David is the chief executive and a managing director of Top Tier responsible for the management, development and growth of the firm’s fund of funds and co-investment offerings. Beginning in 2000, he led the fund of funds team at Paul Capital, developing an extensive network of relationships with private equity fund managers. He serves on the fund advisory committees of 14 venture capital firms and has extensive operational experience, having founded and managed four different trading desks on Wall Street. David’s Wall Street career spans two decades, including posts at Chase H&Q, Volpe Welty & Co. and Drexel Burnham Lambert. He began his career as an executive consultant at Paine Webber. Mr. York received his B.S.E. in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Southern California.

Lisa is a Top Tier managing director focused on all aspects of portfolio construction, manager selection, due diligence and investment monitoring. She currently serves on the advisory committees of 11 venture capital firms. Before joining predecessor firm Paul Capital in 2003, Lisa was part of the asset management team at WR Hambrecht + Co that focused on new and emerging private equity funds. Before that, she spent 10 years at Horsley Bridge Partners. Lisa began her career as an analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She received a B.S. in applied economics from the University of San Francisco and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Philip Paul, who founded Paul Capital in 1991, is a managing director of Top Tier and serves as its chairman, providing strategic advice and direction to the firm. He remains the chairman emeritus at Paul Capital. Phil has more than 30 years of private equity experience, having served on more than 30 VC-based boards of directors. From 1983 to 1990 he was chairman and CEO of Hillman Ventures, Inc., one of the most active private equity investors in the 1970s and 80s. During his tenure at Hillman Ventures, Phil was a founding investor in several venture capital funds, including those raised by Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers; TA Associates; U.S. Venture Partners; Mohr, Davidow Ventures; and New Enterprise Associates. He was active with many of these private equity managers before they actually formed the funds for which they are well known today. Phil also was involved with direct investments in life science and technology companies such as Genentech, Hybritech, Pyxis, Tandem Computers, Teradata, Symantec and Read-Rite. Phil holds a B.A. from Stanford University, a J.D. from Southwestern University and a certificate in International Law from the Parker School at Columbia University.

Dan is a Top Tier managing director who leads Top Tier Capital Partner’s secondary and co-investment efforts. Before joining the Top Tier team in 2007, Dan spent nine years investing private equity money at GE Asset Management for the company’s U.S. pension trust and external institutional clients. In that role, he was responsible for building out a portfolio of more than $500 million with limited partnership investments and co-investments. Dan moved to GEAM after an eight-year operating career in three divisions of the company: General Electric Lighting Systems; National Broadcasting Company; and GE Trading Company. Dan has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Clemson University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Jessica is a principal at Top Tier focused on investment due diligence, monitoring, and reporting. She also serves on the fund advisory committees for two venture capital firms. Before joining predecessor firm Paul Capital in 2005, she was part of the investment team at Care Capital LLC, a venture capital firm specializing in biotechnology. Before that she spent five years in equity research at Salomon Smith Barney, covering the financial services industry, including small regional banks and savings & loans. Jessica is a graduate of Connecticut College with a B.A. in mathematics and economics. She also earned an M.B.A. from New York University’s Stern School of Business. She is an active competitive rower and is a previous member of the rowing teams at Connecticut College and the New York Athletic Club, where she was a nine-time national champion.

Garth is a principal at Top Tier focused on investment due diligence, monitoring, and reporting. Before joining predecessor firm Paul Capital in 2009, he was a vice president at Portfolio Advisors, where he focused on primary investments in venture capital, leveraged buyout and special-situation funds and served as a supporting member of the firm’s investment committee. Before that, Garth spent four years at Fairview Capital Partners, a Connecticut-based fund of funds. Before attending business school, he was an associate director in the U.S. Equity Research Department at RogersCasey. While attending business school, Garth completed private equity internships at the Cornell University Investment Office, Camden Partners and Montagu Newhall Associates. He received his undergraduate degree in psychology with a minor in economics from Bates College as a Benjamin E. Mays Scholar. He received his M.B.A. from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University as a Robert A. Toigo Fellow and a Christopher T. Emmet Scholar.

Sean is a senior analyst at Top Tier, assisting with market and industry research, due diligence, investment monitoring, reporting and business development. He earned a B.A. in political science from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was an Academic All Pac-10 varsity crew member.

