Nicholas Assini

New York State Teachers' Retirement System (NYSTRS) is a State-owned pension fund manager headquartered in Albany, New York. NYSTRS was founded in 1921 by the New York State Legislature to administers a defined benefit plan that provides retirement, disability and death benefits to eligible New York State public school teachers and administrators.

Paradigm Capital Management, Inc. (Paradigm) is a SEC-registered investment advisor and wealth management firm headquartered in Albany, New York. The firm was founded by Candace Weir in 1994 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Paradigm Capital Holdings, Inc. Paradigm offers investment advisory services primarily to corporations, pension and profit-sharing plans, foundations, individuals, investment funds, trusts and individuals (which include high net-worth individuals), other separate accounts, and pooled investment vehicles such as private investment limited partnerships.

Cowen & Co. LLC is a SEC-registered broker/dealer headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 2004 and is a subsidiary of Cowen Holdings, Inc., ultimately owned by The Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSE: TD) in Canada. Cowen & Co. offers industry-focused investment banking for growth-oriented companies, domain knowledge-driven research and a sales and trading platform for institutional investors. Their institutional sales and trading business serves both equity and fixed-income clients. Sales and trading execution platform is structured around the following key verticals: (1) healthcare (2) technology, telecommunications and media (TMT) (3) REITs and financials (4) aerospace and defense (5) consumer and (6) alternative energy.

New York State Common Retirement Fund (NYSCRF) is a pension fund management firm headquartered in Albany, New York. NYSCRF was founded in 1967 to provide retirement security for New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) members, retirees and beneficiaries.

JPMorgan Securities LLC (JPMS) is a securities brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1985 and is a subsidiary of JPMorgan Broker-Dealer Holdings, Inc., ultimately held by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Inc. (NYSE: JPM). JPMS provides research on fixed income, credit, derivatives, emerging markets, foreign exchange, structured finance, technical analysis and bond indices. Their equity analysts cover equities throughout North America, EMEA, Asia/Pacific and the emerging markets. The firm's fixed income team formulates trading and portfolio recommendations for investors in global bonds and other fixed-income markets based on valuations, analytics and market dynamics.

TriplePoint Capital LLC (Triplepoint Capital) is a global specialty debt financing firm founded in 1987 by Jim Labe. The firm is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

Jefferies LLC is a global investment bank and institutional securities firm headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1962 and is a subsidiary of Jefferies Group LLC, ultimately held by Jefferies Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE: JEF). Jefferies provides corporate clients with research and execution services in equity, fixed income, and foreign exchange markets, as well as a full range of investment banking services such as underwriting, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and recapitalization, and other advisory services, with all businesses operating in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management, Inc. (LTAM) is a SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded in 1982 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Advisor Group Holdings, Inc. LTAM provides consulting and fund management services to individuals, high net-worth individuals, small business owners, pension and profit-sharing plans, plan participants, trusts, estates and charitable organizations, corporations or other business entities, investment companies, pooled investment vehicles and other investment advisers.

Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., Inc. (Stifel) is a dual-registered broker-dealer and investment adviser headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1890, the firm is a subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp. (NYSE: SF), a financial service holding company. Stifel provides full-service brokerage and investment advisory services to individuals and their families, institutions and businesses, and financial advisors.

Wells Fargo Securities LLC (WFS) is the broker/dealer subsidiary of EVEREN Capital Corp., ultimately owned by Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC). Headquartered in New York, WFS delivers a comprehensive suite of banking, capital markets and advisory solutions, such as a full complement of sales, trading and research capabilities, to corporate, government and institutional clients.

Beowulf Energy LLC operates as infrastructure holding company. It engages in the development, acquisition, operation, and management of power, oil and gas, and industrial facilities. The company was founded by Paul B. Prager in 1994 and is headquartered in Easton, MD.

Lotus Infrastructure Partners LLC (Lotus Infrastructure Partners) is a private equity subsidiary of Starwood Capital Group Global LLC founded in 2005. The firm is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Centana Management LLC (Centana Growth Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2015 by Ben Cukier, Eric Byunn and Steve Swain. The firm is headquartered in New York with an additional office in Palo Alto.

Kuveyt Turk Katilim Bankasi AS provides banking services. Its products include banking products such as accounts, payments and collections, MoneyGram, insurance, and investment transactions. The firm also offers finance products such as car, housing and personal finance. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey.

