Travis Borden
Finance Expert
Location
Boston, MA, United States
Toptal Member Since
September 5, 2017
Travis was part of the founding team at Moelis & Co., a $2.5 billion global investment bank, and has 18 years of experience advising clients on $40+ billion of M&A, capital raising, and restructuring transactions. In 2015, he founded a socially responsible advisory firm, Keene Advisors, named "Best for the World" 2017-2019. Travis joined Toptal to expand his network and share his expertise advising companies from startups to Fortune 500 firms.
Travis is available for hire
Hire TravisCareer Highlights
Founder | President
Keene Advisors
Senior Vice President
Moelis & Company
Associate
UBS
Education
Bachelor's Degree
Boston College
Select Certifications
Series 7 and Series 66
North American Securities Administrators Association
Case Studies
Capital Raising Materials
Initial Public OfferingsEquity RaisesCapital StructuringVenture CapitalEarly-stage FundingEquity Offerings+ 1 more
Primers on M&A Transaction Types
Private EquityLeveraged Buyout (LBO)DivestituresCorporate Sales & DivestituresM&A (Buy-side)M&A (Sell-side)
Social Enterprises and Impact Investing
Social EnterpriseImpact InvestingCorporate Finance
Industry Expertise
AgricultureAccounting ServicesConstructionFinanceVenture Capital & Private EquityHealthcare ServicesAerospace & DefenseBuilding MaterialsOther Expertise
Capital RaisingCorporate Sales & DivestituresInvestment BankingMergers & Acquisitions (M&A)Work Experience
2015 - PRESENT
Founder | President
Keene Advisors
- Founded Keene Advisors, a socially responsible investment bank and consulting firm based in Boston that specializes in providing strategic and financial advice on capital raising and M&A transactions as well as on other strategic and financial matters.
- Led teams of purpose-driven employees on advisory engagements for private and family-owned, venture-backed, private equity-owned, and publicly traded companies.
- Consulted on over 75 client engagements with clients ranging from startups to Fortune 50 companies, private equity firms, venture firms, and family offices.
- Advised a venture-backed agtech company on a bridge capital raise. Responsibilities included developing a financial model, marketing materials, and introducing the investors.
- Counseled a venture-backed food company on the sale to a competitor. Responsibilities included developing a financial model and marketing materials, contacting potential buyers, and managing the entire sale process.
- Gave guidance to a privately-owned software company on strategic alternatives, including the reorganization of the business.
- Supported a $1 billion private equity-backed company in the development of a comprehensive M&A strategy.
- Delivered expert recommendations to a $10+ billion publicly-traded medical device company in connection with the formation of an international joint venture; responsibilities included structuring and valuation.
- Incorporated Keene Advisors as a benefit corporation in 2015, earned B corporation certification in 2016 and was named "Best for the World" 2017, 2018, and 2019 by the nonprofit B Lab.
- Named as a 40-under-40 honoree by the Boston Business Journal.
Focus areas: M&A Modeling, Due Diligence, Capital Allocation, M&A (Buy-side), Corporate Sales & Divestitures, Rollups, Acquisitions, Refinancing, Recapitalization, Credit Analysis, Bank Debt Raises, Restructuring, Financial Modeling, Cost of Capital, Capital Raising, Growth Equity, Entrepreneurial Finance, Impact Investing, Conscious Capitalism, Social Enterprise, Private Equity Valuation, Private Equity, Early-stage Venture Capital, Venture Funding, Growth Capital Raising, Financial Marketing, Business Planning, Financial Overviews, Capital Structure Analysis, Capital Markets, Capital Structuring, Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
2007 - 2015
Senior Vice President
Moelis & Company
- Joined Moelis & Company, a $2.5 billion publicly traded global investment bank (NYSE:MC), as part of the founding team.
- Assisted in all aspects of the successful startup of Moelis & Company, as well as its growth to over 500 bankers, and a successful IPO in just seven years.
- Led teams of investment bankers on mergers and acquisitions and restructuring advisory assignments, including over 30 transactions totaling over $15 billion in value.
- Raised over $3 billion of debt and equity capital for clients in support of over ten refinancing, growth capital, and restructuring transactions.
- Advised on the sale or merger of Wyle Laboratories, TYBRIN Corporation, Dominion Homes, Townsquare Media, the residential real estate portfolio of York Capital, and Orleans Homes, among others.
