A Team Built Around the Founder Experience

Sam Sezak is a distinguished partner at North Haven Capital, where his expertise spans growth-stage investments and lower middle market buyouts with a primary focus on healthcare, manufacturing, and business services sectors. With a rich background as an operator, private equity/venture capital partner, and board director, Sam brings to the table a profound understanding of strategic direction setting, team building, business development, as well as the origination, evaluation, and portfolio management of investment opportunities.

His notable leadership roles have included serving on the Board of Directors for transformative companies like Avizia (Acquired by Amwell, NYSE: AMWL), Verisma, STARC Systems, and Rarebreed. Through his exceptional ability to leverage relationships and networks, Sam has been instrumental in helping companies achieve milestones in team building, sales growth, partnership development, and financing future growth.

Sam’s role extends beyond North Haven Capital; he is also the co-founder and Chairman of Red Bear Angels, a nationwide network of Cornell alumni investors supporting companies led or founded by Cornellians. His contributions through Red Bear Angels underscore his commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship within the Cornell community and beyond.

At North Haven Capital, Sam’s strategic insights and hands-on approach have been vital in guiding the firm’s investment philosophy and operational strategies, positioning the firm as a leading player in the investment landscape.

Drew Bagin, a CFA charterholder and co-founder of North Haven Capital, is a seasoned investor with a wealth of experience in private equity, having completed numerous transactions for both strategic and financial investors. Before co-founding North Haven Capital, Drew honed his investment acumen as a Partner at Aeterna Capital, where he managed a portfolio of lower middle market investments, showcasing his ability to identify and cultivate high-potential companies.

Drew’s extensive background also includes a pivotal role at ORIX Corp., a global financial services company, where he was instrumental in executing and managing strategic acquisitions, deploying over $2.7 billion in capital across three major transactions. His career in private equity began at Lincolnshire Management, Inc., a firm with approximately $2.0 billion in capital under management. At Lincolnshire, Drew was responsible for analyzing and sourcing investment opportunities and providing operational support to the firm’s portfolio companies, contributing to over 95 private equity investments across a variety of industries.

In addition to his role at North Haven Capital, Drew is a co-founder and active member of Red Bear Angels, a nationwide network of Cornell alumni that invests in companies led or founded by Cornellians. This position underscores his commitment to fostering entrepreneurship and innovation within the Cornell community and beyond.

Drew received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University, further solidifying his deep ties to the institution and its alumni network. His career trajectory, marked by significant accomplishments in investment management and strategic acquisitions, positions him as a key asset to North Haven Capital and its investment strategies, especially in the realm of healthcare software and services companies.

Jen joined North Haven Capital as Director of Operations in 2024. She is the primary point of contact and provides critical operational and business support to NHC, its limited partners, advisors, and portfolio companies. Her notable experience in the private equity and financial services industries spans nearly three decades.

She previously managed operations for three New England-based venture capital firms – an independent sponsor and two licensed SBIC funds – and brings a vast range of private equity operational expertise to NHC. Her roles have been multi-faceted: she has worked closely with high-net worth individuals/angel investors, family offices, and institutional investors, on the shareholder side; business partners; portfolio companies; Boards; and, in the case of the SBIC funds, directly managed reporting, compliance and audits with the US Small Business Administration. She has served as a Relationship Manager for a Commercial Lender, and for several years functioned as a Client Relationship Manager and Financial Paraplanner for Advisory Clients of a local Wealth Management firm and branch office of LPL Financial – the largest independent broker-dealer in the country.

Jen holds a BA from the University of Maine, is a certified Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional through the College of Financial Planning, and a Notary Public. She has served on the Board of the UMaine Swimming & Diving Endowment Fund, volunteered for the Maine Mentor Program, and for many years was involved in the National Youth Sports Program (NYSP), a comprehensive educational and sports program which teaches vital life skills to economically disadvantaged children.