David is 100% dedicated to operating a software business with close support from his network of investors. White Cedar’s investor group amplifies David’s impact by providing patient capital, governance, access to operating executives and talent networks, and mentorship.
David is the Founder and Managing Partner of White Cedar, based in Chicago, Illinois. Before White Cedar, David was with Apple in the finance group, leading operational strategy, planning, and execution for the company's global network of retail and contact center employees. There, he became heavily involved in big data to improve executive decision-making – building predictive staffing models, data warehouse workflows, Tableau visualizations, and other BI solutions.
David's blue-collar upbringing and competitive sports background heavily shaped his values and leadership style. Born and raised in an automotive family, David learned that perseverance, pride, and integrity in one's work are foundational to achieving anything meaningful. His days as a basketball player, most recently on the Cornell Men's Basketball team, taught him the importance of teamwork, communication, and discipline, which he continues to practice daily.
David holds a BS in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University and an MBA with Honors from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
We recognize the best strategies take time to develop and execute. Our partners are in no rush to exit and value long term outlooks unlike other private investors.
We move with speed and certainty to be respectful of your time. Our partners provide hands-on support when working on an acquisition to ensure alignment throughout the process.
A successful new chapter of ownership cannot be done alone. David has access to industry experts and operating executives in areas such as technology, sales, HR, and finance to support our strategies.
Our partners help David in board formation to ensure the succession has proper oversight and goes smoothly. Afterwards, they become active members who are invested in the company's success.
David recognizes the challenge of being a first-time CEO and is fortunate to have a group of partners who provide mentorship and introductions to leadership coaches.
White Cedar is privileged to partner with the world’s leading search fund investment groups. Their collective experience, intellect, and flexibility provide David with unparalleled support in identifying, acquiring, and operating one great business.
Founders often ask us similar questions, so we've compiled a list of the most frequently asked ones to help.
We approach valuation in a personalized manner. We will use data from market prices, revenue growth, customer retention, and other factors to come up with a fair price and structure. For many software businesses, this ends up being on a multiple of ARR while others are valued on a multiple of EBITDA.
Yes! While we find that many organizations have a fully remote workforce in a post-pandemic world, David will relocate to run the business where it has historically been located when there is an on-site presence. For fully-remote workforces, David will work with you to determine the optimal location for the new HQ.
Not necessarily. We understand that all businesses are different! If you are a software business doing above $3 million in ARR, growing, and have sticky customers, we'd still love to connect.
We love to hear when founders are interested in staying with the business after the acquisition. While we expect David to lead as the CEO, we welcome ideas you have in staying involved.
We are not interested in buying a business that requires severe organizational change and intend to keep the existing team in place. We'll work closely with you during the diligence phase to identify any people concerns that might be damaging to the company culture.
We recognize the effort that it will take to go down this process and make a commitment to not waste anyone's time. As long as we can access the data we need to review the business, we expect the process to take anywhere between 2 and 5 months.
Fill out the following information, and we will get in touch to schedule a 20-minute intro call to discuss your background and succession goals.
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