Matthew A. Paul

Stephens, Inc. is a full-service investment bank and brokerage firm headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. The firm was founded in 1933 and is a subsidiary of Susi Holdings, Inc., which is owned by Stephens Financial Services LLC. Stephens provides comprehensive securities sales and trading services, including customized solutions for clients in North America and abroad.

Gardner Lewis Asset Management LP (Gardner Lewis) is an independent, SEC-registered investment adviser and hedge fund manager headquartered in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. The firm was founded in 1990 by W. Whitfield Gardner and John L. Lewis IV. Gardner Lewis provides investment advisory services on a discretionary basis to both managed account clients as well as private pooled investment vehicles it sponsors intended only for sophisticated investors.

Cowen & Co. LLC is a SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 2004 and is a subsidiary of Cowen Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSE: TD) in Canada. Cowen & Co. offers industry-focused investment banking for growth-oriented companies, domain knowledge-driven research and a sales and trading platform for institutional investors. Their institutional sales and trading business serves both equity and fixed-income clients. Sales and trading execution platform is structured around the following key verticals: (1) healthcare (2) technology, telecommunications and media (TMT) (3) REITs and financials (4) aerospace and defense (5) consumer and (6) alternative energy.

Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. (Broker) (CGMI-Broker) is the broker/dealer division of Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., an investment bank headquartered in New York City with additional offices across the US. The firm was founded in 2004 and is a subsidiary of Citigroup Financial Products, Inc., ultimately held by Citigroup, Inc. (NYSE: C). CGMI-Broker covers all market capitalizations of the major global indices and provides macro and quantitative analysis of global markets and sector trends. Their core focus of the group is to help investing clients make informed decisions by providing value-added, independent, insightful analysis.

Raymond James & Associates, Inc. (RJA) is a registered broker-dealer headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida. The firm was founded in 1962 and is a subsidiary of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE: RJF), a diversified holding company. RJA offers a full array of capital markets services, strategic advice and planning for institutional investors.

Northwestern Mutual Investment Services LLC (NMIS) is an asset management firm headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm was founded in 1968 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. NMIS serves the investment planning and product needs of individuals and businesses through high-quality products, personal service and innovative solutions.

Bailard, Inc. is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Foster City, California. The firm (formerly Bailard, Biehl and Kaiser prior to its re-naming in 2005) was founded in 1969 by three graduates of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. They are a wholly owned subsidiary of BB&K Holdings, Inc. Bailard provides investment advisory and financial planning services and offers single asset strategies to investors on a standalone basis. The firm manages separate accounts for institutional clients and provides advisory and sub-advisory services to pooled investment vehicles.

Ernst & Young LLP engages in the provision of accounting, assurance, tax, transaction, and advisory services. It specializes in the actuarial, analytics and big data, cyber security, accounting compliance and reporting, center for board matters, international financial reporting standards, country tax advisory, global trade, tax accounting, and climate change and sustainability. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

UBS Securities LLC is an investment bank and registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1998 as UBS Warburg LLC. They are a subsidiary of UBS Americas Holding LLC, ultimately held by UBS Group AG (SWX: UBSG, NYSE: UBS) in Switzerland. UBS Securities is a primary dealer in US Government securities and provides a full range of investment banking services which includes corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, trading and sales, fixed-income, equity research, private banking, underwriting and prime brokerage operations. The firm also provides advisory services and access to capital markets for corporate, institutional, intermediary and alternative asset management clients.

William Blair & Co. LLC (William Blair) is a SEC-registered broker/dealer firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm was founded by William McCormick Blair in 1935 and is a subsidiary of WBC Holdings LP. Until 1941, they were known as Blair, Bonner & Co. William Blair provides broking services to individual, institutional and issuing clients.

Cornell University is an educational institution that offers undergraduate and post graduate programs. It was founded in 1865 and is based in Ithaca, NY.

Digi-Key Corp. distributes electronic components. It also distributes semiconductors, discrete, electromechanical parts. Its products include audio products, batteries, cable assemblies, capacitors, computer & video accessories, connectors, crystals & oscillators, discrete semiconductor products and many more. The company was founded by Ronald A. Stordahl in 1972 and is headquartered in Thief River Falls, MN.

Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (GS&Co.) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1927, the firm is a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE: GS). GS&Co. provides services to help hedge funds manage risk, monitor portfolios, maintain liquidity and build their businesses. They offer clients access to global equity and derivatives markets, as well as foreign exchange, commodities, European Lefts, rates and credit across the Americas, Europe and Asia. The firm proactively monitors capital markets, searching for pockets of liquidity and news that may require changes to those strategies. Integration with the Goldman Sachs network gives clients access to the firm's sectored block trades and their insights into price discovery. Their electronic trading program provides clients with tools to manage their trades from pre-trade analytics to post-trade analysis.

Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc. (Broker) (Baird-Broker) is the broker-dealer division of Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc., an investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The firm was founded in 1919 and is ultimately owned by Baird Financial Group, Inc. Baird-Broker offers a full suite of comprehensive trading services for institutional clients.

Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc. (KBW) is a full-service investment bank and broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1962 and is a subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF). KBW offers sales and trading in equities securities of financial services companies.

Brazen Technologies, Inc. operates an online social networking site for young professionals. Its platform enables individuals to showcase career interest and develop a network with employers. The firm also provides recruitment solutions for companies interested in recruiting generation Y professionals. The company was founded by Ryan Richard Paugh, Ryan Joseph Healy and Penelope N. M. N. Trunk in 2007 and is headquartered in Arlington, VA.

Founded in 1999, KBC Securities USA, Inc. is a broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm began as the Financial Products group of D. E. Shaw & Co. In 1999, they were purchased by KBC Bank NV. They are a subsidiary of KBC Securities USA, Inc. and their ultimate parent is of KBC Groupe SA (LSE: KBC). KBC Securities is a specialist in annuities, convertible bonds and equity derivatives with a strategic focus on technology. They serve a range of global investors including mutual funds, pension funds, insurance companies, banks, private banks and hedge funds.

Wells Fargo Securities LLC (WFS) is the broker/dealer subsidiary of EVEREN Capital Corp., ultimately owned by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC). Headquartered in New York, WFS delivers a comprehensive suite of banking, capital markets and advisory solutions, such as a full complement of sales, trading and research capabilities, to corporate, government and institutional clients.

Founded in 1958, Merrill Lynch Piece Fenner & Smith, Inc. is an SEC registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of BAC North America Holding Co. and their ultimate parent is Bank of America Corp. (NYSE BAC).

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is a registered broker-dealer subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Domestic Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) in the US. Headquartered in New York City, the firm was founded in 1987 and provides debt and equity services including underwriting, M&A advice, securities dealing and brokerage and trade execution. Their client base ranges from large global institutional investors to hedge funds at the cutting edge of innovation in the industry.

PennantPark Investment Advisers LLC (PennantPark) is a private equity firm founded in 2007 by Art Penn. The firm is headquartered in Miami, Florida with additional offices in New York, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.

Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC (MPAM) is an independent registered investment adviser headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. The firm was founded by John Murphy in 2000. MPAM provides investment advice to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations and certain other business entities.

Founded in 2006, Tullett Prebon Financial Services LLC is a FINRA-registered broker/dealer located in Jersey City, New Jersey. The firm is a subsidiary of Tullett Prebon Americas Corp. and their ultimate parent is Tullett Prebon Plc. Tullett Prebon Financial Services provides a variety of services including floor trading, retailing of corporate equity securities OTC, U.S. Government securities, municipal securities, oil & gas interests, puts & Calls, option writing, private placements and the selling of interest in mortgages or other receivables. Tullett Prebon also acts as a broker on a name give-up bases on transactions involving derivatives, including but not limited to credit derivatives.

The University of St. Thomas is an institution that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. The private company is based in St. Paul, MN. It offers over 150 undergraduate majors and minors, as well as graduate programs in various fields such as business, engineering, law, education, social work, and arts and humanities. The University of St. Thomas was founded in 1885 by John Ireland.

Instinet LLC is a SEC-registered broker-dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm is the equities execution services arm of the Nomura Group. The firm was founded in 1969 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Instinet Holdings, Inc., which is ultimately owned by Nomura Holdings, Inc. (TYO: 8604) in Japan. Instinet offers the institutional investment community a suite of tailorable solutions, which includes market insights and commentary, full-service trading desks, advanced algorithmic trading strategies, access to unique and specialized liquidity via their array of crossing pools, and a set of workflow solutions.

JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA provides commercial banking services. It offers investment banking, merchant services, and institutional asset management services. The company is headquartered in New York, NY.

University of Southern California is a private research university that mainly offers undergraduate, graduate & other higher education. The university was founded in 1880 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. (Northwestern Mutual) is an insurance company headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1857, Northwestern Mutual and their subsidiaries offer a holistic approach to financial security solutions such as life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability insurance, annuities, investment products and advisory products and services.

Argosy Private Equity (Argosy Private Equity) is a private equity subsidiary of Argosy Capital Group LLC (PA) founded in 1990 by Kirk B. Griswold and John P. Kirwin. The firm is headquartered in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

Evercore Group LLC is a SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1995 and is a subsidiary of Evercore BD Investco LLC, which is owned by Evercore, Inc. (NYSE: EVR). Evercore Group delivers equity research and equity sales and agency trading execution, in addition to providing wealth and investment management services to high net worth and institutional investors.