Willowridge Partners

Willowridge is an experienced buyer of private equity and venture capital interests.

About
Secondary Markets
Team
Contact

About
Secondary Markets
Team
Contact

About Willowridge Partners

Willowridge Partners, Inc. is a secondaries firm dedicated to the purchase of interests in venture capital, buyout, mezzanine and other private capital funds and companies from existing investors seeking liquidity. Since 1995, Willowridge has raised nine funds with total committed capital of approximately $3.0 billion. We have completed over 750 transactions and have acquired interests in over 2,500 funds. Our most recent fund closed in 2023 with committed capital of $900 million.

0 +

Transactions Completed

0 +

Years of Experience

SECONDARY MARKETS

The private equity industry has continued to experience record growth, with assets under management reaching $11.7 trillion as of June 30, 2022, growing at an annual rate of nearly 20 percent since 2017.¹ Private equity funds are typically structured as long-term, illiquid investments. However, some investors may seek liquidity from these funds prior to their termination. Investors may look to sell a single fund or a portfolio of funds to:

Revise portfolio strategy due to changes in ownership, regulatory requirements, or investment policies (such as alternative asset target allocation).
Protect returns by “locking in” an IRR as of the date of sale of the limited partnership interest.
Generate cash to reinvest in more strategic areas.
Ease the administrative burden and rationalize the holdings of relatively small positions in older partnerships.
Relieve future capital call requirements by transferring the unfunded commitment to a reliable investor.
Refocus private equity holdings on core relationships.

¹ McKinsey Global Private Markets Review 2023

Meet the Team

ASSOCIATE

Kayla Burakovsky

PARTNER

Jerrold Newman

Jerry is the founder of Willowridge Partners and established its first investment fund, Amberbrook LLC, in 1995. Jerry has been investing in private equity funds and mid-market direct deals for more than 30 years. Previously, Jerry worked at Price Waterhouse as a CPA and at Booz, Allen & Hamilton in its acquisitions practice. Jerry spent over a decade investing in private equity for a family trust and subsequently worked for a buyout fund before founding Willowridge. Jerry received an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and a B.S. from Cornell University.

Email:jnewman@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-2888

PARTNER

James O’Mara

Jim joined Willowridge in 2002 as an intern and returned full time a year later. Previously, Jim worked in the Office of Investments at Hamilton College where he analyzed the performance of the college’s private equity portfolio. Jim holds a B.A. from Hamilton College.

Email:jomara@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-3211

PARTNER

Lawrence Fang

Lawrence joined Willowridge in 2016 and is engaged in the origination and execution of secondary purchases in private equity funds and direct companies. Prior to joining Willowridge, Lawrence was a principal at Pomona Capital, focused on both secondary purchases as well as making primary commitments in private equity funds. Earlier in his career, he worked in the alternative investments division at AIG Global Investment Group. Lawrence received a BBA from the University of Michigan.

Email: lfang@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-8922

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Michael Kenny

Mike joined Willowridge in 2009 after eight years at Goldman Sachs & Co. where he was a Vice President in Finance responsible for the accounting, analysis, reporting and internal controls of the firm’s private equity funds. He is a certified public accountant in New York State, having started his career at RSM McGladrey where he planned and conducted audits of mutual funds, and later moved to Merrill Lynch & Co. as part of the Corporate Controller’s group. Mike received a B.S. in Accounting from St. John’s University.

Email:mkenny@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-8844

PRINCIPAL

Christian Oberbeck

Christian joined Willowridge in 2016. Prior to joining Willowridge, Christian was an associate at Sonenshine Partners, a mergers and acquisitions advisory firm based in New York. During his three years at Sonenshine Partners, he worked on advisory assignments on a large range of transaction types for both large cap and middle market companies in the technology, software, retail / ecommerce and healthcare sectors. Prior to Sonenshine Partners, Christian worked at Bloomberg in the Financial Product Sales and Analytics division. Christian received an A.B. in Psychology from Harvard College in 2011.

Email:coberbeck@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-4714

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

Angela Qiu

Angela joined Willowridge in April 2017 as Director of Finance. Miss Qiu is a CPA with over thirteen years of experience in private equity, most recently at GCM Grosvenor, where she was a fund controller responsible for fund accounting and financial reporting for the firm’s primary private equity and secondary funds. Prior to that, Miss Qiu was an AVP at Credit Suisse in the Private Equity group. She began her career at EisnerAmper LLP, a regional advisory and CPA firm. Miss Qiu received an MBA in Finance and Accounting from University at Buffalo, SUNY.

Email:aqiu@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-4592

VICE PRESIDENT

Matthew Melamed, CFA

Matt joined Willowridge in 2018. Previously, Matt was an associate at Forester Capital, where he was responsible for alternative investment manager selection and portfolio management. Matt received a B.A. in Economics from Northwestern University and is a CFA® charterholder.

Email: mmelamed@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-4707

VICE PRESIDENT

Justin Cheng

Justin Cheng joined Willowridge in 2019. Previously, Justin was an investment banking associate at The Alberleen Group, where he worked on public offerings and private placement transactions for a range of middle-market global clients. Justin holds a B.S. in Business & Political Economy and Computer Science from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University.

Email:Jcheng@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-4712

ASSOCIATE

Jagriti Sharma

Jagriti joined Willowridge in 2022. Prior to joining Willowridge, Jagriti was a Senior Reporting Analyst at Starr Private Equity Partners, where she was engaged in portfolio monitoring and reporting. Previously, she worked in the Controllers Division at Goldman Sachs. Jagriti received a B.B.A. in Accounting from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College.

Email:jsharma@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-4706

ASSOCIATE

Samuel Levy

Sam joined Willowridge in 2023. Previously, Sam was an investment banking analyst at HSBC, where he worked in debt capital markets focusing on originating public debt offerings for large domestic and foreign companies. Sam received a BBA and graduated with highest distinction from Emory University.

Email:slevy@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-4625

ASSOCIATE

Kayla Burakovsky

Kayla joined Willowridge in 2023. Prior to joining Willowridge, Kayla was an associate at Morgan Stanley in their Capital Markets group, where she worked with sponsors and management on origination, execution and advisory for companies in the consumer and retail space. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Kayla worked at S&P Global (previously IHS Markit) on the OTC Derivative Portfolio Valuations team. Kayla received a B.S. in Finance from the University of Miami.

Email:kburakovsky@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-4626

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Mary Stevenson

Mary joined Willowridge in 2005 as an associate and is currently the operations manager. She is responsible for various administrative and operational aspects of the firm. Previously, Mary was a freelance writer and visual artist. Mary loves nature, art and animals. She received a B.A. from New York University.

Email:mstevenson@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-4705

OFFICE MANAGER

Lauren Green

Lauren Green joined Willowridge Partners in 2019 as the Office Manager/Administrative Assistant, providing all-around support to the team. Prior to this, she served as the Imports Manager at Sunham Home Fashions, a multinational importer and wholesaler of home textiles. She holds a Master of Music degree from the University of Oregon and performs with local opera and theatre companies in her spare time.

Email:lgreen@willowridge.com

Phone:212-369-4705

SENIOR ADVISOR

Luisa Hunnewell

Luisa became a Senior Advisor in 2021. She joined Willowridge in 1996 and spent 24 years as a Partner, where she was involved in all aspects of the firm. Prior to Willowridge, she spent 16 years at Chemical Bank, where she was involved in a number of specialized industries including insurance, banks and securities firms, auto and tire, and agribusiness. Luisa holds an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Email:lhunnewell@willowridge.com