Empowering companies with tailored strategies, capital expertise, and partnerships to thrive in competitive markets.
Conatus Advisors is a strategic advisory firm with decades of combined experience across venture capital, technology, high growth startups, and telecom. We work hands-on with founders and leadership teams to unlock capital, accelerate market traction, and build meaningful partnerships that fuel long-term success.
Navigating the Right Path together
We work hands on with our clients to develop and refine their capital strategy to align with immediate & long-term objectives and investor expectations. From positioning and pitch refinement to identifying and connecting with the right capital sources, we streamline the fundraising process.
Conatus works with our clients who have strategic requirements including partnerships, divestitures, and other non-standard opportunities. Our unique ability to provide targeted access and engagement streamlines the path to success in these scenarios.
Our clients require accelerated access to key partners who will help grow and expand their business. Our relationships are valuable in this process but our ability to identify & develop others for the client is what makes the difference.
We work closely with our early stage clients to not only identify optimal categories, we also assist in the contact and development of specific targets to generate revenue.
Founded in 2022, Conatus Advisors was created by a team of seasoned operators and investors who saw a gap in the support available to early- and growth-stage companies. Drawing on decades of combined experience across venture capital, technology, and emerging industries, we set out to offer hands-on, high-impact advisory services tailored to the needs of dynamic businesses. Since our founding, we’ve partnered with startups and scale-ups across sectors to help them raise capital, enter new markets, and accelerate growth with clarity and confidence.
Tom leads our IoT/Telecom practice at Conatus. His background is deeply rooted in the startup ecosystem, specializing in business partnerships, raising funds, and go-to-market initiatives. In 2025 Tom became the Executive Director of the Telecom Council. Prior to founding Conatus, Tom was with Verizon Ventures where he was responsible for discovering new technology investments, managing existing portfolio relationships, and developing commercial contracts for portfolio companies. Additionally, Tom has previous board experience with Fermata Energy and Pivotal Commware.
Jeff leads our Special Situations practice at Conatus. His extensive global experience covers a variety of industry categories, geographies and cultures in the Americas, Europe, and across Asia. His holistic approach and perspective has been invaluable in understanding and navigating the complexities of the many engagements he has led throughout his career.
Shyam leads our AI/Enterprise Technology practice at Conatus Advisors. Shyam’s background spans three decades building scalable platforms and commercializing emerging technologies. In addition to working with Conatus, he is a co-founding Managing Partner at Snow Hill Partners, an early AI fund in Silicon Valley. Prior to that he worked as a Managing Partner at Immersive Capital focused on early stage venture investments. His operating experience is extensive and he last served as Senior Vice President of Technology and Chief Officer at Samsung SDS, where he led R&D and AI deployment across Samsung’s business units. Prior to Samsung SDS, Shyam co-founded Azul Systems, serving as Vice President of Engineering. Earlier in his career, he held engineering leadership roles at Nortel Networks, ZeitNet (acquired by Cabletron), and Hewlett-Packard. Shyam is a partner at Snow Hill Capital, an active angel investor, and holds 14 patents in high-performance computing.
Lucas is Chief of Staff at Conatus Advisors. At Conatus, Lucas plays a pivotal role in enhancing operational efficiency and fostering client relationships. He has successfully integrated platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce CRM, and AI tools to streamline workflows and drive productivity. His analytical capabilities enable him to evaluate business plans and recommend strategic improvements across client engagements.
We are proud to have founded, and worked for and with some of the most critical and necessary technology & communications companies that have shaped the industry. Explore the logos below to see how we’ve led and supported these impactful businesses over a span of 4 decades.