Nick Desai, Managing Partner

Nick Desai
Managing Partner

Mr. Desai is a Managing Partner of Shackleton Equity Partners. Mr. Desai co-manages all key aspects of the business including capital raising as well as sourcing and executing deals across a variety of industries, and managing portfolio companies through operational enhancements. His experience spans an extensive background of over fifteen years of operations, investment banking, and law.

Prior to joining Shackleton, Mr. Desai was a Partner and Managing Director of FocalPoint Partners, an investment bank and financial advisory firm headquartered in Los Angeles and focused on the middle market. Before that, Mr. Desai was a Director at Cappello Capital, where he led the team responsible for one of the firm’s marquee deals of 2006. Prior to that, he was at KPMG Corporate Finance, where he led the top-producing West Coast team. Before these roles he held positions in strategic development and corporate development within operating companies. Armed with a Juris Doctorate and legal experience, Mr. Desai is uniquely positioned to understand and bring value to the deal making phase, as well as formulating and managing the operational enhancements critical to every Shackleton investment.

His industry experience spans a diverse base of food products, medical devices, healthcare, construction services, legal services, marketing services, aerospace/defense, sporting goods, telecom, e-commerce, internet advertising, manufacturing, recreational, transportation/logistics, automotive, business services, software/technology, and others. He has served clients at all stages of development, from growth companies pursuing transformational transactions to mature companies seeking exits.

Mr. Desai is also very active in the financial services community. He was the Founder and former President of a professional networking group which has currently grown into a group with over 4,000 members in 25 cities internationally. He is also the Co-Founder and former President of the South Asian Bar Association and a member of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) and Turnaround Management Association (TMA).

Mr. Desai earned his MBA and JD degrees from Loyola Marymount University and a B.A. from the University Of California at Irvine, where he was a Regents Scholar.