Sam Chun has spent the past 15+ years in private equity / venture capital, investment banking and management consulting industries. Prior to joining ESDF, he foundedCresco Lake Partners in 2016, a small to middle market focused merchant bank in Korea where his team has provided M&A advisory services as well as made a couple of direct investments via project funds.
Prior to Cresco Lake, Sam Chun spent nearly two years in BRV Capital Management (a.k.a., BlueRun Ventures) where he focused on growth equity investment for its APAC market, mainly in Korea and China. At BRV, he led several investments, including a pre-IPO deal on ST Pharm, a subsidiary of Dong-A Pharmaceutical, and recorded over 200% IRR.
Prior to BRV, he spent nearly 5 years at Barclays’ Los Angeles Office. At Barclays, Sam was an investment banker (vice president) in its Financial Sponsors Group where he covered major private equity firms in West Coast, such as TPG, Oaktree, Ares, LGP, etc. As a sponsor coverage banker, he led multiple transactions including leveraged buyouts, sponsor-backed IPOs and M&As.
Sam Chun is a graduate of New York University and received his MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with concentrations in finance, accounting and entrepreneurship.