2026 Dealmakers of the Year Honorees

Dave Crabbe
Co-Founder & CEO

Joel Bryce
Co-Founder & Chief Investment Officer       
Essential Holdings   

As Co-Founders of Essential Holdings, Dave Crabbe and Joel Bryce are building a long-hold investment firm dedicated to preserving and growing New England’s leading blue-collar businesses. In October 2025, Essential completed its second acquisition since launching in March: Air Safe Inc., Eastern Massachusetts’ market leader in asbestos, vermiculite and mold remediation. With a 37-year reputation for quality and integrity, Air Safe exemplifies the durable, founder-led companies Essential seeks to steward for the long term. Crabbe and Bryce’s approach pairs disciplined investment with deep respect for legacy.

Betty Francisco
CEO
Boston Impact Initiative

Boston Impact Initiative, led by CEO Betty Francisco, advances economic justice through catalytic capital and community-centered finance. Since joining in May 2021, Betty has driven transformative growth—closing Fund II oversubscribed at $22 million, deploying a cumulative $20 million to over 100 enterprises, creating hundreds of living wage jobs, and launching the ARC Fellowship to train 90 impact fund managers nationwide. While Betty is on sabbatical, Lubna Elia proudly carries BII's mission forward as Interim President & CEO.

Barry Hume
CEO
Matter Surfaces       

As CEO of Matter Surfaces, Barry Hume led the company through its strategic sale to global flooring leader Gerflor Group, positioning the Massachusetts-based brand for its next phase of international growth. Founded in 1971, Matter has become a premier provider of sustainable architectural surface solutions across North America. With Mazzone & Associates serving as exclusive financial advisor, the transaction reflects Matter’s strength, scale and design-forward reputation. Hume will continue to lead the company, ensuring continuity and momentum under Gerflor’s ownership. 

Nathan Isaacson

Joe Rusckowski
Co-Founders
Corduroy Capital Partners

Heather Kelly                 
Vice President of Finance  
Rare Beauty Brands Inc.   

Under Heather’s leadership, Rare Beauty Brands successfully executed a transformative acquisition that nearly doubled the company’s size and market presence. She directed every phase of the transaction — from financial and talent due diligence to negotiating key terms, securing financing and leading post-close integration across teams, systems and subsidiaries. Her strategic vision and disciplined execution ensured a seamless transition and positioned the company for accelerated growth. This milestone marks a defining chapter for Rare Beauty Brands.

Mary Larkin    
President, Americas                
Nineteen Americas Inc.   

As President of Nineteen Group Americas, Mary Larkin has accelerated the company’s U.S. expansion with three strategic LBOs in 2025, including the acquisition of The Lead, a premier portfolio of executive-level retail events. The deal strengthens Nineteen Group’s presence in the American retail market, adding The Lead Summit and its influential forums and editorial platforms serving thousands of senior brand and retail executives. By backing founder-led brands and scaling high-impact communities, Larkin continues to position Nineteen Group as a growth platform for industry-defining events.

Paul Lipson    
Co-Founder & Partner            
Fort Point Capital      

Fort Point Capital’s successful sale of Jones Lake Management to Leonard Green & Partners marks a transformative exit for the Boston-based private equity firm. Since investing in 2022, Fort Point partnered closely with management to execute a sustainable growth strategy, expanding the company’s footprint from four states to 26, tripling revenue and increasing EBITDA more than fourfold. The transaction underscores Fort Point’s disciplined lower middle-market buyout focus and its ability to scale service-oriented businesses into national leaders.

Bharath Kannan          
CEO     
Atlantic Quantum 

As CEO of Atlantic Quantum, Bharath Kannan has led the MIT-founded startup to a transformative milestone: its acquisition by Google Quantum AI, accelerating the global race toward large-scale, error-corrected quantum computing. Under his leadership, Atlantic Quantum advanced a modular chip stack that integrates qubits with superconducting control electronics, addressing one of the field’s most complex scaling challenges. The deal brings both breakthrough technology and top-tier talent into Google’s quantum program, underscoring Kannan’s ability to translate cutting-edge research into strategic value.

Sean Kearney                
CEO     
UberDoc       

As CEO of UberDoc, Sean Kearney, has positioned the digital healthcare platform for its next phase of growth through a definitive reverse merger agreement that will take the company public. The May 2025 transaction, structured through ROV Investment Partners, marks a transformational milestone for the direct-pay marketplace connecting patients with thousands of specialists across more than 50 fields. Backed by $25.63 million in total funding — including an $11.6 million later-stage round in 2024 — UberDoc continues to expand access to transparent, expedited care nationwide.

Court Townsend
COO

Jim Townsend
Executive Chairman
Townsend Energy      

Court Townsend, COO, and Jim Townsend, Executive Chairman of Townsend Energy, led the strategic merger with Bartlett & Steadman, expanding the company’s plumbing and HVAC capabilities across Massachusetts’ North Shore. The transaction, completed with advisory support from FuelExchange™, the M&A arm of Gray, Gray & Gray, LLP, strengthens Townsend Energy’s position as a full-service energy and home services provider. By embracing Bartlett & Steadman’s longstanding brand and workforce, the Townsends advanced a growth strategy rooted in service excellence and community legacy.

Tom Webster
Partner

Bryan Barletta
Partner         
Sounds Profitable     

As partners of Sounds Profitable, Tom Webster and Bryan Barletta have orchestrated a landmark merger with Podcast Movement, uniting two influential brands to accelerate podcasting’s integration into the broader business world. The combined platform supports and elevates some of the industry’s most recognizable voices — including chart-topping shows like New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce — while expanding podcasting’s presence at major forums such as SXSW and Cannes Lions. With Barletta stepping in as president of Podcast Movement and a flagship move to New York City ahead, the merger strengthens podcasting’s commercial infrastructure and cultural influence.

Social Impact Investing

Sarah Clabby
CEO

Maxine Winston
Chief Development Officer                        
Magical Beginnings Learning Centers

At Magical Beginnings Learning Centers, Sarah Clabby, CEO, and Chief Development Officer, Maxine Winston, are building a growth-driven model of social impact in the field of early education. Since February 2025, they have guided the private equity–backed organization through leadership transition and rapid expansion, growing from 13 Massachusetts centers to 20 locations across two states in eight months. Together, they pair disciplined dealmaking with empathy and trust, integrating independent childcare providers while preserving community roots. By investing deeply in educators, operational excellence, and relationship-driven growth, Clabby and Winston are scaling access to high-quality early education and strengthening families, the workforce, and communities through mission-focused expansion.