RONALD P. RUSSO, JR.

Founder

Ronald is a serial entrepreneur and the Founder of Cocoanut Row Holdings. He has been an active member of the investment banking and financial media communities for over 30-years holding key roles in brokerage operations and management as well as strategic consulting and investment banking for many broker / dealers and private equity funds.

Ronald began a career on Wall Street in 1993 as a registered principal on the sell side of the retail industry. In 1997 he began raising institutional private equity for small-cap publicly traded companies (PIPE’s). In 1998 he founded Silicon Alley Capital Management, where he advised on funding several internet technology companies. In 2002 he re-entered the PIPE market participating in more than two dozen transactions until 2008 when he transitioned into the financial media space. In 2019 Ronald was the founder of various CBD and smokeshop related businesses, one of which was sold to a publicly traded company.

Ronald graduated from Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange, NJ in 1988. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree from St. John’s University in Queens, NY in 1993. He has held various FINRA licenses including the Series 7, 63, 24 and 27. He currently resides in Palm Beach, FL.

THE ART OF THE DEAL

"Mastering the art of dealmaking is what transforms an everyday company into a leading business empire. A good dealmaker understands that it’s their job to finesse things into place."

James Sterling

Portfolio Manager

James is a former high-stakes investment banker turned elite private investor and deal architect. He has a reputation for making the impossible happen. He has walked through boardrooms all over the world, always leaving a lasting impression.

James is part dealmaker, part rockstar, the kind of guy who turns heads when he walks into a room. He’s loved by everyone - men respect him, women chase him, and investors trust him. He doesn’t pitch deals - he offers rare, sought-after invitations. And those who hesitate? Well, James Sterling doesn’t wait.

HISTORY

In 1878, the Providencia, a small Spanish brigantine en route from Havana to Spain, wrecked on the shores of Palm Beach - right near where Mar-a-Lago is today. Its cargo contained some 20,000 coconuts.

Early Palm Beach settlers rescued the coconuts and planted them all over the Island, thus creating an island of palm trees. It was this planting of coconuts and the resulting palm trees that gave Palm Beach its name. Some say it was the palms that attracted Henry Flagler to the island in 1892.