Dev Penn
Verified Expert in Finance
Management Consulting Expert
Dallas, TX, United States
Toptal member since March 9, 2022
Dev is an Eagle Scout and CFA charterholder who seeks to make a significant impact. His goal is to help firms find, grow, and scale over $1 billion in opportunities. Dev's past experiences include working for two billionaires and more than ten years of acting as a strategic executive at blue-chip firms in VC, PE, and investments. He's also experienced as a fractional CFO and acts as a strategist, banker, marketer, and investor rolled into one person.
Career Highlights
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Growth and Venture Advisory
Institutional Investments
M&A Transactions
Expertise
- Business Planning
- Early-stage Venture Capital
- Investments
- Management Consulting
- Market Research
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
- Startup Growth Strategy Development
- Strategy
Work Experience
CEO
Brightlights Capital
- Created a revenue forecast for a Series-C unicorn that raised $100+ million.
- Saved a $200M-to-300-million family office around $12 million by avoiding a bad investment.
- Re-designed a pitch deck and built a business plan for seed fintech to raise $3.5 million.
- Confirmed a $5+ billion global market size for a European startup and built all pitch materials like the model, valuation, forecast, pitch deck, and business plan.
- Consulted C-suite for GTM, growth strategy, capital raising, revenue forecasts, and business planning, preparing teams for investor meetings on short notice—a week instead of a month.
- Valued 100+ firm assets in 90% less time for the COO, CIO, and CEO of an $85+ million venture fund by developing a novel process and a tool for SAFEs and equity securities.
- Met 100+ management teams with $10 million to $1 billion in annual revenue, and the top recommendation went up 4x in 2021.
- Made go and no-go biotech investment recommendations to the founder of $1 billion equity manager in two weeks where top recommendation outperformed.
- Provided an FP&A underpinning case to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania with a successful appeal.
Director of Finance | Fractional CFO | Investments
A Billionaire Family PE Office
- Led due diligence, modeling, valuation, and deal preparation for a $150M+ buyout.
- Developed plans to build a fintech from scratch, using $30-to-50 million in capital to scale into $1+ billion.
- Created the firm's memo structure to co-lead a $65-million Series A round and blueprint for a pathway to $1+ billion across 20 to 25 strategic questions.
- Recommended a $130 million asset development project and modeled monthly sales, costs, capital expenditures, and cash flow across three divisions in four years, providing due diligence, deal structure, valuation, modeling, and financials.
- Led the preparation for a portfolio company to launch nationally in eCommerce.
- Led due diligence on multiple bolt-on M&A targets that screened out poor fits.
- Developed investment tools from scratch for strategic decisions and growth opportunities, including P&L projections for new firm divisions, expanding existing operations, potential asset purchases, and tax impacts.
- Led make versus buy, what-if, and feasibility studies on projects with $10-$30 million in capital costs.
Associate Vice President | Private Equity Valuation
IHS Markit
- Created and modified hundreds of DCF, comparable transaction, and comparable company models for fixed-income and equity investments in the US, Europe, and Asia for leading private equity firms.
- Assigned an innovation project by the CEO of the MarkitServ division and grew key accounts by 50% in the first year.
- Valued hundreds of SPV, JV, holding companies, and operating companies financing structures in growth equity, distressed debt, structured finance, IG, and mezzanine loans—term loan, DDTL, and revolvers—and rated each loan for credit quality.
- Led the delivery for Goldman Sachs of 100+ monthly DCF loan valuations in technology, healthcare, and industrial companies among 14 industries in a third of the time and expanded the project by more than 50%.
- Developed a novel credit rating methodology for Swiss muni loans for a major European client´s RFP.
- Created credit ratings for 40+ consumer and real estate firms in Southeast Asia for Deutsche Bank.
- Valued 50+ infrastructure, ground lease, and HC loans in Canada, the UK, and the US for a large Canadian asset manager with $280+ billion assets.
- Trained and managed two teams of four analysts in India and the US for a DCF project of the Shinhan Financial Group that won new business.
