Technology banking leadership

Technology investment banking – leadership team

Brian Gudofsky

Brian Gudofsky is a Managing Director and the Head of Technology, Media, and Telecom Investment Banking at Wells Fargo. He joined the team in 2023. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Brian was the Global Head of Technology at a leading investment bank, where he spent over two decades building premiere coverage and M&A businesses. Brian spent his first 13 years in banking in M&A, including running a tech M&A business before moving to coverage, focusing on driving strategic dialogue across multiple industry verticals. Brian also established and grew the fintech and payments business at his prior firm into a leading practice and has advised on numerous marquee transactions. Brian holds MBA and law degrees from the University of Toronto and is based in New York.

Gerry Walters

Gerry Walters is a Managing Director and the Head of Technology Investment Banking at Wells Fargo. He joined the team in 2010. Gerry has more than 30 years of securities industry experience and has spent the last 25 years as a technology investment banker based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He previously worked as a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan and Hambrecht & Quist. Gerry started his career as an attorney with the corporate securities group at Gray Cary (now DLA Piper) and in the corporate finance department of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Gerry has extensive experience across capital markets (equity and debt) and M&A and a diverse set of client relationships across the entire technology sector. He is based in San Francisco.

Joe Greeves

Joe Greeves is a Managing Director who covers Software companies in Investment Banking at Wells Fargo. He joined the team in 2023 from Bank of America, where he supported their TMT investment banking priorities for almost 15 years. Joe has originated and executed multiple advisory and capital raising transactions for software and private equity clients including lead-left IPOs, equity follow-on offerings, convertible notes offerings, and high-yield offerings. Joe also has extensive experience advising on both the buy- and sell-side for clients across a diverse array of software sub-sectors. Joe is based in New York.

Adarsh Gupta

Adarsh Gupta is a Managing Director who covers software companies in Investment Banking at Wells Fargo. He joined the team in 2024 from Jefferies, where he covered software and internet companies for almost 10 years. Adarsh has originated and executed multiple advisory and capital raising transactions for software, internet and private equity clients including lead-left IPOs, equity follow-on offerings, and high-yield offerings. Adarsh also has extensive experience advising on both the buy- and sell-side for clients across a diverse array of software and internet sub-sectors. Prior to Jefferies, Adarsh worked in M&A at Citigroup in London and Dubai. Adarsh is based in New York.

James Hoak

James Hoak is a Managing Director who covers internet companies in Investment Banking at Wells Fargo. He joined the team in 2022 from Morgan Stanley, where he was the Head of East Coast Internet Investment Banking. Prior to Morgan Stanley, James worked at William Blair, focused on the technology sector. James has also held technology investment banking roles at Financial Technology Partners and RBC Capital Markets. James holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa. James is based in New York.

Chris Poggi

Chris Poggi is a Managing Director who covers software companies in Investment Banking at Wells Fargo. He joined the team in 2013 from Stifel Nicolaus, formerly Thomas Weisel Partners, where he spent five years running the software investment banking practice out of San Francisco. Prior to that, Chris spent more than eight years with J.P. Morgan's technology investment banking practice in New York City, covering software and other technology companies. Chris joined J.P. Morgan from Salomon Smith Barney. Chris began his investment banking career at A.G. Edwards & Sons. Chris earned a B.S. in business administration with concentrations in finance and economics from Marquette University. He is based in New York.

Preeti Raghupathi

Preeti Raghupathi is a Managing Director who covers semiconductor companies in Investment Banking at Wells Fargo. She joined the team in 2011, and she has more than 17 years of experience in investment banking. She has advised on over 110 mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions for semiconductor companies, totaling over $150 billion. Prior to joining Wells Fargo, Preeti spent approximately six years at Goldman Sachs and Citadel Investment Group in technology investment banking and with Apple in corporate finance and strategy for their mobile business. Preeti earned an M.Sc. in finance with merit honors from The London School of Economics and an M.B.A from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business. Preeti is based in San Francisco.

Greg Thorne

Greg Thorne is a Managing Director who covers Software companies in Investment Banking at Wells Fargo. He joined the team in 2020 from Deutsche Bank. Prior to that, Greg spent more than four years with Stifel Nicolaus in their technology investment banking practice and nine years covering technology at JMP Securities. Greg began his investment banking career at ThinkEquity Partners in 2005. Prior to his career in investment banking, Greg spent two years working for the venture capital firm Updata Partners and seven years in the technology industry. Greg holds an MBA from the Columbia Business School and an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan. Greg has been a banker in both New York and San Francisco, where he is currently based.

Technology investment banking – product partners

Tom Cho

Thomas Cho is a managing director and Head of Technology M&A at Wells Fargo. Prior to joining Wells, Tom spent 20 years at Deutsche Bank, most recently as Head of TMT M&A. Prior to that, Tom was Co-Head of Technology M&A and has worked at UBS and Credit Suisse. During his 30-year career, Tom has worked with public and private technology corporate clients, as well as financial sponsors and other investors in a variety of M&A advisory and capital markets transactions. Tom holds a BSc from The University of California, Berkeley. Tom is based in San Francisco.

Chris Norman

Chris Norman is a Managing Director and the Head of West Coast Technology M&A at Wells Fargo. Prior to joining Wells Fargo in 2023, Chris was a Managing Director in Technology M&A at Citigroup. Chris partners with both public and private clients on a broad range of strategic initiatives including mergers, acquisitions, sales, divestitures, and corporate separations, among others. Chris has served as exclusive or lead financial advisor on more than $200 billion of announced technology M&A volume over the course of his career. Chris is based in San Francisco.

Kevin Sanders

Kevin Sanders is a Managing Director and the Head of Technology Leveraged Finance at Wells Fargo. He joined Wells Fargo in 2007 and focuses on the origination, structuring and execution of syndicated credit facilities and high yield transactions for both private and public companies in the technology industry. Kevin has more than 20 years of corporate finance experience, and prior to joining Wells Fargo Securities, he spent several years with Bank of America in the Corporate Debt Products group. Kevin earned his B.A. in Economics/International Area Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Kevin is based in San Francisco.

Justin Sterling

Justin Sterling is a Managing Director and the Head of Technology Equity Capital Markets at Wells Fargo. Justin joined the team in 2023 from Credit Suisse, where he was the head of West Coast Technology ECM and head of Real Estate, Gaming, Lodging & Leisure (REGAL) ECM. During his nearly 15 years at CS, Justin held multiple roles within investment banking coverage, including covering global industrials & services, financial sponsors, and ECM. Prior to moving to San Francisco to lead West Coast Technology and REGAL ECM, Justin was based in New York where his ECM coverage areas included business services, retail & consumer, and e-commerce.