Brett Paschke is a Founding Investor and Managing Partner at WinForest Partners. Brett helps set strategy and vision for WinForest, works closely with their service partners, helps maintain L.P. and G.P. relationships, and serves on the Investment Committee.

Prior to WinForest, Brett spent 27 years at William Blair, a leading investment bank focused on serving high growth companies and their investors, most recently as Vice Chair of Investment Banking. Brett focused on serving William Blair’s corporate clients and their financial sponsors through the value creation process by delivering the full spectrum of services, experts and resources of the firm. Brett led the Equity Capital Markets Group from 2009 to 2020. During that period, Blair was an underwriter on almost 800 equity offerings raising a cumulative $200 billion. Brett chaired the Commitment Committee, the group that determines which deals Blair was going to underwrite. Brett also served on the WilBlairco Committee, which selected private equity fund and co-investment opportunities to make available for investment by the partnership. Prior to leading the Equity Capital Markets team, Brett was Group Head for Business and Financial Services Investment Banking.

Brett is a policy leader on topics related to capital formation. Brett chaired the SIFMA Regional Capital Markets Committee on Policy and Regulation. He served as an expert witness at the U.S. House Financial Services SubCommittee on Capital Markets. Brett served on the Capital Markets Committee of the American Securities Association. Brett served on the IPO Task Force with the US Treasury which produced the recommendations that became the basis for the JOBS Act.

Brett serves on the Board of Directors of PRA Group (NASDAQ: PRAA), a global financial and business services company operating in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Australia and throughout Europe. Brett serves on the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committees. Brett also serves on the Board of Duluth Trading (Nasdaq: DLTH) a lifestyle brand serving the self-reliant consumer and serves on the Audit and Nominating and Governance Committees. Brett is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Brett serves as a Senior Advisor to Bravo Victor Venture Capital (BVVC), a defense technology-focused venture fund. Brett is Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board for Broom Ventures, a venture fund that invests in early-stage technology companies alongside top tier VCs.

Prior to joining William Blair, Brett worked in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs and for KPMG. While at KPMG, Brett spent three years working on privatization transactions in the former Soviet Union.

Brett is involved with a number of non-profit and civic organizations, with primary interests including creating opportunity, conservation and supporting our veterans. Brett and his wife Shelley live in Lake Forest, Illinois and are the proud parents of five adult children. Shelley is the founder and principle at Shelley Johnstone Design.

Brett has an A.B. from Princeton and an MBA from Harvard Business School.