About Knickerbocker Financial Group

Knickerbocker Financial Group (KFG) is a New York based venture investment and family office capital network. We invest in and curate next-gen digital businesses (Block-chain, Fin-tech, Digital Media & Marketplaces, and ClimateTech/ESG) and connect them with our extensive network of strategic capital partners. We work with some of the largest and most notable single and multi-family offices, Serial Entrepreneurs, and Venture Capital and Private Equity partners.

KFG is well placed to provide pre-screening, advisory and consulting services to better round out the broader needs of our co-investors. We leverage our networks at scale and deliver results through our affiliation with subject matter experts within the disciplines that we operate in.

KFG Value Proposition

We understand the challenges that investors face daily; the search for opportunistic investments that are pre-screened with real potential for asymmetric returns. To meet that goal, KFG offers a suite of services that connect fast-growing companies and funds with our own capital and our capital partners.

Our value proposition is built on 4 pillars; Providers of Capital, Founder Aligned Experience, Strategic Insights, and Investor Know-How.

Providers
of Capital



We invest alongside Family Offices, Super-Angels and Micro VC/Large VC Investors. Within this Eco-system, we identify, pre-screen, and provide access to forward thinking investment opportunities.

Founder
Aligned Experience



We are investors who have raised financings, run, and sold businesses. We know how to maximize value, and are uniquely placed to provide guidance, help with fundraising, and connect you to strategic investors.

Strategic
Insights



We build high-connectivity to other market participants including subject-matter experts, competitors, investors, and distribution partners. Our network is wide-ranging and includes corporate VCs and larger companies seeking acquisitions.

Investor
"Know-How"



We have skin in the game. We have invested in early- stage enterprises for more than 25 years. We have been, and continue to be, Angel investors in more than 100 projects. Your success equals our success, and we often invest alongside our investor communities.

KFG Impact Initiatives

At KFG, we seek out investments that create and protect long-term value, utilize ethical and compliant business practices, promote transparency and effective management of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) risks, consider the needs of stakeholders both internal and external to the company, and embrace a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. 

People, Planet,
Purpose

At KFG we invest with purpose - to ensure long term growth in a sustainable world. We actively seek out investments that enhance the wellbeing of people, strengthen our shared communities, and preserve our planet.

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Maximizing ESG Impact –
KFG’s Africa Growth

In January 2022, KFG began a close affiliation with our partners at Africa Growth, applying KFG's expertise in investment, pre-screening, and advisory services to high growth potential business ventures in Africa.

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Co-Investors & Strategic Partners

KFG seeks out the brightest ideas and identifies the hardest working and most creative founders. We collaborate with a vast network of investors to earn sustainable returns that meet our collective financial objectives in markets and in technologies that move fast.

Family Office &
Private Wealth


Our extensive Family Office and Private Wealth connections bring a breadth of knowledge and industry experience.

  • 600+ Family Office Relationships
  • 2,200 Family Office Database
  • Targeted Interest Profiling
  • Growing cohort of co-investors and partnerships

Institutional &
Corporate Strategic Partners


Our institutional partners are industry leading domestic and international organizations.

  • International banks
  • Domestic banks
  • Merchant banks
  • Diversified financial services
  • Specialized private investment firms

KFG Team

Expertise that drives results

Stanley Goldstein

Managing Partner & Chairman

Stanley Goldstein was the founder of Goldstein Golub & Kessler, which is now part of RSM. He began advising in the early days of hedge funds. He remains a prolific angel investor.

He is the founder of American Friends of James Joyce, the New York Hedge Fund Roundtable and Donors’ Forum, an association of grant-making foundations.

Stanley is a graduate of Brooklyn College.

Hugh Nguyen

Managing Partner

Hugh was the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ClearServeSM, a leading technology platform for Private Banks, Family Offices, and other private investors; sold to an alternative asset manager.

Prior to ClearServeSM, he led business development at GLG - Gerson Lehrman Group, based in Boston and New York. He is a former management consultant and analyst at Fidelity.

As an active angel investor, he is an advisor to several venture-backed startups and to Fordham Foundry (Fordham University’s Incubator).

Hugh is an honors graduate of Harvard College and has published academic papers in the field of Neurobiology.

Andrea Schmitz

Partner and Head of ESG

Andrea Schmitz is Head of ESG strategy at KFG. She spent 25 years at Con Edison where she was Vice President of Environment, Health and Safety; prior to that she was at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Andrea has a BA from UC San Diego and a Master's in Public Administration from Columbia University. She was an adjunct professor at Columbia's MPA program in Environmental Science and Policy.

Michael Glaubman

Partner

Prior to joining Knickerbocker Financial Group, Michael co-founded a boutique broker dealer firm that focused on introducing institutional investors in North America and Europe to asset management General Partners. Michael liaised with investment professionals at family offices, pensions, foundations, endowments, sovereign wealth funds, asset management firms, wealth management entities, and banks. Asset class coverage included credit, long/short equity, macro, managed futures, commodities, energy, healthcare, market neutral, event driven, real estate, direct lending, and emerging markets. Michael was also an Operating Principal filling the roles of CEO, CCO, and Executive Representative to Finra. Michael was registered with Finra and the NFA and held the series 7, 63, 31, 3, and 24 licenses. Michael has a BS-BA from Northeastern University.

