Circle Peak Capital

R. Adam Smith
President & CEO

R. Adam Smith has 15 years experience in private equity and mergers & acquisitions at leading institutions. Prior to founding Circle Peak Capital, Mr. Smith was in the Financial Sponsors Group at Lehman Brothers where he advised on financial and strategic matters for leading consumer, financial services, and industrial middle market corporations and private equity firms. Mr. Smith also served in private equity capacities at Caxton-Iseman Capital LLC, Castle Harlan, Inc., and Columbus Advisors. Mr. Smith is an advisor and board member to several private businesses, including Rocket Dog Holdings LLC, Fischbein LLC, WealthTrust LLC, Luxury Optical Holdings LLC, Shari's Management Corp., and Hill & Valley Inc. Mr. Smith graduated cum laude from Boston University with a BA in International Relations and Economics, and holds an MBA from Columbia University, Beta Gamma Sigma. more..

Jade Opper

Ms. Opper joined Circle Peak in May 2009. Prior to Circle Peak, she was employed as an Investment Banking Analyst with Morgan Keegan & Company, focusing primarily on M&A transactions for companies in a variety of industries including industrial, retail, restaurants and energy services. Ms. Opper received a BA in Business and Economics from Rhodes College, graduating cum laude, and is an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School.

Jaime Fasja

Mr. Fasja joined Circle Peak Capital in 2010. Prior to Circle Peak Mr. Fasja was an associate at GFa Grupo Inmobiliario a Real Estate Development firm based in Mexico City. There he evaluated development sites, coordinated financial feasibility and marketability studies and executed joint venture agreements with several partners including PE firms and hotels. He also worked at The Moinian Group one of the country largest privately held real estate firms where he was involved in the development of the new Downtown W hotel New York. Mr. Fasja holds a BA in Architecture and Urbanism from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and is currently an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School.

Matthew Ring

Mr. Ring joined Circle Peak in July 2009. Prior to Circle Peak, Mr. Ring was employed as a Senior Manager with consulting firm Simat Helliesen & Eichner, providing due dilligence support for investments in the Industrials and Aerospace & Defense sectors. Mr. Ring began his career with GE Aircraft Engines, where he was awarded a patent for his GEnx compressor case design. (Boeing 787) Mr. Ring holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from The Ohio State University. Mr. Ring is currently an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School.

Matthew Robinson

Mr. Robinson joined Circle Peak in 2010. Prior to Circle Peak, Mr. Robinson was a Senior Associate Consultant with the consulting firm The Lucas Group. There he led engagements focused on private equity due diligence, portfolio company consulting, and fund-of-fund co-investments. Mr. Robinson began his career as an operations consultant working on the implementation of Lean and Six Sigma efforts for manufacturing firms. Matthew holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University and is currently an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School.

Levent Karasakaloglu

Mr. Karasakaloglu joined Circle Peak in October 2009. Prior to Circle Peak, Mr. Karasakaloglu was employed as a Financial Planning and Analysis Manager at Blockbuster Inc, performing financial analysis for strategic initiatives and providing due diligence support for potential acquisitions . He also worked at iLab Private Equity, a PE firm focused on growth equity investments and control buy-outs of middle-market companies. Mr. Karasakaloglu holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Bogazici University in Turkey, and a MS in Management Science from the University of Texas - Dallas. Mr. Karasakaloglu is currently an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School.

Tara Israel

Tara Israel joined Circle Peak in September 2009. Prior to Circle Peak, Ms. Israel was employed as a Financial Analyst with Trepp LLC in New York City, focusing primarily on commercial mortgage backed securities. Ms. Israel received a BBA in Finance and Economics from Pace University, graduating cum laude and Alpha Chi.

Thomas Rajzbaum

Mr. Rajzbaum joined Circle Peak in 2010. Prior to Circle Peak, Mr. Rajzbaum was an Associate in the M&A department of Morgan Stanley. He advised on financial matters for leading real estate, hospitality and private equity firms. Thomas holds a Master Degree from ESCP Europe and is currently an MBA candidate at Columbia Business School.