Ben Chatraw is one of the Founders and Chairmen of North Avenue Capital. Before the Veritex-NAC acquisition, Ben sat as Chief Executive Officer, responsible for driving the overall vision and strategy of the firm. A serial entrepreneur, Ben has founded multiple companies and nonprofit organizations. Prior to launching NAC, he worked at a Dallas-based hedge fund focused on lower middle market investments, which he co-founded and ran. Ben specializes in entrepreneurialism, leadership, strategy, financial analysis, and deal structuring. He completed his undergraduate degree with the highest honors from Georgia Tech and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with distinction.
From 2006 through 2012, Ben founded, launched, and grew Vision Research Capital Management, LP, a Dallas, Texas based investment manager, and was the general partner of Vision Research Capital Fund, a long-short equity, institutional fund specializing in small-cap and short investments. Ben oversaw all operational activities involved in the day to day management of the firm and was responsible for managing investor relationships, sourcing new clients, and raising capital from accredited investors. He also participated as a member of the firm’s investment counsel.
Prior to his role as an investment firm partner, he co-founded Vision Research Organization, LLC in 2004. VRO grew into a preeminent provider of independent research, analytics, and consulting services to hedge funds throughout the country and was recognized in 2009 by Integrity Research as the nation’s top independent firm in the category of forensic accounting and short ideas.
Before founding Vision, Ben was a General Manager at Lucent Technologies, where he was responsible for all supply chain activity, supporting one of the company’s largest customers. In this role, he was accountable for complete supply cycle management and the delivery of more than $150 million in equipment each quarter. During his operating career, Ben also led the launch of a major marketplace initiative for a national nonprofit technology organization. He has held a diverse range of leadership, engineering, operating, and financial positions that have contributed to an expertise in developing and maintaining efficient and repeatable processes.
Ben is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), where he was on full academic scholarship, was awarded the institute’s prestigious President’s Scholar, and received a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering with highest honors. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, where he graduated with distinction.
Ben and his wife, Stephanie, reside in St. Johns County, Florida with their children, Kelsly, Camden, Raelin, and Ivie. He is the founder and a current board member of Videre Microfinance Institute, a nonprofit administrating small business training and lending programs in West Africa. Ben has been featured as a visiting speaker and teacher at a number of strategic universities throughout the U.S. and China on the subjects of entrepreneurialism, finance, purpose, and faith.