ABOUT US
Imagine Partners brings to bear decades of experience in global financial services, deal-structuring and corporate execution. We know how to help and we know what it’s like to be on your side of the table.
Steve Brune
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Brune is an operations, strategy and finance executive with over 15 years experience in financial services including investment banking, private investments, funds startups and operations. He has been a founding member of multiple successful startup companies and raised over $100 million. Most recently, Mr. Brune was the Chief Operating Officer for a 150-person financial technology and investment management company, leading operations in the U.S. and Philippines.
He was a founding member of Deerpath Capital, a private investment fund, where he served as an investment professional and participated at the board level with portfolio companies. Gary Wendt of GE Capital was another of the founding members.
Mr. Brune received an MBA with Honors at NYU’s Stern School of Business and graduated Summa cum Laude from the University of Maryland.
CHRISTOS VLACHOS
Managing Director
Christos Vlachos is a seasoned financier who has worked with JP Morgan in London, Eurofin in Athens and has been Senior Advisor to Nomura and Moelis. His company Silky Financiers Ltd has been active in cross border transactions between PR China and Europe since 2008.
Christos was Senior Advisor to Moelis for Greece and Shipping Finance (Jan 2013- Dec 2015).
Prior to Moelis he was Advisor to Nomura for Greece (2004 – 2012).
He worked for Dow Chemical Europe in Switzerland, initially as an engineer and afterwards in Economic Evaluation. He moved to JP Morgan in London in 1986 to work as a Chemical and Paper and Packaging analyst and was also in charge of European Emerging Markers strategy that included Greece.
Christos returned to Greece in 1990 as a Partner at Eurofin and was in charge of Corporate Finance with areas of expertise: shipping finance, telecoms, leisure and gaming, energy, manufacturing and food processing. At Eurofin he covered the geographical areas of Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, FYR of Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. He left Eurofin in 1998 and set up Silky Financiers as a Financial Advisory firm active in Greece but also since 2008 developing China – Southern Europe financial relationships.
He has extensive experience in Management, Investment Banking, Mergers and Acquisitions specializing in SMEs. Christos graduated with a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Athens in 1977, has obtained a Ph.D. from QMC, University of London and attended the Investment Management Programme at the London Business School in 1989. He speaks Greek (mother tongue), English and French and has a good understanding of Spanish.
TOBY COLLINS
Managing Director
Toby was born and raised in the United Kingdom. Educated at Eton College and the University of East Anglia, Mr. Collins then began his career with an Omnicom marketing agency in London, Agency Republic.
In 2002 Mr Collins relocated to China to explore opportunities in Asia as a serial entrepreneur. Over the past 14 years he has co-founded and/or invested in several businesses in customer service, F&B, luxury lifestyle and entertainment.
For the past 6 years he has been the Chief Operating Officer of Connoisseur Group, a platform combining the strengths and resources of several brands, overseeing all aspects of the business including partnerships, acquisitions and overall investment strategy.
Mr Collins currently sits on the Board of several companies including JETT Asia, MGI Entertainment, Holland and Wilde, Connoisseur Group and KALCO and spends his time between Shanghai and Taipei.
EDGAR CININS
Managing Director
Has worked with the establishment of one of the first private banks in Latvia after it regained independence from the Soviet Union. After years in various positions with the bank, Edgars started to work as an independent asset manager with offices in Zurich and Riga,mainly serving high net worth clients from Easter Europe andRussia. He’s has built up very close cooperation with various respectable banks, law offices, asset managers in Switzerland and elsewhere. In recent years Edgars served in highest management positions in different oil and dry cargo transportation and storage companies, newspapers and media groups. Founder and owner of NECK Systems, Inc.
Mr. Barrera earned a Bachelorís Degree in Political Science from Dickinson College located Carlisle, PA in 2013.
nick loeb
SVP, Development
Mr. Loeb has been an entrepreneur for the most of his life. Previously he was founder and CEO of Loeb’s Crunch, a national consumer product brand, Managing Partner of Carbon Solutions America, a clean energy and sustainability consulting firm and CEO of Imagine Partners a venture, consulting and banking firm. Prior to that Nick worked at Lehman Brothers in private banking and generating deal flow to investment banking and real estate divisions. He began his career at Universal Studios in corporate development, motion picture finance and production on the John Travolta film Primary Colors, before forming IPC (International Production Company) where he produced with Quincy Jones, the MGM film The Smokers and the Award winning PBS documentary series with Executive Producer Barbara Streisand, The Living Century.
Nick serves on several boards, including, Hernandez Consulting, WindowsWear, Neck Systems, Universal Media Group, Loeb’s Crunch and Long Island Ice Tea. Previously he served on the Palm Beach County Green Task Force’s governmental sub-committee, the Broward County Crime Commission and served on the Nuisance Abatement Board Comissioners, appointed by the mayor of Delray Beach.
He has lectured on a variety of topics, including, film production at Florida Atlantic University, entrepreneurship to the worldwide law firm Withers Bergman, principles of marketing to Cal State LA, the highs and lows of private banking to Tulane University business school, as a faculty member at the Practicing Law Institute on the topic of “”Establishing and Enforcing Corporate Green Technology Policies,” at the Sonoma County California Green Wine Conference on Carbon Neutrality, and at the South Florida Green, Energy and Climate Conference on “How to Market your Business as Green”.
Nick has worked on presidential campaigns; the national finance team for Chris Christie for President, the Co-Chairman for Rudy Giuliani’s All-American Team, George W. Bush for President 2000 and 2004. He volunteered for Mel Martinez for U.S. Senate, Katherine Harris for US Senate, Attorney General Charlie Crist for Governor of Florida and United States Treasurer, Rosario Marin for U.S. Senate. Nick was a member of the Council of Trustees for the Republican Party of Palm Beach County, a board member of the Boca Raton Republican Club and served as an alternate committeeman for the Republican Executive Committee. He was a member of the Heritage Foundation, Council for National Policy, Club for growth and the Presidents Club for the Republican National Committee.
Nick earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and Finance from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1998. Nick feels fortunate to have been mentored by such esteemed leaders and family members like his cousin, Edgar Bronfman, Jr. formerly of Seagrams-Universal and his father Ambassador John Loeb of Loeb Rhoades and Lehman Brothers.
GEO BARRERA
Analyst
Mr. Barrera joins the team as an analyst. He previously served as senior analyst at Florida based FTI Consulting where he conducted inside research in the Technology, Media, and Telecom (TMT) sector as well as in Healthcare. Most recently, he served as Senior Associate at Loebís Crunch, a national food brand, responsible of covering all Food Service accounts nationwide.
Mr. Barrera earned a Bachelorís Degree in Political Science from Dickinson College located Carlisle, PA in 2013.