As co-founder emeritus, Alan has been a pillar in the Utah investment community. Upon co-founding Mercato Partners, Alan had already made over sixty personal investments in early stage Utah technology companies, and had founded Grow Utah Ventures, a nonprofit organization that fosters entrepreneurial development.
In addition to his impressive career in private equity, Alan has also been recognized for his business success, particularly as founder and former CEO and chairman of MarketStar, the Utah-based leader in outsourced sales acceleration services. He has been honored as both the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the year and the Mountain West Capital Network Entrepreneur of the Year.
Currently, Alan and his wife Jeanne are co-Chairmen and co-Presidents of the Hall Foundation. The Foundation’s purpose is to fund not-for-profit organizations that help the needy in Weber County and in other areas throughout the world.
As Co-Founder Emeritus, Alan has been a pillar in the Utah investment community. Upon founding Mercato Partners with Greg Warnock, Alan had already made over sixty personal investments in early stage Utah technology companies, and had founded Grow Utah Ventures, a nonprofit organization that fosters entrepreneurial development.
An experienced builder of data systems, Asa joined Mercato in 2023 as the firm’s systems manager. Responsible for leading out on the implementation and optimization of the fund's CRM, Azure AD, and business intelligence platforms, Asa is passionate about developing effective and responsive technology solutions that immediately improve workflow.
Prior to joining Mercato, Asa was the Director of Special Projects and Data Analytics for Now CFO, a premiere consulting and CFO placement firm. In this role, he developed cross-organizational data pipelines, and managed the business’ CRM implementation and integration.
Asa earned his undergraduate degree in Portuguese from Brigham Young University, where he later developed and taught the Portuguese department's first online language course.
An experienced builder of data systems, Asa leads out on the implementation and optimization of Mercato’s CRM and business intelligence platforms. As the firm’s Systems Manager, he is passionate about developing effective and responsive technology solutions.
Ben Lopez is a Senior Associate at Mercato where he marries his interest in entrepreneurship and finance to his love of learning. During his professional career Ben has gone from scientist—reverse-engineering brand products for generic development at Allergan Pharmaceuticals—to CEO to investor. He founded both Neighbor Boys and Outbdcars.com, served as the Chair of the Lassonde New Venture Development, and immediately prior to Mercato, worked as a private equity Senior Investment Analyst at Utah Retirement Systems.
Ben earned his M.B.A. from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, and his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Utah. As a senior associate, he currently observes the boards Kuali and ObservePoint, and invests in the Mountain West.
A former limited partner turned investor, Ben Lopez is a Senior Associate at Mercato where he marries his interest in entrepreneurship and finance to his love of learning. He currently observes the boards Kuali and ObservePoint, and invests in the Mountain West.
A former operator and seasoned CFO at both public and private companies, Brian Lanier has extension experience in financial planning and analysis across the technology and healthcare industries. In his role as Chief Financial Officer at Mercato, he is responsible for financial reporting, portfolio valuation, compliance, and fund management.
Brian started his career at E.Y. after graduating from Brigham Young University. After 4 years in public auditing, he left to pursue client-side roles at multiple growth-stage organizations, including private-equity owned, founder-owned, and public companies. During this time he was involved in multiple mergers, acquisitions, and turnarounds, and became adept at building high-performance teams.
Brian received a Master’s of Accountancy from the BYU, and holds a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation.
A seasoned public and private company CFO with deep SAAS and healthcare expertise, Brian Lanier is Mercato’s Chief Financial Officer. In his role, he is responsible for financial reporting, portfolio valuation, compliance, and fund management.
A Senior Associate for Mercato’s growth equity fund, Casey’s career began on the operator side at Homie, a tech-enabled real estate brokerage, as a strategic finance manager. After a 5-year stint that saw the company 40x in revenue, he left Homie to pursue an MBA at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago. During his graduate school tenure, Casey dove into venture, investing at Sway, TXV, Listen, and Peterson Ventures.
In his role at Mercato, Casey focuses his efforts on supporting the firm’s diligence efforts in Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, and the South/Southeast, and providing strategic guidance, governance counsel, and harvest support to the fund’s portfolio companies.
Casey earned a B.S. in Strategic Management from the BYU Marriott School Business in addition to his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.
