John Pfeister, Founder and Managing Partner

John brings a wealth of operating, financial, and M&A experience to Polebridge. Prior to founding Polebridge, he spent over a decade in financial leadership positions of growth and early-stage technology companies in San Francisco, CA. Previously, he was an investment banker advising middle-market energy, technology, and manufacturing companies on mergers and acquisitions. He holds a BS in Economics with a minor in History from Duke University, where he was on the Wrestling team, and an MS in Accountancy from The University of Illinois. John is an advisor to Tipalti, a two-billion-dollar fintech company, serves on the advisory council for NOLS, the world leader in outdoor education, and is an active member of the Campfire Club of America, a conservation organization founded in 1897. John is an avid runner and given the demands of a young family now tries to condense long weekend trips into the span of a day, recently completing a self-supported 47-mile rim-to-rim-to-rim run in the Grand Canyon and a 42-mile crossing of Zion National Park. He resides in Durham, NC with his wife and three young daughters.