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Dusty started Odyssey Capital after seeing the need for a quality, professional advisory firm to assist business owners in the insurance industry with exit planning, M&A and management consulting. Dusty’s career in the insurance industry has focused on underwriting, program administrator startups, mergers/acquisitions and management consulting. Prior to founding Odyssey, Dusty co-founded two successful program administrators that specialized in the real estate and hospitality industries. Both NSU and Fulcrum Insurance Programs were sold to Distinguished Programs and continue to lead in their respective spaces under new ownership. Dusty helped merge the operations of NSU and Fulcrum inside Distinguished Specialty while leading the M&A team for Distinguished Holdings up until 2019.
Dusty has deep knowledge in building companies and preparing them for sale with a commitment to corporate readiness to help maximize value and reduce deal stress. In addition, he felt owners should maximize value by paying an appropriate fee for advisory services that is commensurate with the amount of effort it takes to build the sale documents and how well Odyssey performs.
Dusty spends time between the Seattle area and Bend, OR where he enjoys skiing, golfing, pickleball and hiking. In addition to his passion for the insurance industry, he serves on the Board of Outdoors For All, a Seattle-based charity formed in 1979 to help enrich the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities through outdoor recreation.
Dan is a proven small business leader, builder and C-level advisor (consultant & coach) with a unique combination of structured corporate, financial and broad-based entrepreneurial experience. He has successfully guided startup, early stage and small companies, along with their related investors, through key corporate events (“KCE”) and transformative milestones . He brings his experience to Odyssey Capital along with his current positions as the Managing Director & founder of Ventegy and founder of The Prudent Group.
Dan’s has held a variety of executive positions (Managing Director, President & CEO, President, CFO, COO, Special Projects Manager, Advisory Board & Board of Directors), navigating a variety of industries (enterprise software, internet, technology, software development & licensing, telecom & wireless, marketing and financial services). He successfully executed a broad range of transactions (formation, capitalization, debt & equity-based capital raises, M&A, reverse merger, licensing, partnership buyouts/resets). He’s managed multiple companies, including a publicly traded entity raising $16MM, completing a reverse merger and traded as #1 public OTC stock for 3 years running.
Over his career, Dan has also developed and implemented a unique suite of corporate readiness best practices helping companies successfully navigate KCE by establishing a structured and collaborative information base that results in a state of readiness supporting the business strategy. Containing all relevant corporate and financial data, this baseline manifests effective collaboration at all levels, promotes a corporate fiduciary characterization, provides a stronger position for successful navigation of the next KCE, and promotes sound daily management decisions.
Dan is an advisor and panelist many local incubators: SEDC’s Spark incubator program in Saratoga Springs; The Griffiss Institute (GI)/Air Force Research Laboratories (AFRL) Commercialization Academy in Rome, NY; and, Ignite U in Troy, NY. Dan also speaks and participates on panels at the local universities for small business and entrepreneurial matters as well as business plan competitions. He loves his family, dogs, cooking, food, wine, fishing, golf and his preferred volunteer group: Saratoga Springs Code Blue.
[1]Corporate formation & governance; equity & debt strategies; strategic partnerships; business and financial planning; Proforma modeling; valuations; due diligence; and, M&A.