David is Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee and Management Committee at Top Tier Capital Partners. He also leads the corporate development team and is responsible for the management, development, and growth of Top Tier’s offerings. His thirty plus years of industry knowledge and networks uniquely equip him to be a liaison and international ambassador not only for Top Tier’s brand but also the broader venture community. In 2000, David joined Phil Paul to lead the fund of funds team at Paul Capital which spun out in 2011 to form Top Tier. Over the past three decades in Silicon Valley and during his tenure on different trading desks on Wall Street, including posts at Chase H&Q, Volpe Welty & Co., Drexel Burnham Lambert, and Paine Webber, David has developed an extensive network among private equity managers, particularly venture capitalists. David graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in industrial and systems engineering.

Jessica is a Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee and Management Committee at Top Tier Capital Partners. She is co-lead of the funds team and leads the capital formation efforts for the Firm. She was the driving force behind establishing the Investment Team’s database, The Mine, and the Firm’s data analytics team. It was Jessica’s analytical vision to leverage data to enhance the risk-adjusted returns for Top Tier’s investors. Her focus on data has helped the Investment Team balance the promise frontier technologies offer with the financial returns LPs desire. Jessica joined Top Tier’s predecessor firm Paul Capital in 2005. Prior to joining Top Tier, she was part of the Investment Team at Care Capital LLC, a venture capital firm specializing in biotechnology. Before that she spent five years at Salomon Smith Barney. Jessica graduated from Connecticut College with a B.A. in mathematics and economics. She also earned an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business. Jessica is an active competitive rower and was previously a Varsity Crew member at Connecticut College and member of the New York Athletic Club, where she was a nine-time national champion.

Garth is a Managing Director at Top Tier and is a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee and Management Committee. He leads the velocity team at Top Tier, which executes the Firm’s co-investment and venture secondary investment activity. He is currently a board member or board observer for several of Top Tier’s co-investment portfolio companies. Prior to joining Top Tier’s predecessor firm Paul Capital in 2009, Garth was a vice president at Portfolio Advisors, where he focused on primary investments in venture capital, leveraged buyout, and special situation funds. Before that, he was at Fairview Capital Partners and Rogerscasey. Garth graduated from Bates College as a Benjamin E. Mays Scholar with a B.A. in psychology and a minor in economics and was captain of the varsity basketball team. Garth is a current member of the Bates College Board of Trustees. He also received his M.B.A. from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University as a Robert A. Toigo Fellow and a Christopher T. Emmet Scholar.

Eric is a Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee at Top Tier Capital Partners. He co-leads the funds team, focusing on manager selection, due diligence and investment monitoring of Top Tier’s primary investments. Eric has 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and has been involved in the private equity investment community for the past nineteen years. Most recently at MetLife, Eric served as the Head of Domestic Private Equity, a program representing $6.0 billion in U.S. private equity exposure, including $1.0 billion to venture capital as of Q1 2017. He has additional fund investing experience as a Partner with Thomas Weisel Global Growth Partners and the Private Equity Markets Group at Liberty Mutual. Eric has an M.B.A. from the Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College and a B.S. in Economics from Union College.

Sean is a Managing Director at Top Tier and is a member of the Firm’s velocity team which executes the Firm’s co-investment and venture secondary investment activity. He joined Top Tier’s predecessor firm, Paul Capital, in 2010 as a member of the inaugural analyst program. Beginning in 2012, Sean played an early role in the formation and execution of the velocity investment strategy at Top Tier. In 2014, when Top Tier raised the inaugural Venture Velocity Fund, he transitioned his dominant focus to the velocity investment program. Sean is a board observer on several of Top Tier’s co-investment portfolio companies. Sean graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.A. in political science. While at Berkeley, he was an Academic All Pac-10 Varsity Crew member, Varsity 8+ IRA National Champion in 2010, and a member of the Under-23 National Rowing Team in 2009. Currently, Sean sits on the board of the Friends of Cal Crew.

Michelle is a Venture Partner for Top Tier in London and is a member of the Firm’s Investment Leadership for the European Venture Capital Fund. She focuses on manager selection, due diligence and investment monitoring of Top Tier’s European primary investments. Prior to joining Top Tier in 2019, Michelle was Director of Fund Investments at venture fund-of-funds, VenCap International plc. Michelle is an alumnus of INSEAD. Michelle graduated with a Diploma in Financial Strategy from the Said Business School at the University of Oxford and received a Masters of Philosophy in Science degree in Pure Mathematics and a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Birmingham

Ben Challgren is a Vice President and a member of the 2016 analyst program. He is responsible for due diligence, monitoring and data analytics on the fund investment team. Ben graduated from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in economics, with a concentration in strategic management, and holds a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst designation. Before joining Top Tier, he spent time as an intern with Ernst & Young. While at UPenn, he was a member of the Varsity Football team.

Andrew is an Associate at Top Tier and a member of the 2016 analyst program. He is responsible for due diligence, monitoring and data analytics on the fund investment team. Andrew graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in business administration and finance. Before joining Top Tier, he spent time as an intern with JMP Securities and Wells Fargo Advisors.

