Bridging the financing gap for small-to-medium sized businesses.
About Us
An Investment Bank Securing Capital for Noteworthy Businesses
Carofin specializes in raising capital for revenue-generating small-to-medium sized businesses at inflection points. These are unique opportunities for private investment with the potential for outsized returns. We identify situations where a relatively small amount of capital has the potential to have a substantial impact on a business and its long-term profitability. We bring efficiency to the process of placing capital. Once completed, we remain involved, monitoring investment performance via our portal.
Our aim is to generate wealth for our investors by presenting compelling opportunities and supporting determined entrepreneurs. We firmly believe that informed and successful investors can both enrich the lives of business owners and their employees while also invigorating the economies of the local and rural communities they operate in.
Learn more about how Carofin selects and develops investment opportunities.
Carofin at a Glance
C.E.O. Bruce V. Roberts founded Carolina Financial Securities, LLC in 1997 with a singular focus – to structure, sell, and support current income and capital gains private investments. Over the years, we’ve garnered the trust of investors who have invested over $1.1 Billion in hand-selected direct private placements. This capital has fueled the growth plans of more than 100 dynamic businesses through over 200 transactions.
In 2018, Mr. Roberts further expanded our footprint by establishing Carofin, LLC, a second FINRA-registered broker-dealer. Carofin introduces a cutting-edge proprietary technology platform, offering investors direct access to a diverse range of investments. We are now offering this robust, cloud-based service to select third-party financial institutions.
The firm has a nationwide network of experienced banking professionals, each with expertise in numerous industry sectors. At Carofin, we adhere to institutional standards in our corporate finance process, complemented by rigorous due diligence protocols. We take pride in providing ongoing support to our investors throughout the life cycle of their investments.
Over the years we’ve been fortunate to champion many outstanding firms at the forefront of their industries. Among them, a medical device company offering patients a revolutionary hearing “lens” that provides users with 2.5x the bandwidth of traditional hearing aids. Another has developed and manufactured a specialized cordless lift system for window treatments that can eliminate the risk of infant strangulation. Still another’s cutting-edge technology captures and retains mobile calls and texts, regardless of the carrier. This meets the S.E.C.’s compliance requirements for Wall Steet firms to archive their communications.
To be sure, while not all our assignments have such wide-ranging effects, each offers a company the capital to advance their business plan — creating jobs and contributing to their local communities.
The Carofin Team
Bruce Roberts
Chief Executive Officer
Bruce has been an investment banker and entrepreneur for over 30 years. His professional activity centers around private finance and the broader support of entrepreneurs and private business owners.
Peter Milhaupt
Chairman
As Chairman of Carolina Financial Securities, Peter’s primary focus is developing and expanding the firm’s primary distribution capabilities for originating investment capital for the Firm’s clients.
Craig Gilmore
Chief Operating Officer
Craig has managed the Accounting, Compliance and IT for the family of Carolina Financial Group entities since joining the firm in 2006. He serves the roles of Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.
Bruce Smith
Managing Director - Investor Development
Bruce introduces Carofin to prospects interested in direct private investments. Focusing on both accreditation and suitability, he ensures what Carofin offers is appropriate for investors.
Nash Roberts
Vice President - Sales and Syndication
Nash has been with Carofin since 2012 and leads the firm’s marketing strategy. He brings private markets capital raising experience across multiple industries, issuer stages, and asset classes.
Garrick Ruiz
Vice President - Sales and Syndication
Garrick is a tenured investment professional who has spent his entire career working in financial services, both within wealth management and third-party distribution for companies including Raymond James and USAA.
Kristen Dawson
Managing Director
Kristen has spent nearly 20 years in investment and financial sales for such firms as MetLife, and Merrill Lynch. Kristen has an MBA from Columbia and an MPA from Harvard’s JFK School of Government and a CFP.
Mathias Hoffrichter
Compliance Specialist
Matt strengthens CFG’s compliance efforts with his legal education and FINRA background, often interfacing with outside counsel and providing guidance on FINRA rules.
Nicole Hallsey
Investor Relations Specialist
For two decades, Nicole was Director of Human Resources & Investor Services and oversaw all related aspects. She also ensured compliance with securities regulations. Nicole lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and two daughters.
John Gramling
Managing Director
John Gramling joined the Carolina Financial Group in 2017 as a Managing Director based in Gramling, South Carolina.
Stephen Clifford
Managing Director
Steve has spent the past 35+ years building and managing sales teams, hiring, training, and developing professionals for firms such as MetLife, Nationwide Financial, and Guardian Investor Services.
Thomas Saykaly
Managing Director
Responsible for leading Carofin’s commercial real estate investment banking efforts, Thomas leverages his 20 years of real estate capital markets expertise and $3B+ of advisory engagements to financially engineer the optimal capital stack for his CRE clients.
Joe Schrader
Banking Associate
Joe supports our investment banking pursuits, bringing experience in analyzing public markets from RBC Capital Markets. He graduated with honors from NC State with a B.S. in IT and earned an M.S. in Finance from Boston College.
Mina Girgis
Banking Analyst
Mina graduated from the WP Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, where he majored in Finance, with a special focus on portfolio engineering, value investing, and public markets.