Venture Associate
Schlumberger's Venture Fund
- Presented strategic recommendations to a C-suite executive and former treasurer.
- Led valuation and on-site due diligence for a $50-$100 million potential UK acquisition presented to the CEO of a 30,000-person unit by meeting a target firm's CEO, senior engineers, and senior executives in engineering, sales, marketing, and accounting.
- Conducted strategic and financial review of 20 investments—two UK and one Canadian—and a follow-on recommendation, which later became an IPO.
- Built an investment framework that incorporated the firm’s strategic and financial requirements and led to sourced investment ideas.
- Supported the commercial team with due diligence and the M&A team with deal process recommendations that changed the firm's processes.
- Partnered with a vendor to create a custom ERP for reporting to C-suite and senior executives, reducing reporting time from weeks to seconds.
- Recommended companies for follow-on investments where the firm later placed $20 million behind three of four suggestions.
Education
MBA in Project Finance, Healthcare, and Energy
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School - Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Post-baccalaureate Degree in Finance, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania - Philadelphia, PA, USA
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Classics
University of Chicago - Chicago, IL, USA
Certifications
CFA
CFA Institute
Skills
Finance
Corporate Finance, Accounting, Market Research, Venture Funding, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Project Finance, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), M&A (Buy-side), Due Diligence, Private Equity, Private Equity Valuation, Debt, Financial Modeling, Revenue Modeling, Finance Strategy, M&A Modeling, Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), 409A Valuation, Asset Valuation, Equity Valuation, Valuation Multiples, Pre-revenue Valuation, Valuation, Intangible Asset Valuation, Private Company Valuation, Intellectual Property Valuation, Debt Analysis, Profit & Loss (P&L), Profitability Analysis, Capital Structure Analysis, Growth Equity, Growth Capital Raising, Capital Raising, Forecasting, P&L Forecasting, Cash Flow Forecasting, Sales Expense Forecasting, CFO, Revenue & Expense Projections, Special Assets, Taxation, Blockchain, Fundraising, Valuation Modeling, Budgeting, Financial Reporting, Seed Fundraising, Crowdfunding, M&A Earn-out Agreements, Pricing, Deal Analysis, Pricing Strategy, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Market Opportunity Analysis, Debt Raises, Lending, Operating Expenses (OPEX), ROI, Angel/Seed Funding, Three-statement Modeling, Business Advisory, Reverse Mergers, Comparable Company Analysis, Private Equity Secondaries, Late-stage Funding
Output Software
Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel
Data & Analysis Software
QuickBooks Online, Xero Accounting, IBM Cognos, FactSet, Bloomberg, Tableau
Industry Expertise
Healthcare, Energy, Software, Early-stage Startups, Venture Capital, Oil & Gas, Renewable Energy, Consumer Products, Health Insurance, Financial Services, Sports, Fashion, Retail & Wholesale, Chemicals, Technology, Restaurants & Dining, Apparel & Accessories, Food & Beverage
Geographic Expertise
Middle East, United Kingdom, United States, Asia-Pacific (APAC)
Other
Research, Critical Analysis, Languages, Data Science, Fiction Literature, Strategy, Business Planning, Investments, Early-stage Venture Capital, Growth Strategy, Startup Growth Strategy Development, Management Consulting, Startups, Fractional CFO, Business Strategy, Revenue Strategy, Revenue Projections, Recurring Revenue Modeling, Corporate Development, Launch Strategy, Company Strategy, Business Consulting, Investment Consulting, Business Plan Consulting, Alternative Investments, Investments & Risk Management, Acquisitions, Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPAC), Software as a Service (SaaS), Clean Energy, Renewables, Healthcare IT, Direct to Consumer (D2C), DCF Modeling, Risk Modeling, NPV Calculation, Relative Valuation, Loan Valuation, Property Valuation, P&L Analysis, COGS Analysis, Profit Maximization, Profit Optimization, Distressed Assets, Assets, Merger