Paul Richards

Paul Richards is an experienced and ambitious Senior Executive, Consultant, and Strategic Advisor with more than 30 years of success across the software, technology, and management consulting industries. His broad areas of expertise include leadership, team building, coaching & mentoring, building businesses & teams, growth strategy & scaling, fundraising, and corporate governance.

Paul holds a leadership position as the CEO of PAU Inc. where he has been an independent broker, trader, and market-maker at the Chicago Board of Trade and other various worldwide exchanges. He was named an Honorary Member of the Chicago Board of Trade in September 2013. Paul also serves as a Board Member for Gesture.com, where he helped their non-profit partners raise over $1B with their industry-leading fundraising software and technology. He also worked directly with the CEO to develop a strategy for national sales using GM’s in every state, and later, helped build the inside sales team. Prior to that, Paul led as a Strategic Advisor at Gesture.com.

Paul is also a Venture Partner of NextGen Venture Partners, a network-driven venture firm that brings together hundreds of part-time venture capitalists who invest in and support our portfolio of exceptional entrepreneurs.

Paul obtained his Masters in Management in Finance, and Real Estate from the Kellogg GSM at Northwestern University as well as a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business and Finance from the University of Illinois. He is on the board of PAU Inc., Gesture.com, the Bee Cave (TX) Business Roundtable, an International Ambassador & Course Rating Panelist for Golfweek, as well as a Guest Lecturer and Competition Judge at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.

Education

• Certificate of Completion Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management (2018 — 2018)
• IIT Center for Financial Markets & CME Group IIT Stuart School of Business (2004 — 2005)
• Reavis High School (1978 — 1982)

Companies

• AFK Analytics - Advisory Board Member AdvisoryCloud (2021)
• SureFire Capital - Advisory Board Member AdvisoryCloud (2021)
• Blind Institute of Technology - Advisory Board Member AdvisoryCloud (2021)
• Member Bee Cave Business Roundtable (2021)
• Nemac Elevator Pitch Challenge - Competition Judge McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin (2021)
• Guest Lecturer Gies College of Business - University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2021)
• Member Board Of Directors - Assistant Secretary/Treasurer West Travis County MUD 6 (2021)
• Baseball Boosters Board of Directors - Secretary Lake Travis High School (2020)
• MBA Investment Fund Advisory Committee The University of Texas at Austin - Red McCombs School of Business (2019)

Skills

• Asset Managment
• Financial Analysis
• Banking

Other

Commodity, Equity Derivatives, Analysis, Business Analysis, Alternative Investments, Executive Management, Financial Modeling, Mergers, ETFs, Market Making, FX Options, Technical Analysis, Portfolio Management, Mutual Funds, Finance, Hedging, Financial Markets, Financial Risk, Bonds, Hedge Funds, Strategic Planning, Relationship Management, Private Equity, Strategic Financial Planning, Mergers & Acquisitions, Equity Trading, Start-ups, Investment Banking, Investments, Business Development, Risk Management, Entrepreneurship, Investment Management, Equities, Corporate Finance, Venture Capital, Derivatives, Investment Strategies, Electronic Trading, Financial Services, Series 7, Options, Trading Systems, Bloomberg, Trading, Fixed Income, Capital Markets