A Senior Associate for Mercato’s growth equity fund, Casey’s career began on the operator side at Homie as a strategic finance manager. After a 5-year stint that saw the company 40x in revenue, he left to pursue an MBA at the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago.
A former senior fund associate at Alter Domus, a fully integrated fund and corporate services provider, Easter is Mercato’s Fund Controller and assists in managing the firm’s accounting and capital operations. He brings a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry with a specialization in financial reporting and fund accounting.
Over the course of his career, Easter has served as an auditor with BDO, an Asset Management Associate with Goldman Sachs, and a senior financial analyst with Avi Networks, now a part of VMware. He earned his B.A. in accounting and Chinese literature from Brigham Young University–Hawaii, and a Master of Accountancy from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah.
A former senior fund associate at Alter Domus, Easter is Mercato’s Fund Controller and assists in managing the firm’s accounting and capital operations. Easter brings a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry with a specialization in financial reporting and fund accounting.
Managing Director Greg Warnock, Ph.D., co-founded Mercato Partners in 2007 with Alan Hall. As a technologist, innovator, and entrepreneur with a proven history of building, supporting, and growing market-leading companies, Greg understands that choosing the perfect investor for your business is as much about the right competency as it is about compatibility. He is active with business leaders and directors, experienced in building and developing management teams, and adept at accessing the strategic relationships that enable strong growth.
Prior to Mercato, Greg was an angel investor and a Co-Founder and Managing Director of vSpring Capital (now Signal Peak Ventures), an early-stage venture capital fund focused on the Mountain West region. Greg also founded Junto Partners, an entrepreneurship education initiative designed to train and mentor aspiring entrepreneurs, and was the Chairman of the Board for the Community Foundation of Utah.
Greg has been named a Utah Business Outstanding Director and Utah Business Mentor of the Year, and has received Ernst & Young’s Supporter of Entrepreneurship Award. He earned his B.S. in Computer Science, and a M.B.A. and Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship and Venture Finance from the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business.
Managing Director Greg Warnock, Ph.D., co-founded Mercato Partners in 2007 with Alan Hall. As a technologist, innovator, and entrepreneur with a proven history of building, supporting, and growing market-leading companies, Greg personifies the Mercato culture and approach.
A former executive at Excelerate Energy, TPG Growth, and Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Holly is Mercato’s Head of Investor Relations, and is responsible for the fund’s limited partner strategy and communications, as well as its fundraising efforts.
Prior to Mercato, she began her career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs before transitioning into Chief of Staff and IR roles at Recursion and the Boston Consulting Group, respectively. Notably, during her time at time at BCG, she was a member of the West Coast Leadership Team.
Holly earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science from Northern Arizona University, where she was a Division 1 swimmer, and her Masters in Sports Administration and Business from Seattle University.
A former executive at Excelerate Energy, TPG Growth, and Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Holly is Mercato’s Head of Investor Relations, and is responsible for the firm’s limited partner communication and fundraising efforts.
As a technical program director turned marketing executive, Jennifer has spent her career focused on the solutioning and delivery of impactful marketing strategies for organizations large and small. Prior to joining Mercato, she led brand, marketing and e-commerce at Borboleta, a category-leading B2B and DTC beauty company. Prior to Borboleta, Jennifer was the Director of Digital Experience Program Management for Merkle, a global CX and performance marketing agency, where she owned the portfolio delivery of large-scale digital transformations for enterprise clients. Notably, her team led the digital mar-tech transformations for Walgreens, Walmart, Stanford Healthcare, KPMG, and Canon.
Jennifer earned a B.A. in both Mathematics and Economics from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College. She currently sits on the Marketing Board of Advisors at Utah Valley University, serves as a board member of the Silicon Slopes Salt Lake City chapter, and is a peer advisor at Authentic, a community of Fractional CMOs who help growing businesses Overcome Random Acts of Marketing™.
As a technical program director turned marketing executive, Jennifer brings over 15 years of progressive marketing experience—ranging from global agencies to growth stage start-ups—to Mercato in her role as VP of Marketing.
A technologist, innovator, investor and entrepreneur with a passion for data analytics, Jensen leads out on Mercato’s discovery, adoption and use of technology to specifically advance the growth-stage investment process and the strategic direction of the Mercato platform.