Founded in 2002, Maxim Group LLC is a registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm provides an array of financial services including: investment banking, equity research, private wealth management, structured products and global institutional equity, fixed-income and derivative sales and trading to a diverse range of corporate clients, institutional investors and high net-worth individuals. Maxim Group's niche is emerging-growth companies in a variety of sectors including healthcare, technology, retail and others. They utilize a fundamental, bottom-up approach to investment recommendations. The firm combines rigorous financial analysis of specific companies and industries with due diligence that includes frequent consults with suppliers, customers, competitors and senior management. The firm focuses on under-covered, small- to-mid-cap companies where valuation levels may be out of sync with fundamental trends. Maxim's coverage universe often represents attractive niche industries where stocks tend to be inefficient. This research coverage fills a void created by the downsized research ranks and shrinking coverage of small- to mid-cap stocks by large investment banks. Maxim Group is a member of FINRA, the MSRB, the SIPC, the ISE, NASDAQ and NYSE Arca.

Appomattox Advisory, Inc. (Appomattox) is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisor and hedge fund manager headquartered in New York City. The firm was founded by Susan Webb and Oscar Gil Vollmer in 2005. Appomattox manages global multi-asset resilient portfolios and provides comprehensive Outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) services for institutional investors among endowments, foundations, pension plans and family offices.

Frost & Sullivan, Inc. provides marketing research and consulting services. The firm offers technology, market, economic and customer research, training, competitive intelligence, and corporate strategy services. Its customers include the aerospace and defense, healthcare, transportation, and security sectors. The company was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in San Antonio, TX.

Intesa Sanpaolo SpA engages in the provision of commercial banking services. The company is headquartered in New York, NY.

Founded in 1958, Merrill Lynch Piece Fenner & Smith, Inc. is an SEC registered broker/dealer located in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of BAC North America Holding Co. and their ultimate parent is Bank of America Corp. (NYSE BAC).

Part of RODMHC LLC, Rodman & Renshaw LLC is a company that provides brokerage services. The company is based in New York, NY. The company was founded in 2015. Michael Vasinkevich has been the CEO of the company since 2015.

Aquarius II Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company. It aims to effect a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. The company was founded on May 5, 2021 and is headquartered in Hong Kong.

Part of The Bank of New York Mellon Corp., Cutwater Asset Management Corp. is a company that provides investment advice. The company is based in Armonk, NY.

Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. (MLPF&S) is a global investment banking firm, SEC-registered investment advisor, broker-dealer, and futures commission merchant headquartered in New York City. The firm is a subsidiary of BAC North America Holding Co., ultimately held by Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC). MLPF&S provides investment advisory services to individuals, trusts, estates, charitable organizations, banks, insurance companies, thrift institutions, pension and profit-sharing plans, corporations and other types of business.

LongueVue Capital LLC (LongueVue Capital) is a private equity firm founded in 2001 by Rick S. Rees and John C. McNamara. The firm is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana.

KPMG US LLP operates as an audit, tax, and advisory firm. The company is headquartered in Charlotte, NC.

EisnerAmper LLP engages in the provision of audit, accounting, advisory and tax services. Its services include audit and assurance, outsource finance and accounting, private business accounting, royalty audit and contract compliance, SOC services, bankruptcy and restructuring, and benchmarking services. The company was founded by Theodore Levine, Dick Eisner and Mitch Aigen in 1963 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

TruArc Partners LP (TruArc Partners) is a private equity firm founded in 2005 by Ian K. Snow. The firm is headquartered in New York.

Ernst & Young Global Ltd. engages in the provision consulting services. Its services include assurance, consulting, strategy and transaction, and tax. The company was founded on November 26, 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

Two Sigma Ventures LP (Two Sigma Ventures) is a venture capital subsidiary of Two Sigma Investments LP founded in 2012. The firm is headquartered in New York.

Palladium Equity Partners Advisor LLC is a Private Equity firm founded in 1997 by Marcos A. Rodriguez and Robert J. Lanigan. The firm is headquartered in New York.

Locale Hospitality, Inc. engages in the provision of lodging and convention services. It also specializes in designing and managing apartments. The company was founded by Nitesh Gandhi in 2016 and is headquartered in Austin, TX.