Regan is a Senior Analyst and a member of the Firm’s 2018 analyst training program at Top Tier Capital Partners. Before joining Top Tier Capital Partners, he spent time as a summer intern with REX Share’s Asset Management Company. While at Bates, Regan was a member of the Varsity Lacrosse team. Regan graduated from Bates College with a B.A. in economics.

Katie is a Senior Analyst and a member of the 2018 analyst training program at Top Tier Capital Partners. Katie graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a B.S. in business administration and management. Before joining the firm she spent a summer with Top Tier as an intern. While at Berkeley, she was a 2016 NCAA National Champion in JV8 and was on the Cal team that won the overall team title.

Clare is a Vice President of Investor Services at Top Tier, responsible for firm’s marketing materials, investor communications, and annual meeting production. Prior to joining Paul Capital, Clare had spent 13 years working with private equity funds and their investors as a Venture Services and Marketing Specialist with JP Morgan H&Q and the Charles Schwab Strategic Trading Group. As a Venture Services Specialist, Clare provided liquidity services to private equity funds seeking to distribute or sell public portfolio company assets. As Marketing Specialist, she was responsible for the content and design of the group’s presentation materials, as well as the production of three worldwide private equity conferences. Clare received a B.A. in Politics and Studio Art from Fairfield University in Connecticut.

Julia is the lead attorney at Top Tier and directs all legal matters, including investment engagements, employment, corporate governance and regulatory matters. She joins Top Tier from Orrick, Herrington & Suttcliffe LLP where she was a Senior Associate in the Technologies Companies Group. Prior to joining Orrick, Julia was the General Counsel of Mashery where she was in charge of all legal matters, including its sale to Intel Corporation, where she remained as the business unit attorney following acquisition. Julia holds a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Law and a B.A. in Biological Sciences and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Chicago.

Michael is responsible for Investor Relations at Top Tier, including product strategy, capital formation and marketing efforts. He joins Top Tier from BlackRock where he served as a Product Strategist for the Private Markets group within BlackRock Alternatives. Prior to joining BlackRock, Michael was a Senior Alternative Investment Research Analyst for BHA, a Boston based investment consulting firm. Michael holds a B.S. in Applied Economics and a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Rhode Island, and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation. He actively volunteers for and sits on the young professionals board of Reading Partners; a children's literacy group serving under-resourced schools across America.

Sunny is the Vice President of Talent at Top Tier and is a part of TTCP’s Operations Team. He joined Top Tier in 2019 to evolve existing human capital processes and programs that encourage a high-performing, adaptable, and innovative organization. Prior to joining TTCP, Sunny was the HR Director at Buffalo Filter and has a comprehensive amount of HR experience in different industries such as healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. Sunny graduated from California State University, Chico with a B.A. in Business Administration with an emphasis in HR Management and received his M.B.A from Medaille University in Buffalo, NY.

Becky is a Senior Analyst on the Corporate Development team at Top Tier, focusing on fundraising and investor relations. Prior to joining Top Tier Capital Partners, Becky was a sales and account manager at Servcorp, where she managed client and prospective relations. Becky graduated from The University of Texas with a Bachelor’s degree in Classics and minor in Anthropology. After graduating university, she taught Kindergarten English in China.

Emily is a Senior Accountant for the Management Company at Top Tier. Prior to joining the firm in 2017, Emily worked in Tax Services at BPM LLP in Walnut Creek, CA and Grant Thornton LLP in Minneapolis, MN. Emily received a B.A. in Accounting from the University of St Thomas.

Bonnie is an Executive Assistant at Top Tier. She currently supports Garth Timoll and the Velocity Team by making sure their daily duties are accomplished accordingly. Prior to Top Tier Capital Partners, Bonnie was an Executive Assistant at GCA Advisors, a global investment bank, where she supported the Operations department assisted with recruiting efforts and event planning. Outside of the office, Bonnie enjoys hiking, playing soccer, spending time with her two children, and cheering on the Chicago Bears.

Karina Berry is an Executive Assistant at Top Tier. She currently supports the Corporate Development team, including David York and Jessica Archibald, by making sure their daily duties are accomplished accordingly. Prior to joining Top Tier Capital Partners, Karina worked at Sherpa Capital as a Receptionist and Office Assistant, where she attended to investors, clients, and the team with daily administrative assignments. Preceding her professional career, she graduated from Sonoma State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Conservation and Restoration. Karina is a San Francisco native who practices conservation methods, plays sports, enjoys hiking, traveling, and relaxing.

On December 31, 2020, Lisa Edgar retired from Top Tier Capital Partners after serving as Co-Founder and Managing Director since 2003. Lisa has become Partner Emeritus and is using her new-found time between the US, UK and Europe working on venture capital projects and initiatives that are dear to her heart as well as spending time with her close-knit family and friends. Lisa’s legacy will be enduring. As a partner, she was instrumental in setting the culture and building Top Tier into the successful firm that it is today. Her thoughtful relationship building and approach to investing are fundamentally ingrained in Top Tier, and we look forward to continuing to develop the next generation of talented leaders.