Richmond Chapter

OVERVIEW

The Richmond, Virginia chapter of CAV Angels is rapidly growing thanks to the thriving Richmond startup community. With entrepreneurial hubs like the 1717 Innovation Center housing Startup Virginia which produces consistently innovative early-stage businesses, a CAV Angels presence in Richmond is imperative to help these companies grow. The Richmond chapter puts on a variety of educational and networking events which are prominently supported by Union Bank, McGuireWoods, and KPMG, three of CAV Angels’ generous sponsors. Please see below for more information on the CAV Angels Richmond chapter.

LEADERSHIP

Paul Nolde

Chapter Co-President

Paul Nolde has over a decade of experience in the banking and finance industries serving in multiple sales and management roles for large and small institutions. As a director at NRV, an early stage venture capital firm in Richmond, VA, Paul co-leads their overall business development strategies and their discernment process around new investment opportunities, as well as supporting several portfolio companies.

Prior to arriving at NRV, he served as the Small Business Capital Strategist for Virginia Community Capital, Virginia’s largest community development financial institution. In this capacity Paul was responsible for building the firm’s venture debt portfolio focusing on growth companies, social enterprises, and healthy foods. Before coming to VCC he was Managing Director of a family office in Richmond, VA, preceded by positions at Wells Fargo, Union First Market Bank, Bank of America, and Wachovia. Paul graduated from UVA in 2001 with a B.A. in Foreign Affairs, complimented by post-grad business studies through the McIntire School of Commerce.

Jess Ellington

Chapter Co-President

Jess has over 30 years of investment and business experience managing alternative assets and individual portfolios. Through his experience as a portfolio manager, equity analyst, hedge fund manager and investment management consultant, Jess has been able to generate superior investment results with particular focus on risk management and portfolio diversification.

Prior to joining Union, Jess worked for Solaris Capital LLC, FDSI (Wilshire Associates), and Wells Fargo Investment Advisors. Jess is a graduate of The University of Virginia and has an MBA from The Darden School of Business at UVA.

Rufus Phillips

Chapter Director

Rufus Phillips is Cofounder and Managing Director of PPC Healthcare, a consulting firm which connects innovations in healthcare to capital and strategic resources. Previously, he was Executive Vice President of Business Development for n1Health, an early-stage concierge medicine company.

Prior to that, he was the Executive Vice President of the Medical Society of Virginia (MSV), the State’s professional association for physicians. Before joining MSV, he was Vice President of Business Development and Government Relations for Intrinergy Holdings LP, now Enviva LP (NYSE: EVA), a renewable energy startup founded in Richmond. Rufus received his BA from the University of Virginia and his MBA from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Rich Diemer

Co-Chairman of the Board

Rich is a respected finance executive with a proven track record of working within leadership teams that have created significant shareholder value. He has served as the CFO at two public (Albemarle Corporation and PolyOne Corporation) and one sponsor-owned (Trinseo, LLC) global materials companies. During his tenure, Rich has played a key role in creating over $7 billion of shareholder value.

He is a former audit/SEC partner at KPMG. After 17 years in public accounting, Rich joined Allied-Signal Inc. He was VP-Corporate Controller during the merger with Honeywell, then became CFO of Honeywell’s Specialty Materials segment. In addition, Rich spent four years at Honeywell Capital Management, overseeing equity managers and managing a $500 million+ equity portfolio. Rich graduated from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia is 1980 with a BS in Commerce. He has been married 35 years to his wife Adele. They have two grown daughters and have resided in Richmond, VA for the past ten years. Rich is a Senior Director of Seale & Associates, a boutique consulting and investment banking firm based in Northern Virginia and runs Wickham Glen Holdings, LP, a family office.

CONNECT WITH US

If you are interested in learning more about the Richmond chapter of CAV Angels, please contact Rich Diemer at diemer.rich@gmail.com or Rufus Phillips at rphillips@cavangels.com. General inquiries about membership can also be directed towards our team via the Contact Us page.

If you are interested in attending upcoming CAV Angels events in Richmond, please visit our Events page.