Nick DeVaney
Nick DeVaney is a Managing Director at Novelty Hill Capital, bringing over two decades of experience in both investment banking and entrepreneurship. Prior to his joining NHC, Nick served as the President and Co-Founder of a regional boutique investment bank, specializing in serving middle-market privately held companies in their M&A endeavors.
An experienced, trusted and recognized leading M&A advisor to the Built Environment and Professional Services industries, Nick has successfully navigated difficult transaction obstacles, market challenges and industry dynamics for both domestic and cross-border clients.
Beyond his professional achievements, Nick is a dedicated husband and dad, raising his three kids with his wife Lauren, coaching competitive youth sports, both travel and high school, while enjoying the outdoors with his family and friends whenever possible.
Nick is a graduate of Washington State University, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration as well as holding his Series 24, 62 and 63 FINRA licenses.
Sean Ostrander
Sean Ostrander is a Vice President at Novelty Hill Capital and supports all aspects of the transaction process. Prior to joining Novelty Hill, Sean was a Vice President at Merit Investment Bank, a Seattle area Investment Bank, where he spent 10 years executing transactions across multiple industries.
Sean is a native to the south Puget Sound area and has served in multiple roles with Young Life, a para-church outreach organization for middle and high schoolers. He and his wife Amy are avid travelers, and you’ll frequently find Sean with golf clubs or a skimboard during Pacific Northwest summers.
Sean holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the Master’s University. He has his Series 63 and Series 79 licenses with FINRA.
Wayne Millage
Wayne has over 35 years’ experience in the packaging industry experience across many roles, while always prioritizing a focus on product differentiation and profitable growth. Wayne is the former Chief Executive Officer of Trojan Lithograph Corporation, a leading designer and manufacturer of consumer packaging. Prior to his role at Trojan, Wayne held several C-suite roles including as the former President of Allpak Container and Allpak Container East and as the former Vice President of Business Development at Crown Packaging.
Sriraj Kantamneni
SriRaj Kantamneni (Sri) is a 20-year veteran of the Ag and Food industry, currently a Senior Vice President & Chief Information and Digital Officer at Schreiber Foods. Prior to this, he held various leadership roles at Cargill for nearly 20 years. Sri has worked in six different countries, in Asia, Latin America and Europe, and understands the world's growing need for healthy, nutritious, and sustainable food and protein. He's also been involved in and seen firsthand, the many disruptive and transformative trends impacting food and agriculture today.
Sri personally invests and advises start-ups and early-stage companies in this transforming industry through as a partner and co-founder in his own venture fund, Azul Ocean Ventures. In his last role at Cargill, as Managing Director in Digital Insights, Sri invested in disruptive and early stage technologies serving the aquaculture and livestock industries. These transformative technologies like computer vision and acoustics unlocked new and unique insights enabling modern farming operations to glean untapped value. Today, at Schreiber Foods, a leading dairy, cheese and alternative beverage company, Sri leads the technology and digital organization.
Sri received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Iowa State University and M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Sri grew up in the heartland of the United States in Iowa City, Iowa, but now lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Finlay Bruce
Finlay is an Senior Analyst at Novelty Hill supporting the leadership team in executing deliverables at each step of the deal process. Prior to joining Novelty Hill, Finlay was a Tax Consultant at Deloitte, where he helped prepare tax returns for multinational private equity firms as well as high net worth individuals. Finlay is also a fully licensed CPA in the state of Washington.
Finlay holds a bachelor’s in accounting and a master’s degree in taxation from the University of Washington, Foster School of Business. Outside of the office, Finlay can be found skiing, cycling, or golfing with friends.
Nick Colmenero
Nick serves as an advisor to Novelty Hill Capital. He is currently the Head of Corporate Development at Convoy, where he oversees mergers and acquisitions, investments, strategy, corporate finance, and investor relations. Convoy is the leading digital freight network, using technology to make freight more efficient, reduce shippers' costs, increase carriers' earnings, and eliminate carbon emissions - the Company has raised over $1BN to drive digital freight transformation and is supported by some of the top investment firms in the world including: T. Rowe Price, Baillie Gifford, Generation Investment Management, Fidelity, and more.
Previously, Nick worked at Meridian Capital, where he focused on consumer and retail investment banking services. Prior to this, he worked at Starbucks in the Company's Corporate Development & Strategic Business Alliance unit, supporting global business development, transaction execution, and cross-functional project management with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, strategic commercial partnerships and joint ventures.
Nick received his B.A. in Finance and Accounting from University of Washington.
Nathan Miller
Nathan Miller is a Director at Novelty Hill Capital and supports all aspects of the transaction process. Prior to joining Novelty Hill, Nathan was a Vice President at Meridian Capital, a Seattle-based Investment Bank, where he was a member of the consumer team. Before Meridian, Nathan worked as a Senior Analyst at Arlington Capital Advisors, a consumer-focused Investment Bank based in Birmingham, and as an Associate at KPMG in the Financial Services Audit practice.
While in Birmingham, Nathan served on the Junior Board for Better Basics, Inc., a not-for-profit with the mission to provide literacy intervention and enrichment programs for students in central Alabama. While seeking similar organizations in the Seattle area that support a similar mission, Nathan is taking full advantage of the Pacific Northwest’s outdoor recreation opportunities and finding new ways to introduce people to the outdoors.
Nathan holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting with a concentration in Professional Accounting from the University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business. He has his Series 63 and Series 79 licenses with FINRA.
Michael Barber
Michael Barber is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Novelty Hill Capital. Michael has over 25 years of experience both as an investment banker and transactional attorney, having represented numerous founders and entrepreneurs across various consumer industry sectors in fundraising and acquisitions. Prior to founding Novelty Hill Capital, Michael was Managing Director and executive leader at Meridian Capital, leading the consumer division and business development initiatives. He has also served as a longstanding advisor to Nordstrom in various capacities. Michael began his legal career at Thompson & Knight of Dallas, Texas. Michael holds an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, a J.D. from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law, and a BA in Art History with a concentration in International Studies from Davidson College.