Prior to assuming his role as the Director of Technology, Jensen co-founded both the Lumen Group, a regional direct secondaries fund, and UA2, a prominent UT-based angel network that networks, advises, and invests in technology start-ups. At Lumen, Jensen was responsible for raising and investing multiple direct secondary funds across the Technology, SaaS, Branded Consumer, and Healthcare industries.
Jensen earned a B.S. in Computer Science from Brigham Young University and an M.B.A. from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon. He currently serves on the board of the Community Foundation of Utah.
A technologist, innovator, investor and entrepreneur with a passion for data analytics, Jensen leads out on the firm’s discovery, adoption and use of technology to specifically advance the growth-stage investment process and the strategic direction of the Mercato platform.
A Missourian through-and-through, Managing Director Joe Kaiser is a staunch advocate of the snap button-up shirt, and the hungry and humble entrepreneurs of the Midwest. He believes in the power of investing in cities and states traditionally overlooked by VCs—a belief that has led to multiple investments in companies based in Chicago, Columbia and Columbus.
Joe began his career in investment banking at A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. before joining the regional private equity firm, Erie Management Group, where he evaluated, structured and managed growth-stage investments. He later left Erie Management to earn his M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Upon graduation, Joe joined The Blackstone Group where he advised investors and corporate clients; managed mergers and acquisitions, and structured finance transactions, including Blackstone’s acquisition of Vivint Solar and its parent company, Vivint, Inc. This successful acquisition led to Joe joining Vivint Solar—which IPO'd in 2014 for $1.6 billion and later sold for $3.2B in 2020—as the Director of Capital Markets. During his time at Vivint, Joe raised in excess of $1 billion in project financing to facilitate the deployment of residential and commercial solar assets.
Joe currently serves on the board of directors of Attain, Beam Benefits, Kalderos, MNTN, Paytient, Summersalt, and Cylinder Health, and invests in the Midwest.
An experienced operator and true partner to his CEO-counterparts, Joe Kaiser is a Managing Director of Mercato’s growth fund, Traverse. Currently, he sits the Attain, Beam Benefits, Kalderos, MNTN, Paytient, Summersalt, and Cylinder Health boards, and invests in the Midwest.
As a Principal at Mercato’s Growth Fund, Josh leads Mercato's sourcing and investing efforts in Southern California. Leveraging his background in organizational design, corporate strategy, change management, and market research, he helps executive teams optimize their growth strategy, find new growth opportunities, and implement organizational change management.
Prior to joining Mercato in 2016, Josh served as the VP of Private Equity Investing and as an engagement manager for Cicero Group, a leading management consultancy in the Intermountain Region. At Cicero, he led strategic consulting and transformation engagements for Fortune 1000 companies, serving clients in logistics, energy, financial services, technology, and private equity.
Josh received a B.A. in Spanish and business from the University of Utah, an M.B.A. from the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, and a J.D. from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah. As a Principal, Josh currently serves on the board of directors of Vasion and Sphero.
A former VP of Private Equity Investing at the Cicero Group, Josh joined Mercato in 2016 and is now a Director. He currently serves on the board of directors of Sphero and Vasion, and invests in Southern California.
A Principal for Mercato’s growth fund, Mei leads the fund's day-to-day investing efforts in the Midwest.
Driven by her desire to drive impact through capital markets, Mei began her career at Goldman Sachs as an investment banking analyst where she was a finalist in the Goldman Sachs Gives Analyst Impact Fund. Her pitch—a nonprofit organization named Clear Blue Sea—focused on addressing ocean pollution by developing FRED, a semi-autonomous, solar-powered Floating Robot for Eliminating Debris. Her passion for impact is only further evidenced by her volunteer work with the Utah Food Bank and Habitat for Humanity, and her independent board participation with the mission-driven company, The UnWipe.
Mei graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S.B.A. in Finance, and is currently a 2025 M.B.A. candidate at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. As a member of the investment team, she currently observes the Cylinder Health, Paytient, Attain, and Kalderos boards, and invests in the Midwest.
Mei Headley is a Principal with Mercato’s growth fund, Traverse. Currently, she observes the Cylinder Health, Paytient, Attain, and Kalderos boards, and invests in the Midwest.
For over 15 years, Melissa has served as Mercato Co-Founder and Managing Director Greg Warnock’s personal administrator. Her sharp business acumen, infallible follow-through, and attention to detail have made her an invaluable asset over the years to both Greg and the firm.
