Small Business.
Acquisitions.
And Entrepreneurship.
Empowering, educating, and promoting the entrepreneurial ecosystem for the Charlotte of tomorrow through casual networking, high-quality programming, and practical member education.
Founding Sponsors
We are forever grateful to our Founding Sponsors for their investment in our community.
Founding Sponsor Criteria
Our Founding Sponsors have been with us since the beginning and meet two core criteria: (1) donating $10,000 in donations or in-kind services and (2) providing meaningful benefits to our members.
We’re a group for members by members: every dollar counts.
A Home for Searchers and Entrepreneurial Business Owners
Whether you have just started searching, have already searched and exited, or you do not even know what "ETA" is, this is your home. There's no snake oil here. We are not here to sell you anything. We are simply here to help.
Freedom
"Eyes always on the horizon," our Founder says. While we believe there is nothing 'wrong' with a W-2 job, we also are convicted that ETA provides the highest probability lowest risk-adjusted return to independence. We support those willing to take the journey.
Integrity
Our Integrity is unassailable. Only the best, honest, and vetted professionals are asked to speak at our meetings. We strive to deliver the best encouragement, inspiration, and advice when you attend one of our events.
Community
Search can be lonely. Not anymore. Here you will find a group of like-minded individuals who are "in the foxhole" with you--or have been there before. Here: you're not the product. You're home.
Sean Planchard
Sean is a Founder & GP of v96 Capital (a long-term holding company), Founder & Executive Director of The Charlotte ETA Group (a nonprofit), and Of Counsel at SMB Law Group. Through Planchard Ikigai, Sean's personal HoldCo, Sean has taken 15 private positions in venture-backed startups and brick & mortar businesses / investment funds. "Ikigai," for those unfamiliar, is a Japanese term for "purpose" defined as the intersection of what generates wealth and good for the world while also bringing joy and income.
More important than all of this, Sean is an imperfect Christian who lives out his mission to love others through serving, learning, earning, teaching, and sharing each day. Before setting out to "bet on himself" (with God as his foundation), Sean collected plenty of "gold stars" (of which he is quite proud, but he adamantly maintains do not define him). Among these, Sean:
- is a former McKinsey consultant
- graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in the top 25% of his class where he served as President of the Student Government
- served as Fulbright Scholar in Madrid Spain
- was nominated as one of the best teachers in Teach For America's 2011 Dallas-Forth Worth corps, and
- graduated from the University of Colorado-Boulder as the top graduate in the Political Science school, summa cum laude, With Distinction, and Phi Beta Kappa
He is happiest reading at his home in Charlotte, NC and is passionate student of wine (WSET Level 1 Certified), Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (White Belt), and (coming soon) golf!
Bryant Cohen
- Bryant Cohen is an entrepreneur, investor, and acquisition strategist focused on scaling businesses and driving high-impact investments. As Executive Director of CLT Impact Investors, he leads strategic acquisitions and growth investments, increasing access to private capital for entrepreneurs in Greater Charlotte. Leveraging his platform at CLT Impact, Bryant secured funding through a small, nonconventional independent sponsor deal, bringing one of the fastest-growing home services franchises to Charlotte, NC. He now owns and operates Pink’s Windows South Charlotte Ballantyne, where he has expanded market share through commercial partnerships and a high-touch service model.
- For Bryant, this joining The Charlotte ETA Group is about more than business—it’s about closing the opportunity gap in Charlotte. Too often, access to ownership is limited by a lack of capital, connections, or awareness of alternative paths. ETA provides a way for more people, especially those who might not see a clear route to ownership, to build wealth, create jobs, and strengthen communities. Through The Charlotte ETA Group, he is focused on breaking down barriers, connecting people with the right opportunities, and ensuring this powerful model reaches those who can truly benefit from it.
- Fun fact, Bryant directed an avant-garde short film that was selected by six film festivals—though he rarely mentions it and never shares it. It’s a quiet testament to the fact that spreadsheets, anxiety, and surreal cinema can all coexist.
Drake Gens
- Drake leads FinTeam, a fractional CFO and bookkeeping firm that helps small businesses financially flourish. He began his career in leveraged finance and is a CFA charterholder.
- I acquired my first business when I was 23; I'm grateful that I have friends and family that supported me through that process. The ETA Group has been a similarly impactful support group that's helped me as I've considered additional acquisitions, added new business segments, and needed advice (plus they are really fun and incredibly bright).
- I'm an ordained minister and have officiated two weddings (so far).
Michael Elliott
- Michael started his career at a secondary private equity group focused on purchasing limited partner interests in fund-of-funds & tail-end funds from institutional investors with exposure across all asset classes. In addition to being on the investment team, Michael attended global investor annual meetings for private equity groups, led capital raising efforts, and helped launch a B2C home furnishings company. Afterwards, Michael was an Investment Lead and Operating Partner for a private equity group focused on acquiring and managing complex, multi-national corporate divestitures. With this group, Michael originated and acquired non-core divisions & geographies from Fortune 500 companies across the US, Europe, and Asia. Additionally, he led operations and go-to-market strategy for a talent assessment software company prior to the company’s exit in 2023 to a private equity group. Now, Michael is an Advisor for Viking Merger & Acquisition’s Charlotte Office focused on helping business owners create successful liquidity events.
Michael grew up in Traverse City, MI and attended the University of Michigan where he was a member of the club hockey team. After many cold Michigan winters, Michael and his wife, Allyson, moved to Charlotte to enjoy golfing, boating, and playing tennis for more than 4 months in the year. - Growing up in a small town in Northern Michigan (Traverse City), Michael saw the benefit of local business owners and their impact on the community. Working with CLT ETA Group allows him to work with similar entrepreneurs looking to purchase and/or sell businesses to keep this fascination alive.