Arianna is a senior analyst at Top Tier responsible for assisting the team with market and industry research, due diligence, investment monitoring, reporting and business development. Before joining predecessor firm Paul Capital in 2010, she spent time as an intern with Fetola Mmoho Consulting in South Africa. Arianna earned a B.A. in economics and government from Connecticut College, where she was a four-year varsity crew member.

Joseph is an analyst with Top Tier. He helps the firm with market and industry research, due diligence, investment monitoring, reporting and business development. Before joining Top Tier, Joseph was an analyst intern with RainMakers Private Equity and Ambata Capital Partners in San Francisco. He also interned at the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board while a student at the University of California at Berkeley. Joseph received a B.A. in political science from Berkeley, where he rowed lightweight crew for three years.

Clare is Top Tier’s marketing manager, responsible for producing the firm’s marketing materials and overseeing investor communications and annual-meeting production. Prior to joining predecessor firm Paul Capital in 2006, Clare spent 13 years working with private equity funds and their investors as a venture services and marketing specialist with JP Morgan H&Q and the Charles Schwab Strategic Trading Group. As a venture services specialist, Clare provided liquidity services to private equity funds seeking to distribute or sell public portfolio-company assets. In her role as a marketing specialist, she was responsible for the content and design of the group’s presentation materials, as well as the production of three worldwide private equity conferences. Clare received a B.A. in politics and studio art from Fairfield University in Connecticut.

Melissa is Top Tier's investor-relations associate. Prior to joining Top Tier, she worked for Gaia Interactive and venture capital firms Shasta Ventures, Incubic Management and Firelake Capital. Prior to her work in venture capital, Melissa was a regional director for a non-profit organization in the San Francisco Bay Area for 10 years and traveled to Asia and Europe to oversee programs. Melissa started her career at Prudential Securities, where she earned her Series 7 and Series 63 licenses. Melissa graduated from St. Mary's College in Moraga, as well as Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont. Melissa received a B.S. in business administration from Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont.

Sean is the firm’s registered in-house counsel and chief compliance officer. Prior to joining Top Tier in 2011, Sean held a number of senior operating roles at asset management firms, including senior project manager at Blackrock, chief operating officer at H&Q Asia Pacific and president of Robertson Stephens Asset Management. Before moving to San Francisco, Sean was general counsel and a managing director at Soros Fund Management in New York from 1991 to 2000. Sean began his career as a lawyer advising investment advisers in New York and Hong Kong. Sean received an A.B., magna cum laude, from Harvard College and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.

Shanshan is Top Tier’s controller. She oversees the financial reporting, accounting and operations of the management company, the firm’s Top Tier funds and general-partner entities. Before joining the firm in 2013, she was the fund controller for Clarium Capital Management LLC and the vice president of operations for Thiel Capital LLC. In those roles she oversaw financial reporting and accounting and served as a member of the valuation committee. Prior to that, Shanshan worked at Ernst & Young LLP’s global asset-management practice in San Francisco. She earned a B.S. in international finance from Zhongshan (Sun-Yat Sen) University in China and an MBA from University of San Francisco. Later Shanshan also earned a master of accountancy from Golden Gate University. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst and Certified Public Accountant (inactive).

Susan Liang is a senior accountant for Top Tier, in charge of the management company’s accounting and operations. Prior to joining Top Tier in 2012, Susan worked for two years as a senior fund accountant at Citco Fund Services. In that role she helped oversee accounting for hedge fund portfolios worth more than $2.5 billion. Before that Susan was an asset operations specialist with the Charles Schwab Trust Co. She started her accounting career as a credit manager and loan processor for Wells Fargo Financial. Susan holds a B.A. in sociology organizational studies and managerial economics from the University of California at Davis.

Catherine is a senior fund accountant for Top Tier. She is responsible for the accounting and operations of the firm’s Top Tier funds and general-partner entities. Prior to joining the firm in 2013, Catherine worked for two years as a senior associate in KPMG’s audit practice, primarily with financial-services clients including Wells Fargo and its venture-capital subsidiary. Before that she interned at KPMG. Catherine earned a B.A. in business economics with an accounting emphasis from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She also studied at Charles University in Prague and is a certified public accountant.