- Gave input on the divestitures of CIBER's government services business, Stock Building Supply's Universal Supply subsidiary, and Freedom Communication's TV Broadcasting stations, among others.
- Advised bidders in connection with the acquisitions of American Safety Razor, Dow Chemical's Stryon division, Bradley Pharmaceuticals, HM College Publishing, Polygon Homes, and WRECO, among others.
- Consulted on the restructuring of Aleris International, the Olson Company, Engineering Solutions & Products, and Young Broadcasting, among others.
- Advised in the connection with the IPO of TRI Pointe Group (NYSE:TPH), a rights offering for Woodside Homes, a private investment in public equity (PIPE) for AV Homes (Nasdaq:AVHI), and follow-on offerings for Meritage Homes (NYSE:MTH), William Lyon Homes (NYSE:WLH), Beazer Homes (NYSE:BZH), and Energizer (NYSE:ENR).
- Provided input on the connection with debt and convertible debt capital raises for Aleris International, Ashton Woods, Beazer Homes (NYSE:BZH), CIBER, William Lyon Homes, and Woodside Homes, among others.
- Co-led Moelis’ homebuilding and government services advisory and capital markets practices; responsible for the origination and execution of client transactions.
- Managed the day-to-day operations of Moelis & Company’s Boston office, including recruiting, staffing, training, and mentoring.
Focus areas: Financial Modeling, Investor Presentations, Investment Memoranda, Growth Equity, M&A Modeling, Capital Allocation, Private Equity, Corporate Sales & Divestitures, Corporate Finance, Leveraged Buyout Modeling, Financial Restructuring, Debt Restructuring, Capital Raising, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
2011 - 2014
Member of the Board of Directors
Wawa
- Served on the board of directors of Wawa, a private company operating more than 650 retail stores and generating over $10 billion of revenue annually.
- Reviewed and examined the financial performance, annual budgets, and employee benefit plans as a member of the finance committee of the board.
- Looked over and approved major financial transactions, including dividends of over $60 million, $400 million of share buybacks and employee stock option plan (ESOP) tender offers, and a conversion from a C corporation to an S corporation.
- Oversaw the operations of the internal audit department, evaluated internal accounting controls, and selected and met with independent auditors as a member of the audit committee of the board.
- Coordinated and evaluated enterprise risk management, including food safety and information security, among others.
- Provided oversight to the development of the fuel business, including reviewing pricing strategies and entry into new products (natural gas, etc.) as a member of the board's strategic fuels committee.
- Engaged actively in successful CEO, COO, and CFO succession planning.
Focus areas: Corporate Finance, Accounting, Finance Strategy
2001 - 2007
Associate
UBS
- Ranked at the top of the analyst and associate class; hand-picked from among a 100-person analyst class to work with the global head of investment banking for a one-year management rotation.
- Provided buy-side and sell-side advisory services in connection with nine transactions totaling nearly $4 billion in value.
- Originated, structured, and executed 19 debt, equity and convertible financing transactions—raising over $6.5 billion for clients in both public and private markets.
- Conducted an in-depth credit analysis on over 30 financing transactions—providing firm commitments of over $13 billion to support clients’ acquisitions, recapitalizations and project financing activities.
- Provided M&A advice and secured financing commitments in connection with the leveraged buyouts (LBOs) of PQ Corporation, Greatwide Logistics, Baker & Taylor, and Standard Steel, among others.
- Advised the World Gold Council on the formation and IPO of StreetTracks Gold Trust (NYSE:GLD), the first commodity-based ETF, with a market value of over $30 billion.
- Provided financing in connection with tender offers and dividend recapitalizations, and to fund acquisitions and growth initiatives, for TXI Industries, ILC Industries, AMS Holdings, Quadra Mining, and Temple-Inland, among others.
- Led a 20-person cross-functional team tasked with redesigning UBS’ leveraged underwriting process.
Focus areas: Valuation Modeling, Valuation Analysis, Valuation, M&A Modeling, Financial Modeling, Corporate Sales & Divestitures, Divestitures, Private Equity, Initial Public Offerings, Leveraged Finance, Capital Raising, Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
Education
1998 - 2001
Bachelor's Degree in Finance
Boston College - Boston, MA, USA
1997 - 1998
Bachelor's Degree in Business
Virginia Tech - Blacksburg, VA, USA
Certifications
AUGUST 2004 - PRESENT
Series 7 and Series 66
North American Securities Administrators Association