Travis Borden
Verified Expert in Management Consulting
Management Consulting Expert
Boston, MA, United States
Toptal member since March 2, 2018
Travis was part of the founding team at Moelis & Co., a $2.5 billion global investment bank, and has 18 years of experience advising clients on $40+ billion of M&A, capital raising, and restructuring transactions. In 2015, he founded a socially responsible advisory firm, Keene Advisors, named "Best for the World" 2017-2019. Travis joined Toptal to expand his network and share his expertise advising companies from startups to Fortune 500 firms.
Career Highlights
Education Highlights
Certification Highlights
Case Studies
Capital Raising Materials
Primers on M&A Transaction Types
Social Enterprises and Impact Investing
Industry Expertise
- Agriculture
- Business Services
- Accounting Services
- Management Consulting
- Information & Document Management
- Advertising & Marketing
- Custom Software & IT Services
- Construction
Other Expertise
- Capital Raising
- Corporate Sales & Divestitures
- Investment Banking
- Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
Work Experience
Founder | President
Keene Advisors
- Founded Keene Advisors, a socially responsible investment bank and consulting firm based in Boston that specializes in providing strategic and financial advice on capital raising and M&A transactions as well as on other strategic and financial matters.
- Led teams of purpose-driven employees on advisory engagements for private and family-owned, venture-backed, private equity-owned, and publicly traded companies.
- Consulted on over 75 client engagements with clients ranging from startups to Fortune 50 companies, private equity firms, venture firms, and family offices.
- Advised a venture-backed agtech company on a bridge capital raise. Responsibilities included developing a financial model, marketing materials, and introducing the investors.
- Counseled a venture-backed food company on the sale to a competitor. Responsibilities included developing a financial model and marketing materials, contacting potential buyers, and managing the entire sale process.
- Gave guidance to a privately-owned software company on strategic alternatives, including the reorganization of the business.
- Supported a $1 billion private equity-backed company in the development of a comprehensive M&A strategy.
- Delivered expert recommendations to a $10+ billion publicly-traded medical device company in connection with the formation of an international joint venture; responsibilities included structuring and valuation.
- Incorporated Keene Advisors as a benefit corporation in 2015, earned B corporation certification in 2016 and was named "Best for the World" 2017, 2018, and 2019 by the nonprofit B Lab.
- Named as a 40-under-40 honoree by the Boston Business Journal.
Senior Vice President
Moelis & Company
- Joined Moelis & Company, a $2.5 billion publicly traded global investment bank (NYSE:MC), as part of the founding team.
- Assisted in all aspects of the successful startup of Moelis & Company, as well as its growth to over 500 bankers, and a successful IPO in just seven years.
- Led teams of investment bankers on mergers and acquisitions and restructuring advisory assignments, including over 30 transactions totaling over $15 billion in value.
- Raised over $3 billion of debt and equity capital for clients in support of over ten refinancing, growth capital, and restructuring transactions.
- Advised on the sale or merger of Wyle Laboratories, TYBRIN Corporation, Dominion Homes, Townsquare Media, the residential real estate portfolio of York Capital, and Orleans Homes, among others.
- Gave input on the divestitures of CIBER's government services business, Stock Building Supply's Universal Supply subsidiary, and Freedom Communication's TV Broadcasting stations, among others.
- Advised bidders in connection with the acquisitions of American Safety Razor, Dow Chemical's Stryon division, Bradley Pharmaceuticals, HM College Publishing, Polygon Homes, and WRECO, among others.
- Consulted on the restructuring of Aleris International, the Olson Company, Engineering Solutions & Products, and Young Broadcasting, among others.
- Advised in the connection with the IPO of TRI Pointe Group (NYSE:TPH), a rights offering for Woodside Homes, a private investment in public equity (PIPE) for AV Homes (Nasdaq:AVHI), and follow-on offerings for Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH), William Lyon Homes (NYSE:WLH), Beazer Homes (NYSE:BZH), and Energizer (NYSE:ENR).
- Provided input on the connection with debt and convertible debt capital raises for Aleris International, Ashton Woods, Beazer Homes (NYSE:BZH), CIBER, William Lyon Homes, and Woodside Homes, among others.
- Co-led Moelis’ homebuilding and government services advisory and capital markets practices; responsible for the origination and execution of client transactions.
- Managed the day-to-day operations of Moelis & Company’s Boston office, including recruiting, staffing, training, and mentoring.
Member of the Board of Directors
Wawa
- Served on the board of directors of Wawa, a private company operating more than 650 retail stores and generating over $10 billion of revenue annually.
- Reviewed and examined the financial performance, annual budgets, and employee benefit plans as a member of the finance committee of the board.
- Looked over and approved major financial transactions, including dividends of over $60 million, $400 million of share buybacks and employee stock option plan (ESOP) tender offers, and a conversion from a C corporation to an S corporation.
- Oversaw the operations of the internal audit department, evaluated internal accounting controls, and selected and met with independent auditors as a member of the audit committee of the board.
- Coordinated and evaluated enterprise risk management, including food safety and information security, among others.
- Provided oversight to the development of the fuel business, including reviewing pricing strategies and entry into new products (natural gas, etc.) as a member of the board's strategic fuels committee.
- Engaged actively in successful CEO, COO, and CFO succession planning.
Associate
UBS
- Ranked at the top of the analyst and associate class; hand-picked from among a 100-person analyst class to work with the global head of investment banking for a one-year management rotation.
