Amy Arndt is the Office Managing Partner of Ballard Spahr’s Sioux Falls office and a member of the firm’s Expanded Board. Known for her strategic and client service-oriented approach, Amy assists business owners with operational issues, management succession, financing options for growth, and restructuring. Her practice emphasizes securities and corporate finance and she represents clients in various industries such as agri-business, real estate, hospitality, consumer products, manufacturing, and renewable energy.

Amy has significant experience advising privately held companies on private offerings/placements and finance, corporate governance, disclosure matters, mergers and acquisition transactions, and asset acquisitions and divestitures. She acts as outside general counsel to clients advising on various matters including formation, shareholder agreements, and internal corporate structuring.

Brian Axelrad is chief investment officer at Beyond Capital Fund, a nonprofit social impact fund that invests in social enterprises in India and East Africa. At Beyond Capital, he oversees investment decision-making and advises on portfolio and overall fund strategy.  At the same time, Brian is also a partner at Horwood Marcus & Berk Chartered (HMB), a Chicago-based law firm, and serves as a member of HMB’s firm-wide executive committee. He leads the HMB’s regionally recognized venture capital practice; is active in the firm’s private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and technology practice groups; leads its search fund (entrepreneurship through acquisition) subpractice; and helped launch its philanthropy and social impact practice.

Brian is deeply committed to developing the field of impact investing, both locally in Chicago, as well as abroad. From 2014 to 2018, he worked closely with the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business where he was appointed as its first impact investor in residence, a post he held from 2015 to 2018. He also taught a course on impact investing as an adjunct associate professor of entrepreneurship. Brian holds a BA in Economics and History from the University of Michigan, a JD from the Northwestern University School of Law and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

 

 

Mitchell has 20 years of entrepreneurial, legal, regulatory and financial experience in highly regulated industries and nine years of cannabis investment experience.  He is the founder and Managing Partner of cannabis-focused private equity fund Merida Capital Partners, which is currently on its second fund with ~$100MM AUM and is the largest outside investor in leading cannabis public companies KushCo(KSHB), GrowGeneration (GRWG), Freedom Leaf (FRLF) and leading private companies New Frontier Data, MainStem, Emerald Scientific, Steep Hill Labs and Vireo Health.

Mitchell is an expert in the regulatory component of cannabis limited licensing and multi-state cultivation operations and has architected top cultivation licensing scores in Connecticut and Minnesota. In 2013, Mitchell co-founded Theraplant, one of four Connecticut-based cultivators; Leafline Labs, one of two Minnesota cultivators; Grow West MD, one of 17 Maryland cultivation licensees, and Laurel Harvest Labs, a Pennsylvania-based vertical applicant in its pre-operational stage.  Mitchell is a frequent speaker and author on cannabis investment strategy and diligence.  Mitchell previously served as Associate General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of publicly-traded MarketAxess and General Counsel of Pali Capital before leading investment banking operations for ACGM and Cavu Securities.

Mitchell sits on the Board of New Frontier Data, Steep Hill Labs, Simplifya and Mainstem. He  holds a B.A. in History from Brandeis University, and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law. He also holds FINRA 7, 24, 63, 79 licenses.