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Berenson Acquisition Corp. I is a newly incorporated blank check company seeking a business operating in the software and technology-enabled services industry with a total enterprise value in excess of $1 billion that will benefit from our long heritage of investment and advisory capability servicing corporations, entrepreneurs and private investors as they identify, evaluate and implement opportunities to realize and capitalize on their long-term strategic vision.
Berenson Acquisition Corp. I is affiliated with Berenson Holdings LLC (“Berenson”), a merchant bank founded in 1990 with two principal lines of business: investment banking and private equity investing. The Firm was Co-Founded by Jeffrey Berenson, the former head of M&A and founder and co-head of merchant banking at Merrill Lynch, and is a trusted financial advisor to executives, founders, boards, family offices, financial sponsors, pension funds and government-related entities seeking to drive transformational growth as well as other value creation and preservation initiatives. The Firm has a successful track record of deploying third-party and partner capital with a focus on providing financial and intellectual capital to support asset-light, software and tech-enabled services businesses in North America.
Mr. Berenson co-founded Berenson Minella & Company in 1990, the predecessor firm to Berenson. Prior to founding Berenson, Mr. Berenson was, among other things, the head of Merrill Lynch’s M&A Group and co-founder and co-head of its Merchant Banking Group. Mr. Berenson joined White Weld & Co. in 1972, moving to the M&A Department of Merrill Lynch following its acquisition of White Weld in 1978.
Mr. Berenson served as a director of Epoch (NASDAQ: EPHC) from 2004 until its sale to TD Bank Group in 2013, Noble Energy (Nasdaq: NBL) from 2005 until its sale to Chevron (NYSE: CVX) in 2020, Patina Oil and Gas Corp from 2002 until its sale to Noble Energy (NASDAQ: NBL) in 2005. Mr. Berenson graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from Princeton University.
Mr. Ansari has served as our Chief Executive Officer since our inception in June 2021 and as our director since September 2021. Mr. Ansari is the President and Senior Managing Partner of Berenson. He leads Berenson’s principal investing business and has completed over 100 principal investments and investment banking transactions since joining the firm. Mr. Ansari joined Berenson in 1997 from Salomon Brothers, where he worked in mergers and acquisition advisory for major U.S. and Canadian corporations in the New York and Toronto offices. Mr. Ansari currently serves on the board of Skience LLC and BCP Light Holdings, LLC, and as a board observer for IntraPac International Corporation. Mr. Ansari received a Master of Philosophy Degree in Economics from Cambridge University and a B.S. in Economics and Business Finance from Brunel University, where he graduated with First Class Honors.
Mr. Hegazy has served as our Chief Financial Officer since our inception in June 2021. Mr. Hegazy is a Managing Director of Berenson focused on software and technology-enabled services. He has over 13 years of experience in investment banking, having worked on a variety of transactions, including buy side and sell side assignments, capital raises and restructurings, and private equity investing as a senior member of Berenson Capital. Mr. Hegazy currently serves on the board of Skience LLC. Mr. Hegazy graduated cum laude with a B.A. in finance and a minor in economics Finance from Pace University.