Bio

Jim Breen is a Managing Director at The Peakstone Group, where he is responsible for transaction origination and execution. Jim has 30 years of merger & acquisition, principal investing, and executive experience across a variety of sectors, including software, telecom, social media, clean technology, transportation, energy, healthcare, real estate, manufacturing, and consumer products. Prior to joining Peakstone, Jim spent eight years advising early stage and middle market companies on their business development, capital raising, and merger & acquisition activities. Earlier stage clients have been successful in raising over $25 million in equity capital with an additional $40 million in follow-on investments while larger clients have raised over $100 million of debt and equity capital. Previously, Jim was the CEO of Winterlink, a $4 million revenue 13 year old San Francisco based IT services firm with more than 500 business customers. Prior to joining Winterlink in 2002, Jim was a co-founder and Vice President for Corporate Development of Allied Riser Communications, a NASDAQ listed broadband services firm which raised over $700 million in debt and equity capital, $300 million of which came in the third largest internet related IPO to date in 1999. In these roles, Jim participated in Allied Riser’s original business plan development, structured and underwrote the firm’s $2.5 million seed financing, directed the company’s network partner initiatives, and completed a series of strategic acquisitions. Prior to Allied Riser, Jim served as Vice President for Corporate Investments at Equity Office Properties Trust and as Vice President Finance for Equity Group Investments. In these roles, Jim served as lead or co-lead principal on more than $3 billion of private and public transactions. Jim also worked for 3 years at Barclays Bank PLC, where he was a Senior Associate in the Communications Banking and Real Estate Finance groups, and for 5 years at the Chicago Board Options Exchange, where he was a market maker in the S&P 100 Index. Jim received his BA Finance from Michigan State University and his MBA Finance & International Business from Loyola University of Chicago.