July 6, 2009 – Los Angeles, CA – Newly launched, mid-market investment bank, Diamond Capital Partners, is pleased to announce the addition of its sixth managing partner, Katherine Makinney. Ms. Makinney brings more than two decades of in-depth transactional and operational experience in the technology and entertainment industries to Diamond Capital’s impressive management roster, which already boasts a combined 125 years of varied investment banking experience – in a multitude of industry arenas – amongst its five other managing partners.
Prior to joining Diamond Capital Partners, Ms. Makinney held management roles with two technology start-ups, Object Design Inc. and Servio Corporation, and also founded two entertainment start-ups, New Ground Productions and PostmodernParables.com.
“Katherine is one of the best investments we’ve made!†says Robert K. Whyte, Diamond Capital founder and managing partner. “We [at Diamond Capital] believe that providing our clients with real world, hands-on operational experience, allows us to understand our client’s strengths and weaknesses and find creative ways to solve their funding dilemmas.†Historically, the Diamond Capital Partners team has completed hundreds of successful transactions, ranging from $10 million to over $200 million.
As Ms. Makinney joins Diamond Capital Partners, she is furthering Mr. Whyte’s train of thought: Doing what you know best, is often the best way to help others. Ms. Makinney’s key areas of focus have always been technology and media/entertainment. Ms. Makinney’s expertise in the latter is documented in the form 18 film festival awards for her work, including her 2001 “Best Short Film†award in the Gen Art Film Festival and two other 2001 wins in the Phoenix and Damah Film Festivals. While in the entertainment industry, Ms. Makinney also produced a cable TV show, in addition to her work on numerous short films and documentaries as producer, director and/or writer.
Some of Ms. Makinney’s key deals in the investment banking realm have included management of the sale of key technology to NeXT Software, as well as management of the sale of key technology to Intel Corporation, for their in-house time-to-money database. Ms. Makinney was also in a management role with Object Design Inc., as they underwent a successful IPO.
In addition to the fortification of its expertise in the entertainment and tech sectors, with the introduction of Ms. Makinney into the Diamond Capital Partners management mix, the firm gains her passion for yet another transactional arena: Alternative Energy. The team already serves transactional arenas such as advertising and media, food services, consumer products, business services, entertainment, manufacturing, healthcare, Internet and technology, real estate, medical devices, and retail and distribution.
Ms. Makinney received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University, and pursued graduate studies at both National University and UCLA. She holds both FINRA Series 7 and Series 63 licenses. She is on the board of two non-profit organizations and is an avid movie fan.
Ms. Makinney is available for interviews and/or comment, as well as public speaking opportunities, as a financial, entertainment and media, and tech expert.
About Diamond Capital Partners
Diamond Capital Partners officially announced its launch in early June 2009. The first five managing partners, David Herman, Bruce Kobritz, Mark Ross, Robert Smith, and Robert K. Whyte, also have a vast array of transactional and negotiating skills, along with real, corporate operational expertise. Diamond Capital Partners is headquartered in Century City, Los Angeles, with additional operations in New York and Nashville.
Diamond Capital’s six managing partners consider themselves to be “generalists,†able to seamlessly assist each of their clients with their respective mergers, acquisitions or buyouts, or with the process of securing valuations, or raising equity or debt capital, among other funding scenarios. The firm focuses on the lower end of the mid-market spectrum, providing services to companies with revenues of $20 million to $200 million. Diamond Capital’s dedication to customer service – providing hands-on, day to day interaction with their customers, by each of its managing partners – affords clients a sense of security and truly personalized service, and highly customized deal structuring.
The Diamond Capital team’s experience, expansive contact roster and general know-how, allows the firm to conduct high-end, more efficient auctions for client companies looking to be sold, thus alleviating longer waiting periods and financial headaches, when time is of the utmost importance. Diamond Capital looks to take the most direct route in any given transaction situation; honing in on targeted opportunities, in order to present the best possible scenario to its clients, allowing the client to focus on, and attain, their most optimal deal results.
For further information and updates on Diamond Capital Partners, its individual management team members, completed transactions and services offered, please visit: www.diamondcapitalpartners.com.
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