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Mark Zubov, CFA, Finance Expert in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Mark Zubov, CFA

Finance Expert in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Member since January 31, 2017
Mark is an investment industry professional who has worked on $1.5 billion in buy-side and sell-side deals across M&A, equity, and debt capital markets. He's worked with major MNCs and Silicon Valley startups in the consumer, energy, tech, media, and life sciences sectors. As a freelancer, Mark enjoys sharing his passion for entrepreneurship with companies across the world—helping them with financial modeling, fundraising, and strategic planning.
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Career Highlights

Education

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Case studies

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Industry Expertise

  • Agriculture
  • Energy, Utilities & Waste
  • Electricity, Oil & Gas
  • Venture Capital & Private Equity
  • Aerospace & Defense
  • Food & Beverage
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Retail

Other Expertise

Employment

  • Associate

    2019 - PRESENT
    CrossBoundary
    • Identified and rigorously assessed investment opportunities in frontier markets.
    • Managed numerous investor and client relationships.
    • Assisted in identifying qualified investors.
    • Conducted macroeconomic, regulatory, and operational assessments.
    • Monitored and identified new business development opportunities.
    Focus areas: Valuation, Management Consulting, Private Equity, Capital Raising, Fund Management, Emerging Markets, Frontier Markets

  • Investment Manager

    2018 - 2019
    IFG Capital
    • Responsible for sourcing, developing and analyzing new investment opportunities in the metals & mining, retail, cleantech, financial services, technology and other sectors in the CIS region focusing on market assessment and competitive positioning to deal structuring and pitching to co-investors.
    • Built robust, flexible financial models to support deal valuation and deal structuring effort with intimate knowledge in the modeling of metals & mining opportunities.
    • Led the diligence efforts on pursued deals, including business diligence, and managing external advisors.
    • Prepared and presented investment memos and portfolio updates to general partners.
    • Conducted macro-quantitative and qualitative analysis of frontier markets to help identify investment themes that translated to the fund’s investment strategy.
    Focus areas: Venture Funding, Emerging Markets, Metals & Mining, Commodities, Fund Management, Investment Thesis, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Valuation, Private Equity

  • Investment Banking Associate

    2017 - 2018
    WestPark Capital
    • Involved in all aspects of transactions, including initial due diligence, financial modeling, the production of offering memorandums, and preparation of marketing materials for current transactions and potential clients.
    • Built a robust LBO model for a $120 million alcohol distribution company, projecting financials under multiple capital structures. Participated in the negation sessions that led to the acceptance of a non-binding offer.
    • Prepared a private placement memorandum as well as a valuation model utilizing four different valuation techniques (discounted cash flow, comparable companies, comparable transactions, and sum-of-the-parts analyses) for a medical device/consumer product company's $15 million equity raise.
    • Worked directly with senior bankers to develop and model business plans in order to assist clients with capital allocation and strategic decision making processes.
    • Prepared investment memorandums for several private placements across the consumer devices, retail, food and beverage, and life sciences sectors.
    • Led and executed investment due-diligence processes for clients in the US and China by evaluating legal, technical, operational, and financial aspects of the companies and industries.
    • Drafted and structured a term sheet for the convertible debt financing of an internet-of-things (IoT) startup.
    • Evaluated more than 30 early-stage financing engagement opportunities across various tech verticals, including VR/AR, health IT, internet of things (IoT), bit data, robotics, and SaaS.
    Focus areas: Life Science, Medical Devices, Technology, Biotech, Retail & Wholesale, Fintech, Market Entry, Consulting, Strategy, Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Teasers, Pitch Decks, Early-stage Funding, Comparable Company Analysis, Debt Raises, Equity Financing, Due Diligence, Market Research, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Valuation, Financial Modeling, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)

  • Investment Banking Analyst

    2014 - 2016
    WestPark Capital
    • Served as a lead analyst on 15 completed or potential transactions worth $1.5 billion in total, including debt and equity placements, sell-side and buy-side M&A transactions, leveraged buyouts, and project finance deals.
    • Performed a qualitative analysis of the oil & gas industry, thoroughly analyzed the client company's reserves and production forecasts, and ran a sensitivity analysis to show the impact of various macroeconomic conditions on the assets' valuations.
    • Analyzed the biofuels market and drafted views on the federal and state government regulations. Proposed policy changes: outlining the effect they have on the marketplace and M&A activity.
    • Managed due diligence requests, scheduled weekly update and Q&A calls, and created supporting materials with respect to assumptions and overall valuation.
    • Conducted research on specific companies and different sectors of the tech industry in order to compose marketing materials and company presentations for clients across a variety of verticals, including fintech, SaaS, and mobile.
    Focus areas: Private Placement Memoranda, Capital Raising, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Investor Presentations, Business Planning, Comparable Company Analysis, Private Company Valuation, Financial Modeling, Market Research, Debt Raises, Equity Financing, Due Diligence, Valuation, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)

  • Research Analyst

    2012 - 2015
    Providence Advisors
    • Worked on a strategic planning project for a $1.5 billion military logistics company based in Saudi Arabia. Identified potential growth opportunities for the company, focusing on value creation both through organic growth and mergers & acquisitions.
    • Developed competitor profiles and thoroughly evaluated competitors’ growth patterns to help the client prioritize various strategic expansion opportunities.
    • Helped analyze trends impacting military contractor's customers; also researched potential geographic markets of interest to the client, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
    • Worked on a strategy development project for a Chicago-based investment management firm. Explored small institutional investor segments and their asset allocation strategies to determine which customer segments the company should target to offer its fixed income expertise.
    • Conducted research on the asset allocation trends, focusing on shifts to alternative investments by major pension funds and endowments, to address a challenging low yield market environment.
    • Performed market research and helped develop a financial model for a P2P lending startup based out of Chicago Booth. Researched customer acquisition strategies and sales conversion rates, utilizing primary and secondary sources in order to develop assumptions for the customer acquisition funnel.
    Focus areas: Profitability Analysis, Growth Strategy, Startup Consulting, Data Analysis, Price Analysis, Business Planning, Competitor Analysis & Profiling, Strategy, Financial Modeling, Market Research, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Strategic Planning

Education

  • CFA Level III Certification in Investment Analysis
    2016 - 2018
    CFA Institute - Los Angeles, CA, USA
  • Finance Certificate in Mergers and Acquisitions/Business Valuation
    2017 - 2017
    UCLA Extension - Los Angeles, CA, USA
  • Certificate in Advanced Financial Modeling
    2015 - 2015
    Breaking into Wall Street - Online
  • Independent Finance Coursework in M&A Strategy
    2015 - 2015
    University of Chicago Booth School of Business - Chicago, IL, USA
  • Master's Degree in Finance
    2014 - 2015
    University of St. Francis - Joliet, IL, USA
  • Bachelor's Degree in Finance
    2010 - 2014
    University of St. Francis - Joliet, IL, USA

Certifications

  • Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
    OCTOBER 2018 - PRESENT
    CFA Institute

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