. Dague held roles at M&T Bank as a commercial loan analyst, credit relationship manager, and as a business analyst for small business, middle market, and large corporate lending segments. Mr. Dague holds a B.A. in Political Science from Princeton University, a M.A. in Writing from Johns Hopkins University, and is a CFA Level III candidate.
Jason Laurent - Associate
Reston, Virginia
Jason Laurent has over four years of experience in financial analysis and valuations. Prior to joining Snowbird Capital, Mr. Laurent worked for The McLean Group, a national investment bank specializing in M&A advisory and business valuation for small to mid-sized private companies. Mr. Laurent is a CFA Level III candidate. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.S. in Finance and a B.S. in Accounting from George Mason University