Alex Highstein
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
Denver, CO, United States
Toptal member since June 20, 2022
Alex is a corporate development professional who has helped guide strategy and raise over $230 million for startups across various industries. He has deep expertise in financial and operational modeling, valuation, fundraising, and creating investor materials. Alex's ability to distill complex ideas into actionable advice has been key to success. Joining Toptal gives Alex control over his time while continuing to help companies strategize, innovate, and grow.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Case Studies
Software Expertise
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft PowerPoint
Other Expertise
- CPG
- Financial Modeling
- Fundraising
- Operational Modeling
- Startup Consulting
- Valuation
Work Experience
Corporate Development Manager
Planterra
- Assisted with creating a corporate strategy for Planterra by mapping company capabilities and through various SWOT, market, and competitive analyses.
- Led the creation and execution of a joint development agreement with a strategic partner to collaborate on mutually beneficial research and development (R&D).
- Headed a process to select an ingredient co-development partner to enhance product flavor, texture, and cooking experience.
- Guided the decision of how to produce a plant-based meat product by assessing various production and ingredient technologies. Worked with R&D to assess novel ingredients and cross-functionally to determine the best path.
- Identified long-term saving opportunities that could be attacked inorganically or through a scale by creating a product cost curve.
Corporate Development Consultant
Self-employed
- Acted as a CFO for a hardware startup. Led fundraising by developing financial models and pitch decks. Scouted and engaged investors. Raised over €1.5 million. Represented the company at startup competitions and fairs.
- Co-founded a ghost kitchen startup in Italy, leveraging restaurant technology to provide better food and a superior customer experience.
- Created new financial models and audited existing work for a food technology startup, resulting in a successful $100 million financing round.
- Optimized inventory planning for an FMCG subscription company by analyzing subscriber behavior, resulting in improved use of company cash.
- Assisted with the seed round fundraising of a unique meal kit startup by developing financial models, raising materials, guiding an overall strategy, and engaging with investors.
Corporate Development Manager
AeroFarms
- Leveraged farm capabilities and led the analysis and business planning for collaborations with third parties, resulting in unique fundraising and business development opportunities.
- Assessed a variety of new farming technologies for future incorporation into the company business model, illustrating pathways for future growth and improved profitability.
- Built operational and financial models for existing and prospective farms, driving investment and business decisions.
- Developed financial and valuation models, pitched investors, and supported due diligence for a Series D of $40 million.
VP of Counterparty Credit Risk
Bank of Tokyo | MUFG
- Built a counterparty credit risk framework for the Americas as part of a two-person team, reporting to the CRO.
- Established a risk management platform by working cross-functionally to understand various business units and their exposures.
- Stayed current with counterparty credit risk regulation.
Market Risk Analyst
Natixis
- Acted as the market risk controller for the emerging market rates trading desk and the Latam FX desk.
- Established risk limits for various exposures and total VAR. Worked with trading desks to navigate those limits.
- Developed and automated quantitative models and reports to streamline the assessment and reporting process.
Quantitative Analyst
McKinsey & Company
- Collaborated as a part of a small risk management team for the portfolio of McKinsey & Company pension plan and partner assets.
- Gained exposure to many different asset classes and investment strategies through engagement with hedge fund portfolio managers.
- Developed sophisticated benchmarks to track the performance of various investment funds and direct investments.
Education
Bachelor of Science Degree in Quantitative Economics
Binghamton University - Vestal, NY, United States
Skills
Finance
Financial Modeling, Valuation, Fundraising, Forecasting, Revenue & Expense Projections, Three-statement Modeling, Cash Flow, CFO, Seed Fundraising, Startup Funding, Cash Flow Modeling, Projected Cash Flow, Five-year Projections, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Valuation Modeling, P&L Forecasting, Investment Return Scenario Analysis, ROI, Budgeting, Funding Strategy, Venture Funding, Project Evaluation, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Data Analysis, Accounting, Corporate Finance, Operating Expenses (OPEX), Profitability Optimization, Internal Financial Reporting, Financial Reporting, Angel/Seed Funding, Series B, Discounted Cash Flow (DCF), Private Equity, Due Diligence, Revenue Modeling, Profit & Loss (P&L), M&A (Sell-side), Value Creation, Asset-based Finance, Debt Raises, Pricing, Series A, Financial Advisory, 13-week Cash Flow, Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Cost Benchmarking, Financial Benchmarking, Pro Forma Financial Statements, Project Finance, RiskMetrics, Market Research, Personal Finance, M&A (Buy-side), M&A Modeling, Private Equity Valuation, Cap Table Formation, Risk, Forex Trading, Cash Management
Output Software
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Sheets
Data & Analysis Software
Visual Basic, QuickBooks Online, Bloomberg
Industry Expertise
Early-stage Startups, Venture Capital, Consumer Products, Technology, Banking & Finance, Retail & Wholesale, Food & Beverage, Real Estate Modeling, Mobile User Acquisition, Restaurants & Dining, Healthcare, Pets, Oil & Gas, Sports, Real Estate
Geographic Expertise
United States, Europe
Other
Operational Modeling, Excel VBA, Foodtech, CPG, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Startup Consulting, Startups, Pitch Decks, Growth Strategy, eCommerce, Financial Statements, Revenue Projections, Early-stage Funding, Business Models, Spreadsheets, Excel Expert, Pitch Deck Consultant, Business Plan Consulting, IRR, Investments, Gross Profit Margin Growth, Financing, Finance, COGS Analysis, Gross Margins, DCF Modeling, Scenario Analysis, Cap Tables, B2C, B2B, Fundraising Strategy, Direct to Consumer (D2C), Excel Macros, Macros, Data Visualization, Dashboards, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), Equity Investment, Investment Consulting, Visual Storytelling, Investment Presentations, Storytelling, Startup Growth Strategy Development, Shopify, Business Strategy, CAPEX, Accounts Receivable, Reporting, Business Analysis, Variance Reporting, Financial Reporting Dashboards, Fundraising Consultant, Financial Analysis, Consolidated Reporting, Climate Change, SaaS, Manufacturing, Subscription Pricing, Financial Forecasting, Interim CFO, Fractional CFO, Investor Presentations, Business Consulting, Analysis, Expense Reports, Data Reporting, FMCG, Finance Reports, Loans, Operating Models, Project Management, Investment Analysis, Corporate Development, Excel Modeling, M&A Due Diligence (Financial), Financial Ratios, Investment Funds, P&L Analysis, Business Planning, Waterfall Modeling, Cash Flow Analysis, Excel Add-ins, Mid-market companies, Budget Management, Financial Operations & Processes, Expense Management, Board Presentations, Performance Analysis, Innovation, Innovation Strategy, Data Entry, Investor Reporting, Market Research & Analysis, Management Consulting, Operations Management, Competitive Analysis, Data Centers, Early-stage Venture Capital, Food Delivery Services, Strategy, Nutrition & Supplements, Clothing, Inventory Management, Acquisitions, Investor Relations, Incubator Management, Restaurant Operations, Exit Strategy, Subscriptions, Software as a Service (SaaS), Personal Finance Management, Investment Banking, Information Memoranda, Business Transformation, Supply Chain, Family Office, Offshore services, Private Equity Consultant, Term Sheets, Term Sheet Negotiations, Veterinary Medicine, Sales, Infrastructure, SBA, Healthcare Services, Due Diligence Consultant, Market Risk, Trading, Microsoft Power BI, SAP, BI Reporting
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