Young America Capital is a nationally recognized broker-dealer and investment bank providing companies and investors with advisory services across a focused range of disciplines. The firm concentrates its activities on industries in which its professionals have substantial experience. We deliver sound advice, first-class execution, and superior results by leveraging our financial expertise, deep industry knowledge, and the personal commitment of each senior member of the firm. The firm’s principals have substantial experience with major investment banking and asset management firms. Over one-third of our 70 member team have attained their Series 24 Managing Principal status.

Service Offerings:

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE PLACEMENT OF EQUITY & DEBT

Our professionals have extensive experience in the placement of private equity and debt to both retail and institutional clients. Capital is typically deployed to finance working capital, fund milestone product development activities, provide liquidity to shareholders, and stabilize the capital structure.

LICENSING & PARTNERING

We possess industry pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and medical device development experience and credible access to top industry pharmaceutical and medical device executives that enables us to offer licensing and partnering facilitation consistent with the stage of development of the pharmaceutical or medical device assets and future sales potential. The team also has experience working with Healthcare providers and Healthcare information technology companies.

MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS

Our team has extensive experience in buy-side and exclusive sale advisor; as well as acquisition and sale of distressed businesses and assets, including identifying opportunities across the sector for value-enhancing consolidation opportunities. We have served as advisors to various boards on strategic options, especially concerning solutions that will minimize potential losses and provide a suitable recovery structure for the client, fund managers, and secured lenders.

RESTRUCTURING

We possess financial and strategic experience specific to the healthcare and life sciences sectors. Services include balance sheet restructurings and tax strategies, in-court and out-of-court restructurings, and bondholder negotiations.

GRANT WRITING

Our team has significant experience in writing successful grant proposals. Finding appropriate sources and obtaining funds outside of equity and debt is important in propelling company growth, particularly in the healthcare and life science sectors.

FAIRNESS OPINIONS

We provide Fairness Opinions under FINRA Rule 5150 which relates to transactions between affiliated entities wherein conflicts of interest could arise between related parties.

LIFE SCIENCES & HEALTHCARE TEAM

Dr. Bruce Forrest, Head of Life Sciences & Healthcare Investment Banking

Bruce Forrest has 25+ years senior experience in the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and medical device industry. He was a divisional Senior Vice President at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and subsequently Pfizer, Inc., as well as extensive experience in small and mid-size biotech companies such as Chiron Corporation, United Biomedical, Inc. and Enterovax Limited. Bruce received his MD from the University of Adelaide, Australia and his MBA from the Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, UK.  FINRA licenses 63, 65 and 79.

Bruce A. Kaufman, Vice President, Investment Banking

Bruce Kaufman has 25+ years experience in financial services including work at Compass Advisers, Loeb Partners, Lehman Brothers, Rothschild Venture Capital and Coopers & Lybrand (now part of PriceWaterhouse Coopers). During his career he has worked on projects in a wide range of industries. He has participated in raising over $2 billion in capital in public and private transactions with companies large and small and worked on a similar volume of M&A and Restructuring transactions. He has previously served on the Board of York Research Corporation (an alternative energy developer) and Winfield Capital Corporation (a publicly traded SBIC). Bruce Kaufman received BS degrees in Economics and Accounting from the State University of New York at Albany and an MBA from Columbia University School of Business. FINRA licenses 7, 63 and 79.

Dr. James P. Kelleher, Vice President, Investment Banking

James P. Kelleher has 20+ years of clinical, research, administrative, and business experience in healthcare and life sciences including service as Chief Medical Officer of Four Winds Hospital Saratoga and of Howard & Hecht Continuity, LLC, and as an advisor to/consultant for the Gerson Lehrman Group, Eli Lilly & Company, AstraZeneca, Accel Value Capital, Huron Life Sciences, and Fruit Street Health. His pharmacology research has been recognized with awards from the International Congress on Schizophrenia Research and the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Kelleher completed undergraduate and medical education at New York University and Mount Sinai, residency and fellowship training at Harvard and business education at Columbia. FINRA licenses 63 and 79.

Jakob Bergendorff, Vice President, Investment Banking

Jakob has 15+ years experience in corporate, M&A and business development roles at the Maersk Group, Svitzer, Nielsen Norager law firm, and the venture capital fund Vaekstfonden, covering life science investments. Jakob has a Master of Law from Copenhagen University, a Danish bar exam and an MBA from INSEAD. FINRA licenses 7 and 63.

Peter Formanek, CPA, Managing Principal

Peter has 30+ years experience advising fund managers, family offices and companies. He was a Financial Analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, and Spear, Leeds & Kellogg, and CFO and Business Development Analyst at Southern Cross Latin America Private Equity Funds. He has participated in capital raises for early stage companies in the fields of healthcare SaaS, drug development, medical devices, and has advised life sciences venture fund managers in their fund capital raise process. Peter received his BS in Accounting, Magna Cum Laude, and an MBA in Finance from the University of Bridgeport. FINRA licenses 7, 24, 28, 63, 79 and 99.

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