- Provided buy-side and sell-side advisory services in connection with nine transactions totaling nearly $4 billion in value.
- Originated, structured, and executed 19 debt, equity and convertible financing transactions—raising over $6.5 billion for clients in both public and private markets.
- Conducted an in-depth credit analysis on over 30 financing transactions—providing firm commitments of over $13 billion to support clients’ acquisitions, recapitalizations and project financing activities.
- Provided M&A advice and secured financing commitments in connection with the leveraged buyouts (LBOs) of PQ Corporation, Greatwide Logistics, Baker & Taylor, and Standard Steel, among others.
- Advised the World Gold Council on the formation and IPO of StreetTracks Gold Trust (NYSE:GLD), the first commodity-based ETF, with a market value of over $30 billion.
- Provided financing in connection with tender offers and dividend recapitalizations, and to fund acquisitions and growth initiatives, for TXI Industries, ILC Industries, AMS Holdings, Quadra Mining, and Temple-Inland, among others.
- Led a 20-person cross-functional team tasked with redesigning UBS’ leveraged underwriting process.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Finance
Boston College - Boston, MA, USA
Bachelor's Degree in Business
Virginia Tech - Blacksburg, VA, USA
Certifications
Series 7 and Series 66
North American Securities Administrators Association
Skills
Finance
Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Capital Structure Analysis, Credit Analysis, Refinancing, Corporate Finance, Investment Memoranda, Valuation Analysis, Finance Strategy, Management Buyout Finance, Asset Valuation, Forecasting, CFO, Revenue & Expense Projections, Due Diligence, Bank Debt Raises, Cost of Capital, M&A Modeling, DCF Valuation, Capital Raising, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Private Equity Valuation, Valuation, Financial Modeling, Growth Equity, Private Equity, Fundraising, Debt Structuring, Debt Raises, M&A (Sell-side), M&A (Buy-side), M&A Earn-out Agreements, M&A Reporting, 13-week Cash Flow, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Budgeting, Cash Flow, Profit & Loss (P&L), Three-statement Modeling, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Rating, Cap Table Formation, Equity Capital, Financial Advisory, Cash Flow Modeling, Cost Reduction & Optimization (Cost-down), Data Analysis, Cost Benchmarking, Financial Benchmarking, P&L Forecasting, Financial Reporting, Market Research, Cash Flow Forecasting, Risk Models, Total Addressable Market (TAM), Five-year Projections, Debt Restructuring, Accounting, Rollups, Seed Fundraising, Operational Finance, Capital Structuring, Financial Overviews, Financial Marketing, Growth Capital Raising, Venture Funding, Entrepreneurial Finance, Recapitalization, Financial Restructuring, Valuation Modeling, Equity Raises, Equity Offerings
Output Software
Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel 2016, Microsoft Excel
Data & Analysis Software
Capital IQ
Industry Expertise
Healthcare, Technology, Venture Capital, Social Enterprise, Capital Markets, Convenience Stores, Software, Aerospace & Defense, Early-stage Startups, Commercial Real Estate, Retail & Wholesale, Hygiene & Personal Care, Consumer Products, Merchant Banking, Financial Services, Building & Construction, Building Materials, Entertainment & Leisure, Agrotech, Real Estate, Food & Beverage, Nonprofits, Transportation & Shipping
Geographic Expertise
United States
Other
Acquisitions, Investor Presentations, Leveraged Finance, Deal Structuring, Leveraged Buyout (LBO), Negotiation, Corporate Development, Sell-side, Pitch Deck Consultant, Pitch Presentations, Pitch Decks, Fractional CFO, Corporate Restructuring, Distressed/Special Situations, Complex Transaction Agreements, Financing, Government Contracting, Business Planning, Investment Banking, Financial Statements, Conscious Capitalism, Corporate Sales & Divestitures, Divestitures, Impact Investing, Entrepreneurship, B Corps, Private Capital Markets, Debt Financing, M&A Pipeline Management, Business Strategy, Fundraising Strategy, Mentorship & Coaching, Business Plan Consulting, Business Models, Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), Startups, Cap Tables, Financial Analysis, Equity Investment, Term Sheet Negotiations, Term Sheets, Fundraising Consultant, Excel Modeling, P&L Analysis, Cash Flow Management, IRR, NPV Calculation, Multiple on Invested Capital (MOIC), Financials, Startup Consulting, Advisory, Precedent Transaction Analysis, Structuring, Excel 365, Finance, Innovation, Project Management, Sales, Investments, Interim CFO, Manufacturing, Resource Allocation, B2B, Operations, Investor Reporting, Investor Relations, Retail Strategy, Strategyzer, M&A Due Diligence (Financial), eCommerce, Board Advisory, Risk Management, Market Diligence, Financial Forecasting, Marketing Research & Analysis, Scenario Analysis, Five-year Plans, Growth Strategy, Succession Planning, Modeling, Federal Government Finance, Revenue Projections, Sales Projections, Exit Strategy, M&A Strategy, Deal Execution, Direct to Consumer (D2C), Strategy, Due Diligence Consultant, Healthcare Services, Restructuring Consultant, Staffing, Initial Public Offerings, CleanTech, Storytelling, Business Services, Corporate Governance, Governance, Board Presentations, Boards, Capital Allocation, Leadership, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Data Analytics, Business to Consumer (B2C), Early-stage Venture Capital, Restructuring, Early-stage Funding
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