Robert Beall
Robert Beall is Co-Founder and Partner at ASGARD Partners & Co. He manages the operations of the firm, co-chairs the investment committee, and oversees the firm’s strategy and development.
Previously, Robert was Vice President of Investments at Maritime Finance, a specialty finance company backed by KKR and other sovereign wealth funds, where he focused on distressed and special situation investments across the global maritime industry. Prior thereto, Robert spent four years at Oaktree Capital Management, a global investment firm with over $100 billion in assets under management. While at Oaktree, Robert invested in a broad range of corporate credit opportunities including leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, and acquisitions across a wide variety of industries including general industrials, specialty distribution, and business services. He also supported the boards of various portfolio companies and assisted with strategic initiatives and add-on acquisitions. Robert started his career as a credit research analyst at Banc of America Securities, where he helped build the top ranked coverage platform by Institutional Investor for companies within the consumer and retail sectors.
Robert received a B.A. degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from the Michael G. Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. He grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where he developed a love of nature and adventure. He resides in Manhattan and spends his free time traveling, running and golfing.
Christian Cantalupo
Christian Cantalupo is a Partner at ASGARD Partners & Co. He leads the Private Equity group where he oversees all investments and investment strategy, in addition to serving on the investment committee.
Previously, Christian was involved in successfully launching a new distressed strategies hedge fund within The TCW Group, a global multi-billion dollar asset manager. In this role, he was actively engaged in the oversight and management of various distressed investments and co-investment opportunities. Prior thereto, Christian was employed for eight years as a senior investment professional at Davidson Kempner Capital Management, a global multi-strategy hedge fund. While there, he was focused on distressed and special situations investment opportunities across the capital structure in a variety of sectors. Over his tenure at the firm, he invested in numerous public and private credit and equity investments, several involving complex corporate restructurings, reorganization processes and liquidations. Preceding this role, Christian was employed in the investment banking division of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the Syndicated & Leveraged Finance Group.
Christian graduated magna cum laude from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park with a B.S. in International Business and a double major in Spanish Language and Literature. In addition to speaking Spanish, Christian has studied Portuguese at New York University in his free time. He also enjoys running and CrossFit.
Sara Djarian
ASGARD Private Equity
ASGARD Advisory
Creative Marketing Associate
Sara Djarian is a Marketing Associate at ASGARD Partners & Co. She is primarily responsible for assisting with the firm’s marketing efforts including content creation, website design, CRM management and social media updates. In addition, she provides administrative support to several Partners and team members.
Before joining ASGARD, Sara worked for Retail Realm Distribution, a multinational software development and distribution company in Napa, California. Having started as an intern, she was quickly promoted to Event and Marketing Assistant Manager, working primarily with the Asia Pacific Region. Prior to this, Sara worked for Pixel Hero games a game development company in the United Kingdom, where she began her marketing career.
Sara moved to the US after having completed her M.A. in Marketing from Royal Holloway, University of London, in 2016. She has also completed her B.A. degree in Business Management from the University of Westminster in her hometown, London, England. She comes from a diverse cultural background and can speak four languages including, French, Persian and Spanish. Sara currently resides in New York City and enjoys travelling, horseback riding and swimming.
Karan Rai
Karan Rai is Founder and Managing Partner at ASGARD Partners & Co. Karan has a deep passion for fixing, growing, and investing in small and medium sized companies. He loves working with entrepreneurs and inspired leaders who are building purpose driven companies. Mr. Rai also, at times, serves as the interim CEO for ASGARD portfolio companies.
Before starting ASGARD, Mr. Rai was the CEO of Theodor Wille Intertrade (TWI), a multinational company that provides a range of supply chain solutions for U.S. Government agencies and the prime contractors who support them. Previously, Karan was the President of ADS, Inc., a leading specialty distributor and supply chain solutions provider, serving all branches of the Department of Defense. At ADS, Mr. Rai led the company’s turnaround efforts and helped grow ADS into a $1.5+ billion dollar global organization.
Prior to joining ADS, he worked in JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Investment Banking Group in New York, where he originated and structured over 50 deals during his tenure as a banker. During that time, Karan helped structure private equity deals for companies like Huish, Colt Defense, Wyle, Armored AutoGroup, as well as recapitalizations and financing deals for large public companies such as Macy’s, Limited Brands, B/E Aerospace, and JBS.
Karan was recently appointed to The Wall Street Journal CEO Council. He currently serves on the boards of Bcause, LLC and Avadim Technologies, Inc. He earned an MBA with distinction in Finance and Strategy from Yale University’s School of Management. Karan resides in Manhattan with his wife and two sons. He is also an instrument rated pilot with over 500 hours of flight time.