As Greg’s right-hand, she owns and leads out on all professional communications, calendar and travel coordination, internal and external project management, and executive assistant coordination.
For over 15 years, Melissa has served as Mercato Co-Founder and Managing Director Greg Warnock’s personal administrator. In her role she owns all professional communications, calendar and travel coordination, internal and external project management, and executive assistant coordination.
Nicky Rodriguez is an administrative assistant and office manager at Mercato, supporting firm-wide operation, communication, and event efforts. Prior to joining the firm in 2021, Nicky served as a communications specialist and administrative assistant for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In her role, she supported the division director and controller, managed internal communications and processes, and maintained digital asset and file sharing systems.
Nicky earned her B.S. in communications from the University of Utah, where she spent a year abroad in London studying British literature, history, and culture.
Nicky Rodriguez is an administrative assistant and office manager at Mercato, supporting firm-wide operation, communication, and event efforts.
A former founder, Mercato Managing Director Ryan Sander’s first exposure to the world of private equity was as a young venture backed co-founder of Calixus, a software company that helped newspapers transition into the then-emerging digital world. Calixus was later acquired by the Media News Group, and Ryan went on to earn his M.B.A. from the University of Texas McCombs School of Business before joining Comcast (NAS: CMCSA) as a business operations manager.
After helping to roll out Comcast’s next-gen IP architecture and systems, Ryan pivoted into private equity. Ryan begun his investment career at Escalate Capital, a leading private credit and growth capital solutions provider, where he spent 5 years as a mezzanine investor focused on rapidly growing later-stage software, SaaS, and tech-enabled companies. During his tenure, Ryan acquired a deep understanding of the growth equity landscape. This understanding, in conjunction with his operational and entrepreneurial experience, afforded him a firm foundation for his current work building and supporting Mercato’s growth portfolio, Traverse.
As a Managing Director, Ryan currently serves on the board of directors of Atomic, Lendio, Lambda, ObservePoint, and Stance, and invests in the South, Southeast, and Pacific Northwest. He was recently named to Class 26 of Kauffman Fellows—the premier venture education program, and the largest network of VCs and innovation leaders in the world.
A Kauffman Fellow and former founder, Ryan Sanders is a Managing Director of Mercato’s growth fund, Traverse. Currently, he sits the Lambda, Lendio, Atomic, Stance, and ObservePoint boards, and invests in the South, Southeast, and Pacific Northwest.
With a proven track record in strategic partnership development, stakeholder engagement, and driving revenue growth in high-growth technology sectors, Tannaz brings a dynamic blend of expertise to Mercato. As the VP of Networks, she is responsible for expanding and operationalizing Mercato’s network, facilitating strategic introductions, and enhancing brand and community engagement in key geographies. By leveraging these skills, she helps propel Mercato’s portfolio companies forward on their journey to profitability while strengthening Mercato’s brand and community presence.
Originally from Washington D.C. and having spent a decade in New York City, Tannaz has built a robust network across several regions, combining her experience in scaling startups and navigating corporate enterprises. Prior to joining Mercato, she held innovation and business development roles at Jones Lang LaSalle, Tishman Speyer, and VTS. At VTS, the leading commercial real estate technology company, she joined as an early employee, contributing to its growth from a Series A to Series D round, ultimately achieving unicorn status.
Tannaz earned her B.S. in Economics and Spanish from Vanderbilt University and holds a certificate in Finance from Georgetown University.
With a proven track record in strategic partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and driving revenue in high-growth technology sectors, Tannaz is responsible for expanding and operationalizing Mercato’s network, facilitating strategic introductions, and enhancing community engagement.
Tiffani is a true administrative professional who brings a unique combination of personality and expertise to her role as the Executive Assistant to Managing Director Joe Kaiser. With 15 years of prior experience as an E.A. at Franklin Covey, the world leader in helping organizations achieve business results through changes in human behavior, she has an impressive track record of providing exceptional support rooted in integrity and diplomacy.
In her role at Mercato, Tiffani manages and maintains all calendars, communications, arrangements, and records on behalf of her Managing Director. Her effective, concise style of communication and intuitive nature are instrumental to the firm’s operational efficiency and optimization.
Tiffani Lindsey is the executive assistant to Traverse Managing Director, Joe Kaiser. She is a true administrative professional who brings a unique combination of personality and world-class experience to her role at Mercato