Benefits, Growth, Sales Growth, Healthcare Services, Industrial IT, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Energy Sector Expert, Expert Witness, Digital Health, Consumer Health, Consumer Insights, Consumer Trends, Business to Consumer (B2C), Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Business to Business (B2B), B2B Sales Pipeline, Consumer Behavior, eCommerce Platforms, Cryptocurrency, Decentralized Finance (DeFi), Manufacturing, Virtual CFO, Part-time CFO, Product Launch, New Products, Private Equity Consultant, Quality of Earnings, Scenario Analysis, Feasibility Studies, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Pitch Decks, Pitch Presentations, Pitch Preparation, Go-to-market Strategy, Market Entry, Partnerships, B2B Partnerships, Strategic Partnerships, Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs), Business Partnerships, Storytelling, Storyboarding, Visual Storytelling, Strategy Development, Competition Research, Market Sizing, Market Fit, Voice of the Customer (VoC), Customer Experience, Employee Experience, Business Modeling, Financial Statements, Business Models, SaaS, Go-to-market Plans, B2C, B2B2C, Competitive Strategy, B2B, Financing, Enterprise Software, Board Presentations, Excel 365, Waterfall Modeling, Fintech, Investment Strategy, Deal Structuring, Solar, People Management, Business Transformation, Cosmetics, Personal Care, Deal Review, Term Sheet Advisory, Shareholders' Agreement (JVA), Brand Strategy, Brand Positioning, Growth Hacking, Growth Marketing, Branding, Digital Branding, Brand Management, Business Development, Telehealth, Pricing Consulting, Product Growth, Market Segmentation, Underwriting, Change Management, Organizational Change Management (OCM), Organizational Transformation, Idea Validation, Lead Generation, Sales, Marketing, Mobile Apps, Market Research & Analysis, Fintech Consultant, Growth Strategy Consultants, Pitch Deck Consultant, Medical Devices, Opportunity Identification, Product-market Fit, Consulting, Sales Strategy, Marketing Strategy, Pricing Models, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), SWOT Analysis, Digital Marketing Strategy, Marketing Mix, Fantasy Sports, Subscriptions, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Analytics, Data Analytics, Agile Product Management, Subscription Pricing, Roadmaps, Product Management, Customer Data, Cohort Analysis, Bonds, Investor Presentations, Fixed Income, Lean Product Manager, Operational Efficiency Improvement, Process Mapping, Operations, Price Positioning, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, HR Tools, Human Resources (HR), Competitive Analysis, New Business Development, Deal Closure, B2B Lead Generation, Marketing Plans, Competitive Intelligence, Value Chain, Regulatory Analysis, Marketing Leadership, Data Visualization, Investment Banking, Equity, Brokerage, Operating Models, Target Operating Models, TOM, Interim CFO, M&A Due Diligence (Financial), Restaurant Operations, Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C), M&A Due Diligence (Technology), Data Rooms, Chief Operations Officer (COO), CEO, Angel Investing, Fundraising Strategy, Organizational Design, COO, Board Reporting, Hiring, Fundraising Consultant, Stakeholder Mapping, Stakeholder Analysis, Climate Risk Mitigation, eCommerce, Clothing, Digital Marketing, Market Research Analyst, PowerPoint Design, Analysis, Expense Reports, Data Reporting, Reporting, Monetization, Account-based Marketing (ABM), Marketplaces, Strategic Planning, Web3, Strategic Planning & Execution, Performance Management, Business Operations, Team Leadership, Team Management, Risk Management, Management, Customer Analysis, Executive Coaching, Project Management, Scaling, Restructuring, Microsoft 365, Bookkeeping, Finance, Objectives & Key Results (OKRs), BCG Matrix, Balance Scorecards, Magic Quadrant, Market Positioning, Raw Data Analysis, Radar Chart, Brand Marketing, Request for Proposal (RFP), Benchmarking, Economics, Divestitures, Healthcare Supply Chains, Transaction Comparables, Due Diligence Consultant, Startup Consulting, Microsoft Office, Xero, Sage, Microsoft Power BI, Cloud, Financial Analysis, Private Placements, Credit Ratings, European Credit Ratings, Neural Networks
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