About Us
Company Overview
Offering financial and management support to create long term growth.
Founded in 2013, River Capital Group Holdings (RCGH) is a leading family investment office headquartered in Manhattan, NY. In addition to funding, River Capital Group also offers strategic counsel, management resources, and access to its expansive network of capital markets, finance, and institutional investment professionals, without requiring partner companies to cede operational control.
River Capital Group makes opportunistic investments in growth companies with investments ranging from five hundred thousand to $50 million. Specifically, RCGH identifies forward-thinking companies for which its capital, financial expertise, and relationships would add both significant quantitative and qualitative value.
River Capital Group Holdings is industry agnostic with a track record of backing and supporting companies that deliver above average returns and exceed industry expectations. Invested capital is only that of River Capital Group Holdings’ principals.
River Capital Group Holdings has formed a Wholly owned subsidiary RCG Ventures, which is purpose built to help small and mid-size companies accelerate growth
Our Approach
As a family office investing our own capital, we have the flexibility to make timely and streamlined investment decision.
- Role of Owner
- Deal Terms
- Horizon
- Strategy
- Importance to Acquirer
- Governance
- Employees
- Culture
- Brand
- Private Equity
- Multi-year commitment to PE fund; loss of control
- High leverage; often requires seller co-investment
- ~5 years or the life of the fund
- Eliminate costs; financial engineering
- Part of larger portfolio or absorbed into existing holding
- Board-level oversight; investor-installed executives
- Layoffs likely
- Uncertain
- Possibly preserved; otherwise eliminated
- Sale to Competitor
- Division manager; new management hierarchy
- Cash & potentially illiquid stock
- Situation-dependent
- Eliminate costs
- Division of larger company or absorbed into existing firm
- Subordinate to new management
- Layoffs likely
- Bureaucratic
- Likely absorbed into acquirer's brands
- River Capital Group Holdings
- Flexible: full exit, consulting, board, control position, etc.
- Flexible
- Long-term
- Organic growth
- Platform for growth
- Energetic, local leadership & board
- Growth opportunities
- Encouraged and enhanced
- Preserved and extended
| Role of Owner | Deal Terms | Horizon | Strategy | Importance to Acquirer | Governance | Employees | Culture | Brand | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Equity | Multi-year commitment to PE fund; loss of control | High leverage; often requires seller co-investment | ~5 years or the life of the fund | Eliminate costs; financial engineering | Part of larger portfolio or absorbed into existing holding | Board-level oversight; investor-installed executives | Layoffs likely | Uncertain | Possibly preserved; otherwise eliminated |
| Sale to Competitor | Division manager; new management hierarchy | Cash & potentially illiquid stock | Situation-dependent | Eliminate costs | Division of larger company or absorbed into existing firm | Subordinate to new management | Layoffs likely | Bureaucratic | Likely absorbed into acquirer's brands |
| River Capital Group Holdings | Flexible: full exit, consulting, board, control position, etc. | Flexible | Long-term | Organic growth | Platform for growth | Energetic, local leadership & board | Growth opportunities | Encouraged and enhanced | Preserved and extended |
Leadership
Mario Monello
Chairman Of The Board
As Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board at River Capital Group Holdings and River Capital Group Ventures, Mario Monello has an extensive background leading high-growth companies and acting in an executive capacity across leading financial firms.
After serving as a partner at Lehman Brothers from 1979-1993, Mr. Monello went on to cofound Argosy Group, a firm specializing in bank/sales and trading/bankruptcy restructuring, working as Head of Leverage Finance. He went on to work with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, MaxCor Financial Group, and Guggenheim Partners before joining River Capital Group.
Mr. Monello studied Business Administration at Brooklyn College in New York and philanthropically has been engaged as an Advisory Board Member of the Monmouth Medical Center Foundation and as a Board Member of the Count Basie Center for the Arts.
Vincent Puma
Chief Executive Officer
A venture capitalist and seasoned operator, Vince Puma has served as Co-Founder and CEO of River Capital Group Holdings and River Capital Group Ventures since their formation in 2012. Prior to founding RCG, Mr. Puma spent the majority of his career on Wall Street, working at firms like Gruntal & Co. and Josephthal & Co.
Before becoming a principal in his own firm, Mr. Puma then spent the next 12 years building several small firm sales and banking divisions in multiple roles, from Managing Director to CEO. Mr. Puma studied at Baruch College and New York University. He has also served on many boards, both private and philanthropically, including the Arc of Monmouth County and Hackensack Meridian Health.
Under his leadership, River Capital Group has made opportunistic industry-agnostic investments in growth companies ranging from five hundred thousand to $50 million. RCGH identifies forward-thinking companies for which its capital, financial expertise, and relationships would add both significant quantitative and qualitative value.
