Identifying high-net-worth individuals in need of financial guidance is central to growth in the wealth management industry.
While advisors and sales teams use many signals to guide outreach, one of the strongest and most time-sensitive is often overlooked, the sale of a private business. A liquidity event instantly transforms business owners into high-net-worth individuals, creating a narrow window where the need for financial planning is at its peak.
We track more than 2,000 private company transactions each month in Dakota Marketplace and map those deals directly to key executives. This allows firms to gain a clear, actionable view into who has recently gone through a buyout and is likely navigating newfound liquidity, all in one place where you can view and act on every transaction.
Book a demo of Dakota Marketplace to source key executives and CEOs!
Top 10 CEOs in Los Angeles
1. Jesse Merrill – Good Culture
Recent Transaction: Growth Equity | 2/3/2026 | $55M
SEMCAP Food & Nutrition announced a $55 million investment in Good Culture, a fast-growing better-for-you cultured dairy brand, reinforcing its commitment to backing category-defining food companies. The investment expands SEMCAP’s existing partnership alongside majority investor L Catterton and is aimed at accelerating Good Culture’s growth, innovation, and North American distribution.
Jesse Merrill is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Good Culture, a clean-label cultured dairy brand he launched in 2014. With a background in marketing leadership at Activate Drinks and Honest Tea, he has led Good Culture’s rapid growth, scaling the company to over $100 million in revenue and making it one of the top-selling cottage cheese brands in the U.S.
View the full profile in Dakota Marketplace.
2. Bridgit Mendler – Northwood Space
Recent Transaction: Series B Venture | 1/27/2026 | $100M
Northwood Space closed a $100 million Series B led by Washington Harbour Partners and Andreessen Horowitz and secured a $49.8 million U.S. Space Force contract to modernize the government’s satellite control network. The capital will accelerate production of its phased-array ground station technology, expanding capacity to support growing commercial constellations and critical defense missions as satellite traffic rapidly increases.
Bridgit Mendler is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Northwood Space, a satellite data startup she launched in 2024. A former actress and singer turned entrepreneur, she holds degrees from USC, MIT, and Harvard Law School, bringing a multidisciplinary background in technology, media, and law to the company’s mission of advancing satellite communications infrastructure.
View the full profile in Dakota Marketplace.
3. Philipp Wehn – Nexxa.ai
Recent Transaction: Seed Venture | 1/21/2026 | $9M
Nexxa.ai, a Sunnyvale-based startup building specialized AI agents for heavy industries, raised a $9 million seed round led by Construct Capital with participation from a16z speedrun and others, bringing total funding to $14 million. The company’s platform integrates AI directly into existing industrial engineering workflows across sectors like rail, construction, and manufacturing, helping modernize core infrastructure and drive measurable ROI for customers including Siemens.
Philipp Wehn is the Chief Executive Officer of Nexxa.ai, based in the Los Angeles metro area. As CEO, he leads the company’s executive strategy and oversees its growth and innovation initiatives in the AI sector.
View the full profile in Dakota Marketplace.
4. Anastasia Soare – Anastasia Beverly Hills
Recent Transaction: Growth Equity Recapitalization | 12/24/2025 | Undisclosed
Anastasia Beverly Hills completed a recapitalization transaction with the support of its lenders and TPG, significantly reducing its debt and strengthening its long-term financial position. As part of the deal, Founder and CEO Anastasia Soare invested $225 million in equity, maintaining majority ownership and positioning the company to accelerate product innovation, customer engagement, and global growth.
Anastasia Soare is the Founder, Owner, and Chief Executive Officer of Anastasia Beverly Hills, based in the Los Angeles metro area. As the brand’s visionary leader, she continues to guide its strategy and global growth, maintaining majority ownership and active executive leadership.
View the full profile in Dakota Marketplace.
5. Jonathan Criss – Vital Lyfe
Recent Transaction: Seed Venture | 12/16/2026 | $24M
Vital Lyfe announced a $24 million seed round — including over $18 million in equity and additional committed debt financing — led by Interlagos and General Catalyst to accelerate production of its aerospace-engineered, portable water-making systems. The funding will support manufacturing scale-up, expanded field deployments, and the launch of its first consumer-ready products in 2026, advancing its mission to deliver clean, on-demand water anywhere in the world.
Jonathan Criss is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vital Lyfe, a company developing innovative, scalable water purification technologies. A former SpaceX leader with more than 13 years of experience across the Starlink and Dragon programs, he brings deep engineering and product expertise to advancing portable, aerospace-grade water solutions.
