Mr. Wilhite is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Ascendiant Capital Markets LLC, a full-service investment banking, equity research, market making, and securities trading firm focused on public and private companies, and institutional and strategic investors.
Since establishing Ascendiant in 2001, Mr. Wilhite has provided capital and strategic guidance to hundreds of emerging growth companies in the U.S. and selected foreign markets, and he has developed relationships with a large number of institutional and strategic investors.
Mr. Wilhite has over twenty-five years of experience providing financing and advice to early stage, emerging growth, and lower middle market companies. He is skilled in a variety of equity and debt financing structures and has led a significant number of mergers and acquisitions.
Prior to founding Ascendiant, Mr. Wilhite had a decade of management experience with two leading commercial banking organizations, First Union Corporation (now part of Wells Fargo & Company; NYSE: WFC) and Fourth Financial Corporation (now part of Bank of America; NYSE: BAC). Mr. Wilhite served as a commercial banker providing financing to early stage, emerging growth, and lower middle market companies, and he directed several lines of business, managed successful product launches, and led merger and acquisition teams. Additionally, Mr. Wilhite previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of a publicly traded golf equipment manufacturing company.
Mr. Wilhite earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Finance from Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth, Texas. Mr. Wilhite also completed post-graduate training at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business in Chicago, Illinois. He maintains FINRA Series 7, 24, 63, 79, and 99 securities registrations.
