Our people

Jordan is the founder and former CEO of CoachUp.com, and was co-CEO at DRAFT, which he sold for $48M in 2017. He then launched and ran the Techstars Sports and Techstars NYC Accelerators while also managing his Founders First VC fund and syndicate, collectively deploying ~$50M into 350+ startups. Transitioning from tech to ETA, Jordan acquired Voray, an events marketing company, and began backing acquisition entrepreneurs alongside Tim Ericson. Together, they co-founded Shareholder Ventures, which later merged with Acquisition Lab, where Jordan now serves as CEO.

Tim raised $40 million while building Zagster, a venture-backed bike-share company, and exited in 2020. He came to the Lab as a member, bought We Rent Copiers with an SBA 7(a) loan in 2023, and began investing his own money in other members’ deals. That became Shareholder Ventures, which he co-founded with Jordan and which is now the Lab’s Fund.

Walker began buying companies in 2006, long before he coined the term “acquisition entrepreneurship.” His 2018 book, Buy Then Build, became a Wall Street Journal bestseller, defined the category, and is now taught at half a dozen of the world’s leading MBA programs, steering a generation of entrepreneurs toward buying instead of starting. He founded Acquisition Lab in late 2019 after launching the ETA program at the Olin School of Business and remains involved as a board member and investor. In 2022, he founded Build Capital, where he continues to acquire lower-middle-market businesses.

Chelsea Wood is a Certified M&A Advisor who has spent more than two decades helping leaders make better decisions around growth, transactions, and business performance. She co-founded Acquisition Lab in 2020 and has personally supported more than 1,000 acquisition entrepreneurs through search, diligence, closing, and ownership. She continues to support Lab members through regular office hours.

Ted built his career in startups and was COO of Spin. He moved from tech to ETA by investing in copier rental business We Rent Copiers, then taking over as CEO. He now advises WRC and other Lab companies. His focus is building Acquisition Lab Deals, the Lab's buyer and seller marketplace.

Julio is a data-driven problem solver who works across the organization to build internal tools, automations, workflows, dashboards, and AI-enabled solutions. His work improves operational processes, strengthens information flow, and helps teams make better decisions around shared strategic priorities.

Luis is a software engineer who spent his career building and maintaining websites, and taught mobile development at Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira. At the Lab, he is a lead engineer, where he builds and maintains the platforms.

Ivan owns the AI-enabled products, automations, and data systems that support Acquisition Lab’s operations and member experience. He built and maintains Deals Flow, the platform that delivers curated business-for-sale opportunities from U.S. aggregators and brokers to Acquisition Lab members. Previously, he co-founded a MarTech and development consultancy and led marketing operations at We Rent Copiers.

Duber has more than 5 years of experience building back-end systems and full-stack applications. He has a strong background in back-end architecture and full-stack development, with experience integrating cloud services, payment systems, and AI agents into production environments. At Acquisition Lab, he works as a full stack engineer, designing and building new features, maintaining the systems behind them, and keeping the product reliable.

Ryan is an operations leader who has spent his career in finance and accounting, starting as a consultant to startups and growth-stage companies before moving into operations, where he built and scaled delivery teams. As COO of a national outsourced CFO and accounting firm, he helped drive the growth that led to its acquisition, then stayed on to run integration and to acquire and integrate a second professional services organization. He later served as VP of Operations through that firm's own sale to private equity. Ryan has since focused on applying AI and automation to tax and financial services workflows and now leads Acquisition Lab Operate as General Manager.

Esteban has spent more than 12 years in finance and accounting across global companies and private equity, leading financial operations, reporting, and business transformation. At Acquisition Lab, he leads Finance Operations, overseeing the teams and operating model responsible for accounting, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and financial controlling for member-owned businesses.

Melissa is a finance professional with extensive experience across technology, multinational, and high-growth companies, with expertise in controllership, financial reporting, and FP&A. As Onboarding Controller at Acquisition Lab, she leads the financial onboarding of new clients, setting up accounting operations and processes to ensure a smooth transition post-acquisition.

Valentina is an administrative and project support professional with experience in executive assistance, operations, customer service, and accounting support. At Acquisition Lab, she coordinates client communications, task workflows, follow-ups, and operational support across the Operate team.

Leidy is a Colombian CPA and MBA with 15+ years in accounting and finance, including CFO and Financial Controller roles. At Acquisition Lab, she manages multi-entity accounting, month-end close, reconciliations, and financial reporting for U.S.-based companies.

Maria is a Business Administrator with professional experience in billing, accounts receivable, payment application, and collections. At Acquisition Lab, she manages payment application processes, follows up on customer complaints, claims, and requests, and monitors accounts receivable to ensure timely collection and reconciliation of outstanding balances.

Sergio is a public accountant and ACCA CertIFR holder with experience in controllership, financial reporting, and FP&A. At Acquisition Lab, he oversees accounting and finance operations across a portfolio of member-owned businesses.

Gisela is a public accountant with 8+ years of experience spanning financial reporting, general ledger management, and audit support, helping businesses trust and understand their numbers. As Senior Accountant at Acquisition Lab, she owns full-cycle accounting and month-end close across multiple client entities, delivering decision-ready financials in line with US GAAP.

Evelyn is an International Business and Finance professional with 8+ years of experience spanning billing, accounts receivable, cash applications, payment processing, and customer reconciliations. As an AR Specialist at Acquisition Lab, she manages the full-cycle AR process, ensuring accurate invoicing, payment application, and account management.

Lirus is an international business professional with 5+ years of experience in accounts payable, customer service, and financial operations. As an Accounts Payable Specialist at Acquisition Lab, she manages invoice processing, vendor records, payment coordination, and daily AP operations.

Diana has 12+ years of payroll operations and HR administration experience across multinational companies. At Acquisition Lab, she specializes in managing multi-entity payroll compliance, tax administration, and employee benefits, ensuring regulatory accuracy and seamless operations.

Geishy spent her career agency side before going independent to run marketing for early-stage founders, which is the work that brought her to Shareholder Ventures. When the fund merged into the Lab she joined the Lab full time and now leads marketing across the company.

Noah runs our video content. Before the Lab, he founded It’s All Good Productions, a video production company creating branded content, commercials, social media campaigns, and film. He also previously co-founded a digital production company that generated more than 120 million views.

Juan leads recruitment at Acquisition Labs. Before joining the Lab, he built his career focused on startups, scaling their teams and building hiring processes from the ground up across multiple high-growth environments. At the Lab, Juan drives the strategy for sourcing and hiring.

Martha has more than 15 years of experience in data analysis, process optimization, marketing, and administrative operations. She has a strong background in supporting business operations, improving workflows, and contributing to data-driven projects. At Acquisition Lab, she provides administrative and operational support to Tim Ericson while contributing to data analysis, process optimization, and acquisition-related projects that improve operational efficiency.

Before Acquisition Labs, Rebecca owned and operated restaurants in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. She manages a 13-bedroom villa and co-owns a private chef dining experience recognized as #1 in Samaná by culinary guide Macarfi. Rebecca now serves as Executive Assistant to Jordan Fliegel at Acquisition Labs, handling his email, scheduling his meetings, and ensuring communication flows with his key contacts.

Alan leads lifecycle marketing and supports the broader marketing function. Before joining the Lab, he led growth marketing at a ticketing and travel startup.