Although Max Knapp is a born and raised West Virginian who is proud of his small town roots, he has also spent a considerable amount of time outside of the state. Max began his career on Wall Street, working for Deutsche Bank Securities, where he was an Investment Banking Analyst focusing on large scale Mergers & Acquisitions projects. Max then transitioned to the private equity firm, Comvest Partners, where he was responsible for originating, underwriting, and the execution of new private investments.

 

Upon moving back to West Virginia, Max founded his own private wealth management firm, Blackbear Capital, which serves high net worth and institutional clients. Most recently, Max launched a private equity firm in West Virginia, Whitewater Capital Partners, that focuses on job retention through investing in the bevy of legacy-based businesses across the state that lack proper succession. Perhaps the work he is most proud of though, is his role as Managing Director for Wing 2 Wing Ventures, where he has the opportunity to nurture and invest in West Virginia’s budding entrepreneurial ecosystem.

 

Knapp graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College with a B.S. in Accounting. He holds a Master of Finance from Vanderbilt University.