The Evolution of Private Equity Secondaries: Roundtable with Michael Granoff, Founder & CEO at Pomona Capital (Professional Level)

Mr. Granoff is the founder and CEO of Pomona Capital, a global private equity firm with approximately $20 billion in capital commitments. Based in New York, London and Hong Kong, Pomona is a leading investor in secondary and primary interests in private equity funds and companies. Prior to founding Pomona in
1994, he served as a Director of partnerships organized to purchase secondary interests in private equity funds and as a Director of a number of private companies at Golodetz Ventures and TEI Industries.

Prior to his business career, Mr. Granoff served as the Chairman’s representative on the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations with responsibility for economic and military assistance. He was a member of the 1992 Presidential Transition Team for the Department of the Treasury.

Mr. Granoff was appointed by President Clinton to the Board of the Albanian-American Enterprise Fund, a U.S. government private sector development initiative where he serves as Chairman. He is also Chairman of the Albanian American Development Foundation, the largest non-profit organization in the Balkans. Mr. Granoff is a recipient of the Knighthood of Skanderbeg, the Order of Mother Teresa, and the Medal of Public Gratitude from the Government of Albania. Mr. Granoff is a Director of the Grameen Bank U.S. and Chairman of the International Board of Trustees of The Institute for National Security Studies (Israel.) He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as a Trustee of the Yad Hanadiv Rothschild Foundation. Mr. Granoff received a JD from Georgetown University and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Howard J. Beber is a partner in the Corporate Department and co-head of the Private Funds Group, recognized by Chambers Global, Chambers USA and US Legal 500. His practice focuses on representing private funds sponsors in all aspects of their business, including fund formation and ongoing operations and internal structuring and compliance. His practice includes buyout, growth equity, venture capital, private credit, secondary and fund-of-funds, ranging from some of the largest and well-known sponsors in the industry to newly-formed managers.

He advises clients on a broad range of secondary transactions, including the acquisition and sale of partnership interests, tender offers, preferred equity financings, continuation funds, fund restructurings and other GP-led transactions, and has worked with several management teams on large spin-out transactions. Howard routinely represents some of the most active institutional and fund-of-fund investors when investing in venture capital, growth equity, buyout, private credit, and other private investment funds, as well as co-investment transactions.

Howard has been an active member of the Private Investment Funds industry for many years and is frequently tapped to weigh-in as an industry expert amongst major industry events. Howard has also authored numerous articles regarding managing and investing in private investment funds and is a contributing author to “The Business of Venture Capital,” a leading book on the venture capital industry.