- Michael is a veracious reader (nerd) of high fantasy series including Stormlight Archive, Kingkiller Chronicle, Wheel of Time, and others.
Jonathan Pottow
- I, Jonathan Pottow, am the founder & president of Jonathan Alistair Fine Jewelry, est. July of 2020. Having spent almost a decade in high end luxury retail, I found a better way to pair his clients with luxury jewelry that better served their wants and needs. My wife, Tara, and I have been married since 2018 and have since had 2 amazing boys, Deacan & Finnley. We also have 3 dogs, Milo, Baylee & Piper, so there is never a dull moment in the zoo-like Pottow household!
- I joined the Charlotte ETA with the goal of surrounding myself with driven individuals who are focused on expanding their horizons both professionally and personally. ETA represents a powerful shift in mindset—moving beyond the paycheck-to-paycheck mentality toward achieving true financial independence by owning and controlling your time through business ownership.
As a 0-to-1 entrepreneur, I’ve experienced firsthand the profound freedom and fulfillment that come from owning your own time, and I’m passionate about helping others discover that same path. ETA provides a practical and inspiring framework for those seeking to create generational wealth, build sustainable businesses, and positively impact their communities.
I believe ETA is not just about acquiring businesses—it’s about acquiring freedom, cultivating leadership, and unlocking the potential to live life on your own terms. By sharing this vision with others, I hope to encourage more aspiring entrepreneurs to step into the world of ownership and experience the life-changing opportunities it offers. - I used to participate in the competitive martial arts of Kendo, sword fighting, before moving to the USA. So, beware!
Steve Boland
- Steve Boland is a Vice President and Private Client Manager with Bank of America Private Bank; he has been with the company since 2019. In his role, Steve and a team of wealth management associates integrate the Private Bank capabilities around each client, including portfolio management, wealth strategy, and trust services as appropriate.
With Carolina Youth Coalition, Steve currently serves as Secretary on their Board of Directors. Steve has served as an EMPOWERMENTor and served on the organization’s Young Professionals Board.
Steve holds a B.A. in Public Policy from Duke University. Additionally, Steve serves as President for Charlotte Young Professionals Group and chair of the Duke Black Alumni Association in Charlotte, as a member of Duke Charlotte Regional Board.
Steve is also recognized as a 2023 40 Under 40 winner by the Charlotte Business Journal for his leadership in the professional and civic community.
Steve is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, holding the certification awarded by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. - Fun fact… maybe not so fun – I have a major food aversion (fear?) of cooked eggs of any sort.
Paul Formella
- Paul graduated from the University of Chicago Law School, with Honors, in 2015, and then spent 9 years as a real estate lawyer at the firm Goodwin Procter LLP. In 2024 he left Goodwin to launch Perfect Form, a full-suite corporate services company that provides a wide range of entity management and compliance-related services in all 50 states, including entity formation, foreign qualification, registered agent service and more. He lives with his wife and two children in Davidson, North Carolina. His free time is typically spent practicing/playing golf.
- The main reason I joined the Charlotte ETA Group and love its purpose is because I get the sense there is a tremendously high number of smart, hard-working people that have entrepreneurial aspirations but don’t know how to come up with a plan/strategy for how to bring their goals to life. I find it very rewarding helping people to think through what can be a very challenging and complex decision, which is the decision to leave the comfort of corporate life to build something yourself. My vision for the group is simply for it to be a place where (i) people feel comfortable sharing their goals and challenges, (ii) people help each other reach their goals, and (iii) people enjoy the atmosphere and meeting other members.
- At a party in college, I convinced a group of people that I was the voice of Yoshi in Super Mario.
Mubarak Shah
- Mubarak Shah, CPA, has been an entrepreneurial CPA for the last decade with extensive experience in the M&A world. He has been involved in over 95+ lower and middle market deals, specializing in construction, healthcare, SaaS/software, manufacturing, distribution, and transportation companies. With a strong background in Transaction Advisory and Quality of Earnings, Mubarak is passionate about helping acquirers and buyers navigate the complexities of finding the right business at the right price, while also assisting companies with their exit strategy planning.
Mubarak is originally from Long Island, New York, but recently moved to Greensboro 3 years ago after the birth of his first daughter. - New to the NC area and believe that there’s a lot of misinformation and misunderstandings around the M&A/ETA world. Now, having 5+ years of experience directly in the industry on a daily basis ultimately - I’d love to be able to assist and advise those who are interested in ETA on the best approach to take and how they can navigate the business buying (and selling) process.
- Super Harry Potter fan
Kevin Bibelhausen
- Kevin Bibelhausen is an entrepreneur because everyone was annoyed by the guy with a lot of ideas who cared too much. A career operator and ETA OG, Kevin failed numerous times before finally acquiring Heritage Fabrics, a global textile wholesaler. His background as a non-traditional sponsor and heart failure survivor inspired dozens of others to take their career by the horns and explore ETA.
- Leveraging his deep regional ties, Kevin has recently launched Wasala, a US-MENA supply chain focused fund. He frequently travels to speak and meet with families looking to secure their economic future while ensuring a lasting legacy.
Sarah Bibelhausen
- Sarah Bibelhausen is a gifted operator who has been on every side of the conference table. She prides herself on being a chameleon, adapting to any situation she's thrown into. Sarah joined her husband, Kevin as a founding board member of The Charlotte ETA Group. She values the way lives are changed through the acquisition process. The sponsor has an opportunity to grow life-changing wealth while supporting a local economy and growing the workforce.
Our Leaders
Click to learn more about our board members.
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Finally.
You found your people.
ETA can be a lonely road. Not anymore. Our community is open to everyone, and we do our best to share the highest quality content and foster the strongest connections to support your search journey.
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