Tom Olivier P ’25 Presents at Finance Academy

By Ben Molinsky ’25

On Tuesday, November 7th, Mr. Tom Olivier P ’25 presented to the nearly 100 members of the St. Sebastian’s Finance Academy. Mr. Olivier received his B.S in economics at Boston College and worked as a software engineer on Wall Street at Morgan Stanley, until pursuing a law degree at George Washington University. Mr. Olivier currently works in the private equity field as a Managing Director at Arrowroot Capital; some of his other experience includes working as a corporate attorney, entrepreneur, and technology investment banker.

Mr. Olivier began his presentation by explaining his role as a technology investment banker. He pointed out how an investment banker is a partner to a technology company throughout its existence, and typically assists a company with private financing, acquisitions, growth strategies,and debt financing. He also described how investment bankers help technology companiesidentify an “exit strategy” through mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, and special purpose acquisition companies. Mr. Olivier then shifted his presentation to a case study about Mad Mobile, a global technology company specializing in innovative solutions for the restaurant and retail industries. He explained how Mad Mobile needed assistance raising$30 million in equity financing to reach some of its strategic goals. These included hiring new customer supportpersonnel, expanding to Western Europe, and investing in new product development. He emphasized how the most important aspect of accomplishing these goals was speed becauseother competitors in the industry were trying to accomplish the same goal and had stronger balance sheets.

Mr. Olivier closed the evening by sharing some key advice he hoped the audience would carry forward from his presentation. The first was to view every experience as a valuable experience, the second was to take chances, the third was to embrace making mistakes, and the fourth was to always be learning. He also encouraged all of us to approach our careers with an open mind and a willingness to grow. Thank you, Mr. Olivier, for sharing your thoughtful insights and knowledge!