Our team.
We believe it is better to be busy than bored, the primary determinant for a small team. Each of our members are passionate and intellectually curious, and have the ability to add meaningful value to the investment process.
We hold ourselves to an exacting standard by owning all our decisions, whether they lead to success or failure. We are equal parts wide-eyed optimism and decisive action. We are always seeking knowledge, considering multiple viewpoints, and striving for intellectual honesty.
Patrick Mayer
founder & Managing Principal
An analyst at heart and a life-long learner, Pat takes pride in understanding and simplifying things, and then determining the best path forward.
After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Hotel Real Estate Finance, Pat joined Clearview Hotel Capital, where he was responsible for all aspects of hotel investing from the cradle to the grave. He was directly involved in over $1 billion of hotel transactions and asset managed the entire portfolio of over 5,500 rooms. After Clearview, he joined T2 Hospitality, a private family office, where he was responsible for asset managing the company’s hotel portfolio of over 2,500 rooms and launching the company’s venture capital investing platform. Since launching his own investment firm in 2019, he continues to provide one-off and ongoing advisory for many private equity firms and family offices. His advisory work ranges from acquisitions assistance to debt restructuring and workouts, as well as building custom financial operating models for startups, and assisting with capital raising and deal structuring.
Mike Carroll
CoO & Head of venture investing
A strategist at heart, Mike takes pride in helping companies unlock value.
After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Accounting and Finance, Mike worked on the buy-side at Putnam Investments. He then joined A La Mode as Chairman of the Board, where he successfully completed a turnaround of the company and negotiated its $100+ million sale. He then joined startup Whiskers Laces as CFO where he created an e-commerce strategy which generated over $1 million in the first year.
JP Mayer
Head of PHilanthropic giving
An empathetic and issue-oriented problem solver at heart, JP takes pride in finding ways to serve those most in need.
After graduating from The University of Scranton with a masters degree in Theology, JP taught theology at the high school and college level. Following that, he came on board Contrast to help develop and implement its philanthropic giving strategy. He is in charge of researching initiatives, writing grants and determining allocation to various causes.