View the full profile in Dakota Marketplace.
6. Eric Ho – Goodfire
Recent Transaction: Series B Venture | 2/5/2025 | $150M
Goodfire announced a $150 million Series B at a $1.25 billion valuation, led by B Capital with participation from prominent venture and strategic investors, to advance its AI interpretability research and expand its product platform. The funding will support frontier research, scientific discovery partnerships, and development of a model design environment aimed at making AI systems more understandable, steerable, and reliable.
Eric Ho is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Goodfire, a company focused on advancing AI interpretability research. Previously, he co-founded RippleMatch, where he served as President and CTO, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Yale University.
View the full profile in Dakota Marketplace.
7. Mark Groden – Skyryse
Recent Transaction: Series C Venture | 2/3/2026 | $300M
Skyryse raised over $300 million in an oversubscribed Series C round, achieving a valuation above $1 billion as it advances FAA certification and scales deployment of its universal flight operating system, SkyOS™. The new capital will support certification efforts and expand integration of SkyOS across military and civilian aircraft platforms, reinforcing the company’s position as a leader in aviation automation and safety technology.
Mark Groden is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Skyryse, an aviation technology company focused on making flight safer and more accessible. Since founding the company in 2016, he has led the development of FlightOS, a simplified, touchscreen-based flight control system designed to modernize aircraft operations and enhance aviation safety.
View the full profile in Dakota Marketplace.
8. Andy Apple – Mellomanic
Recent Transaction: Acquisition / Merger | 1/28/2026 | Undisclosed
Stationhead and Mellomanic announced a merger under the Stationhead name, forming a unified direct-to-fan platform focused on live, interactive listening experiences, fan engagement, and music monetization. Backed by new investments from Sterling Partners and Universal Music Group, the combined company aims to create a category-defining platform that drives incremental revenue and deeper artist–fan connections across the global music ecosystem.
Andy Apple is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mellomanic, a company focused on innovation within the music industry. He previously worked on the investment team at Sound Ventures and holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from New York University.
View the full profile in Dakota Marketplace.
9. Yung Mullick – The Bond Exchange
Recent Transaction: Acquisition / Merger | 1/21/2026 | Undisclosed
EPIC Insurance Brokers & Consultants announced the acquisition of The Bond Exchange, a California-based surety bond agency, expanding its national surety practice with added underwriting expertise and scale. The deal strengthens EPIC’s ability to structure complex surety programs across industries while enhancing its integrated, nationwide specialty insurance platform.
Yung Mullick is the Chief Executive Officer of The Bond Exchange, a surety brokerage firm providing customized bonding solutions across industries including construction, energy, real estate, and private equity. Under his leadership, the firm secured multi-billion-dollar surety programs, expanded geographically, and reached a major milestone with its acquisition by EPIC in 2026.
View the full profile in Dakota Marketplace.
10. Shruty Parti – Core Analytics Lab & Radiology Service
Recent Transaction: Buyout / Private Equity | 1/13/2026 | Undisclosed
HCAP Partners announced a follow-on acquisition for its Integrated Diagnostic Services (IDS) platform with the addition of Core Analytics Lab & Radiology, expanding IDS’ footprint across California and adding mobile laboratory diagnostics to its offerings. The transaction strengthens IDS’ ability to deliver bundled mobile radiology and lab services to skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, supporting continued platform growth and operational scale.
Shruty Parti is the Chief Executive Officer of Core Analytics Lab & Radiology Services, where she led the company’s expansion to more than 300 facilities across California providing mobile diagnostic services. A seasoned healthcare executive with a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from USC, she guided the company through its 2026 acquisition by Integrated Diagnostic Services, enhancing its ability to deliver bundled mobile radiology and laboratory solutions.
View the full profile in Dakota Marketplace.
Where Liquidity Events Become Prospecting Signals
Finding prospects may not be the challenge, it’s knowing when to reach them.
Private company transactions are one of the clearest signals of imminent need. They turn operating executives into newly liquid decision-makers almost overnight. Firms that align outreach to these moments gain a real advantage in timing, relevance, and conversion.
Dakota Marketplace delivers that edge.
Our combination of real-time private company transaction data and “likely to transact” signals allows RIAs and advisors to engage in timely, highly relevant outreach to individuals with newly acquired, or soon-to-be-acquired, wealth.
You’ll see all private company transactions in one place, updated continuously, so your team can prioritize outreach, engage with confidence, and convert at the right moment.
Book a demo of Dakota Marketplace to source key executives and CEOs!
