Benjamin Kaplan
Co-Founder & Partner
Experience:
– Lovell Minnick
– Century Equity
– Raymond James
Education:
– JD/MBA , Northwestern
– BA, Boston College
Biography:
Prior to founding C9, Ben was a Vice President with Lovell Minnick Partners, a $1.9Bn AUM private equity firm focused on the financial services sector. During his tenure, Ben developed the firm’s investment thesis in litigation finance, thereafter directly sourcing and leading one of the largest institutional buyouts in the sector (OMNI Health).
Prior to Lovell Minnick, Ben worked at several private equity firms including RLH Equity Partners and Paine Schwartz while earning his MBA and JD degrees from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and School of Law, respectively.
Prior to Northwestern, Ben was an Associate at Century Equity Partners, a $770M AUM private equity firm focused on the financial and healthcare sectors; and prior to that, he was a Senior Analyst at Raymond James.
Ben currently serves as the Chairman of PROVE Partners LLC, Director of Case Works LLC, Co-Chair of the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Alumni Club of SoCal, and Special Advisor to B Generous. In addition to receiving his MBA and JD degrees from Northwestern, Ben also received his BS in Economics and Finance, Magna Cum Laude, from Boston College.
Kim joined C9 Partners in 2021 as Operating Partner in Residence where he focuses on advising the firm on prospective portfolio investments in payments, fintech and specialty finance. He is also CEO of Longitude Partners, Inc. delivering retained executive search services and institutional investment strategy in the same sectors. A repeat successful operating executive, Kim has spent his career crafting and executing sustainable growth and value creation plans for numerous firms.
Through early 2020, Kim was CEO and Operating Executive for PE-sponsored Strategic Link, a full stack, vertically integrated online loan portfolio management firm with operations in the US, UK and Latin America. In 2018, he launched PE-backed iVita Financial, a fintech/bank partnership offering non-recourse patient finance through hospitals and RCM channels.
He previously led the growth and merger of privately held CL Verify, a specialty finance credit bureau, and was EVP & General Manager of IDT Financial Services for North American and international stored value, money transfer and remittance services.
As Group Executive for Deluxe Corp, he led the development of DebitBureau™ today a key data asset of FIS, and was a key member of the IPO team for eFunds creating over $1.2 B in new shareholder value.
During 15 years at Equifax, Kim drove growth and margins in bank, retail and online businesses through the innovative application of purchasing, payment and other consumer performance data.
Kim’s Board and Advisor service has included Money 20/20, the Third Party Payments Processor Association, the Online Lenders Alliance and numerous other organizations. Today, Kim works closely with investors, shareholders and management teams to deliver accretive shareholder value through strategic insights and operational execution.
PROVE Partners, LLC
Specialty Finance | Healthcare | Legal Services
Website
www.provepartners.com
Investment Date
February 2019
Description
PROVE Partners, LLC is the leading provider of medical case management services in the United States. PROVE provides innovative solutions to medical practitioners and plaintiff law firms geared toward increasing outcomes of patients that are victims of third party liability accidents.
Michael Stone
Co-Founder & Partner
Experience:
– Currency Capital
– Channel Investment Advisors
– CREO Capital Advisors
Education:
– BS, USC Marshall School of Business
Biography:
Prior to founding C9 Partners, Michael was the Chief Financial Officer of Currency Capital, a technology-enabled commercial lender specializing in small-ticket equipment leasing. Michael led Currency through an aggressive growth phase and a successful recapitalization with Lovell Minnick Partners in January 2017. During his tenure, Mr. Stone recruited and managed teams across multiple business units including accounting, financial planning & analysis, treasury, capital markets, servicing, portfolio management, and collections. He was directly responsible for arranging / managing $170 million of senior and junior debt capital with prominent lenders including Wells Fargo Lender Finance, SunTrust, Guggenheim Securities, KLS Asset Management, and Capitala Group.
Prior to Currency, Michael was a Vice President at CREO Capital Advisors, a Los Angeles-based investment bank specializing in sell-side M&A advisory. Michael led the firm’s sell-side M&A advisory practice and managed the firm’s junior bankers. During his tenure, Michael led cradle to grave execution of three complex majority recapitalizations with public strategic acquirers.
Prior to joining CREO, Michael was a founding member at Channel Investment Advisors, a Los Angeles-based independent sponsor focused on control-oriented investments in the Industrials sector. During his tenure, Michael led the acquisition of Patriot Environmental Services, the premier provider of hazardous material transportation and deposal services in the Western United States. Michael was directly responsible for all aspects of buy-side deal execution and capital raising, including securing capital commitments from Seacoast Capital, a San-Francisco based SBIC, and Alostar Bank.
Prior to Channel, Michael was an investment bankers at two west coast firms, Cappello Global and Hadley Partners, where he focused on sell-side M&A transaction execution and capital raising across a variety of industries.
Michael has a BS from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California with a concentration in finance. Michael graduated cum laude with honors.