Meet The Team

Shane Hubbell is a Managing Director at Alkali Partners. Shane has spent over a decade as a technology investment banker, software engineer, and operations professional. Shane has advised on sell-side engagements with an aggregate transaction value of over $5B. He began his career at Goldman Sachs as an analyst in New York.

Shane holds dual BS degrees in biology and economics from Union College and has completed an advanced immersive software engineering program at HackReactor.

Chris Skubic is a Managing Director at Alkali Partners.  Chris has spent a healthy portion of his career in corporate development with Autodesk & Intel Capital. Chris' operating experience includes co-founding a manufacturing-focused software company, leading a privately held managed services company to a successful exit, and working as an industrial chemical engineer.  Chris has worked on numerous transactions ranging from smaller minority investments to multi-hundred million dollar acquisitions.

Chris holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, and a Masters in Operations Management from Northwestern University.

Prior Experience

2003-2020 – Founder & Managing Partner of Riverlake Partners, a private equity firm focused on leveraged control growth investments in smaller, profitable companies, where ownership and leadership dynamics present the opportunity to create value through operational, financial, and strategic change.

2002-2004 – Owner & CEO of CLEANPAK International, Inc., the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of air handling equipment for ultra clean room environments primarily for use in semiconductor and pharmaceutical manufacturing.

1989 to 2003 – Co-founder of Pacific Crest Securities, the Pacific Northwest’s largest independent financial services organizations. Served as CEO and Chairman from 1996 to 2003.

Erik has been an active private equity investor since 1989.  In addition to Pacific Crest, Erik played an active role in guiding a number of companies as a director and an investor, including Wholesome and Hearty Foods, Applied Research, Morrow Snowboard Corporation, and CLEANPAK International, Inc.  Erik is currently Chairman of HKZ Private Capital, is on the board of directors of Bastion Security, Critical Power Solutions, Terra Dynamics, RxXtrax, and Omega Morgan.

Expertise

Erik has advised several high technology and communications companies in merger and acquisitions and financing transactions.

Education

Erik received his M.B.A., with honors, from Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and a B.A. (double major) in economics and business administration, magna cum laude, from the University of Oregon.

Sumit Shukla is a Senior Associate at Alkali Partners. Prior to joining Alkali Partners, Sumit was an investor with Peterson Partners, a $1B+ fund focused on middle market companies. Before joining Peterson Partners, Sumit worked as an investment banking analyst at Duff & Phelps in Los Angeles. He began his career in the M&A team at BNP Paribas in London. Sumit holds a B.A. in Economics from Vanderbilt University.

Derek Heinonen is an Associate at Alkali Partners. Derek previously worked in Mergers & Acquisitions at BMO Capital Markets. His prior operating experience includes telecommunications engineering for Verizon Wireless and managing intelligence operations for the United States Special Operations Command.

Derek holds a BS in Biology from the University of Portland and an MBA from the University of Washington Foster School of Business.

Kira Lopes is an Analyst at Alkali Partners. Prior to joining Alkali Partners, Kira worked as a consultant in the private equity group at Strategy&, part of the PwC network. Kira hold a BS in Management Science and Engineering with a concentration in Finance & Decision, as well as a minor in Computer Science from Stanford University.

Jaipal Silla is an Analyst at Alkali Partners. Prior to joining Alkali Partners, Jaipal worked in Bank of America's liquidity stress management group. Jaipal holds a BSBA in Finance, a BS in Computer Science, and a minor in Theatre.

Tom joined Alkali Partners as an Analyst in 2019.

Patrick Felstedt is an Analyst at Alkali Partners. Prior to joining Alkali Partners, Patrick worked as an investment banking analyst at Bryant Park Capital in Philadelphia. Patrick holds a BSBA in Finance and Real Estate from Drexel University.