John Gryzmala

Senior Principal

John ran a family office for over twenty years and was Chief Financial Officer for several family-owned businesses. John matches family offices with their investment mandates which are typically direct private equity (companies for sale or looking for growth equity), real estate, and debt. He also works with numerous families and investors and is aligned with CFO Consulting Partners, a fractional CFO company with 25 active partners and decades of experience. John holds an MBA from the University of Connecticut and a BS-BA from Babson College.

Katie Cunningham

Special Advisor

Katie has 20 years of management experience in the non-profit sector, and most recently served as the Chief External Affairs Officer at The Jed Foundation, a national non-profit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for teens and young adults. She also worked as the Chief Operating Officer at Families for Excellent Schools and on the staff of Teach For America where she served in various capacities including development, human resources, and teacher recruitment. Before her transition to the non-profit sector in 2003 she worked in strategic planning and new product development at American Express. She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and management from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Rebecca Craft

Special Advisor

Rebecca Craft has over 25 years of experience in the energy sector and is a leader in the design of non-wires alternatives, energy efficiency, demand management programs, and clean energy strategies. Rebecca is the Head of Strategy at Kevala, Inc. and also worked as Director, Sustainability Electrification at Sidewalk Labs where she focused on affordable electrification. Rebecca spent 13 years at Consolidated Edison where she ran the Energy Efficiency and Demand Management Department. She serves on the board of directors of the Building Energy Exchange, as the President of the Sustainability Investment Leadership Council, and as an Entrepreneur in Residence for NYSERDA. Rebecca earned a B.A. in economics from Wellesley College and a J.D. from Indiana University Mauer School of Law and is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar.

Lisa K. Tames

Special Advisor

Lisa is a banking professional with over 35 years with global financial institutions. Most recently, she was a Senior Vice President for the Energy Services Group at Bank of America where she led financing for energy conservation and sustainability projects for state and local governments, public universities, and public housing authorities. Previously, she was a member of the Healthcare and Energy Group at Citi, where she provided equipment financing to government agencies for energy projects and other essential assets. Lisa’s career in finance has provided her with a combination of credit and origination skills in municipal and commercial asset-based lending and was formally credit trained. Lisa holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a B.S in Business Administration from Boston University.

Scott Kerbel

Special Advisor

Scott is currently a Director at Credit Suisse. He is a veteran of various international banks. His background includes trading, sales and originating structured derivative transactions across all major asset classes.

He advises KFG on digital asset infrastructure opportunities. Previously, he was a Managing Director at HSBC Bank, responsible for the high net-worth/retail structured products business, the Private Client Fixed Income Desk, and for a large financial technology acquisition. Scott has also served as Executive in Residence at Rise, created by Barclays - the Home of Fintech.

His professional postings have included New York, London, Zürich, Tokyo, and Singapore. Scott is a graduate of The George Washington University.

Gary Wong PhD

Special Advisor

Gary is an experienced FinTech partner and consultant focusing on artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), big data and cutting-edge technologies for Trading and Risk Management. He works with investment banks and funds to update technology and gain competitive advantage, while directing business and product development for multiple AI/ML and fintech firms.

His background is as a Quant, Head Trader, Managing Director and Head of Structured Trading for a large global bank. He has deep financial domain expertise and experience in practical application of technologies to grow profit and loss and minimize risk. Gary has a background in theoretical physics and a PhD from Imperial College on high energy non-linear laser-matter interactions (theory, computation modelling and experiments). Unsurprisingly, he is a fan of Star Trek.

Sandy Galef

Special Advisor

Sandy Galef has been committed to public service both as a volunteer and as an elected official. She recently retired after 30 years as a Member of the New York State Assembly. Prior to that she served on the Westchester County Board of Legislators for 13 years. During her years in public office, she served as President of the New York State Association of Counties and in the Assembly as Library and Technology Chair as well as the Assembly Real Property Taxation Chair. Sandy was a leading advocate for legislative and ethics reform in Albany and deeply involved in matters pertaining to education, tax reduction, government efficiency, health, environmental/clean energy, consumer and voting rights.

Sandy received her Bachelor of Science at Purdue University and Masters in Education at the University of Virginia while teaching in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Virl Hill

Special Advisor

Virl Hill is an experienced digital media executive who has helped create and distribute new media and information experiences which have generated billions in revenue for Microsoft, Disney, RealNetworks, Rhapsody and over 4500 publishers worldwide. He has launched and profitably grown innovative products, services and technologies as a Board Member, CEO, cross-functional General Manager, and senior strategic business development executive.

Virl advises several early-stage companies and serves on the Board of SIFF.net, producer of the Seattle International Film Festival, and on the Kellogg School of Management's Alumni Council. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Northwestern University. He is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and The Recording Academy.

Selected Portfolio

Interactive Video/Streaming Tools

Market Intelligence

Specialty Finance/Lending

Quant VC Fund

Digital Asset Custody

Global Consumer NFT Entertainment Company

Global Financial Services VC fund

Media Collective to accelerate Black-owned Media assets

Social Conversation Platform

Way-Finding App

Blockchain VC Fund

Online Opioid Addiction Treatment

Fundraising and Event Management Software

Fossil-free Index Funds for 401(k)

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