Bio

Bob Forbes, president and founder of The Forbes M+A Group, has over 20 years of experience as a business intermediary, owner, private equity executive, and investment banker. This experience has been hard won. Bob has been in the trenches, collaborated with hundreds of industry experts, launched dozens of ventures, sat on both sides of the transaction table, put his own companies and capital at risk time and again, navigated rough waters, and learned innumerable lessons along the way. Bob began his career in the 1990s as a transaction and finance specialist, continuing on the entrepreneurial successes of his father. He led global finance and development activities with Independent Energy Partners, WPP, Westar Capital, and Tricor Partners, building and acquiring companies in the power, renewable energy, and cleantech industries. He founded Peak Network Communications (technology), Energyworld (business intelligence), and Authentor Systems (security technology). At Authentor, he orchestrated a merger with a subsidiary of T-NETIX (NASDAQ: TNTX), as well as built key financial partnerships to fund growth with FLV Ventures, Catalyst Partners, and SI Ventures. Authentor’s technology platform became a cornerstone of security management today. He also co-founded M2M Data Corporation (remote monitoring communications), then facilitated partial sales transactions with NERD Energy and Fusion Ventures. Throughout his career, Bob has recognized an untapped opportunity in an underserved market—lower middle market businesses that don’t receive senior-level attention from the big investment banks. To address this need, in 2004 he launched The Forbes M+A Group, a boutique advisory firm specializing in bringing multiple senior advisors with diverse real-world expertise to every transaction. Bob has a degree in Finance and International Business from the University of Colorado at Denver. In 2008 he was awarded Merger & Acquisition Master Intermediary (M&AMI), M&A Source’s highest designation (held by fewer than 100 people). He is also a Certified Business Intermediary, and he holds an Investment Banking Representative License (Series 79) (FINRA), Uniform Securities State License (Series 63) (NASAA), and Colorado Real Estate Broker’s License. Bob has served 3 years on the Board of Directors of the Colorado Association of Business Intermediaries (CABI), including serving as chair of Public Relations. He also serves on the selection committee for the annual National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL’s) Industry Growth Forum. Bob is currently the chairman of the Colorado Thought Leadership Forum and recently became an advisor to the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network, an organization dedicated to bringing serial entrepreneurs, emerging growth companies, and community partners in Colorado. He is a guest lecturer at the University of Colorado at Denver Business School and an Executive Mentor at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. He is a speaker for Vistage International and the Association for Corporate Growth, and he regularly gives presentations to business owners, industry trade associations, and educational venues. When not working, Bob enjoys spending time with his wife, Sharleen, and his daughter, Daisy. Bob has lived in the Denver area for 30 years and enjoys everything Colorado has to offer, including skiing; riding road and dirt bikes; fly-fishing, hunting, and camping. He also enjoys traveling; serving as a local, national, and international volunteer; and playing volleyball and racquetball.