Pete Karabas
Founding Partner
At KEY Investment Partners, Pete is responsible for origination, due diligence, and execution of investment opportunities in addition to developing strategic partnerships and fundraising initiatives for the firm. Pete is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of BDSA and sits on the Board of Directors of Front Range Biosciences, two of KEY’s portfolio companies.
Prior to founding KEY, Pete spent four years as a member of Partners Group’s (SIX: PGHN) Private Real Estate Group where he was responsible for originating opportunities, conducting due diligence, and executing portfolio transactions valued between $300mn and $1.5bn in gross asset value. While at Partners Group, Pete closed 12 portfolio acquisitions, deploying ~$700mn in equity ($2.5bn gross asset value).
Prior to Partners Group, Pete spent three years at Equity Residential (NYSE: EQR) where he focused on the acquisition and asset management of Class A multifamily properties.
Pete holds a BBA in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Originally a Chicago native, he moved to Denver in 2016 to help build out Partners Group’s U.S. real estate team. After seeing the growth in the cannabis industry first-hand, Pete pivoted his career to focus on connecting investors with early-stage cannabis companies.
Tiby Erdely
Founding Partner
At KEY Investment Partners, Tiby is responsible for structuring and leading investment opportunities, developing the marketing and client relations initiatives, driving firmwide strategic initiatives, conducting due diligence on deal opportunities, driving proactive outreach for deal sourcing opportunities, and leading co-investment syndication processes. Erdely championed and led KEY’s first investment in BDS Analytics (‘BDSA’) and championed the formation of KEY’s advisory board. Erdely currently sits on the Board of Open Book Extracts, Katalys, Botanica and Day Three Labs, KEY portfolio companies.
Prior to co-founding KEY, Tiby spent three years as a member of Partners Group’s (SIX: PGHN) client solutions team, where he was responsible for raising flagship funds and sourcing opportunities. While at Partners Group, Tiby worked with the various deal teams learning Partners Group’s approach to sourcing deals and conducting due diligence.
Prior to Partners Group, Tiby spent four years with Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), working most recently for the Fundamental Equity team in Goldman Sachs Asset Management (‘GSAM’).
Tiby was born and raised in San Antonio, TX and holds a BBA in Finance from The University of Texas at San Antonio where he graduated with honors. In his free time, Tiby enjoys skiing, traveling, hiking and live music.
Jordan Youkilis
Founding Partner
At KEY Investment Partners, Jordan is responsible for developing due diligence strategy, leading co-investment syndication processes, writing blog posts and driving proactive outreach for deal sourcing opportunities. Jordan led KEY Investment Partners’ investments in springbig, HERBL, XS Financial and LivWell.
Prior to founding KEY, Jordan spent four years as a member of Partners Group’s Private Equity team responsible for sourcing investment opportunities, conducting due diligence, and executing lead, control leveraged buyout transactions for companies between $500 million and $2.5 billion in enterprise value.
Prior to Partners Group, Jordan spent four years with GE Capital predominantly in Leveraged Finance, underwriting debt facilities for business services companies in lower-middle market buyout transactions.
Jordan was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH and attended Indiana University as a Wells Scholar, majoring in Economics & Political Science. Jordan is a Leafwire Expert Contributor. In his free time, Jordan enjoys traveling, skiing, reading & hiking.
Colby McKenzie
Strategic Advisor
At KEY Investment Partners, Colby is responsible for developing fund strategy, deal sourcing and diligence, negotiating deal terms, assisting/advising portfolio companies, and expanding the fund’s cannabis network.
Colby is a well tenured cannabis operator. In 2016, he co-founded the venture-backed startup Enlighten, a leading canntech company, which had a successful exit in 2022 to Weedmaps (Nasdaq: MAPS).
Colby McKenzie began his career in private equity as an M&A attorney at one of the top law firms in the country before launching his own boutique equity fund, McKenzie Ventures. Here, he took a hands-on approach with companies in the fund’s portfolio to drive strategic growth and rapidly expand market footprint. He has helped companies in a wide array of businesses including digital media, ad tech, mobile apps, IoT, health & wellness, cannabis, food/service, financial services and commercial real estate.
He currently resides in Austin, TX and received his undergraduate degree in finance from Texas A&M University and his JD from Southern Methodist University.
Blaine Rhoden
Associate
At KEY Investment Partners, Blaine is responsible for deal sourcing, due diligence, market research, and exploring new client relationships.
Prior to KEY, Blaine attended the University of Denver Sturm College of Law as a Sturm Law Scholar and earned his J.D. At the University of Denver Blaine was Vice President of Denver’s Student International Cannabis Bar Association, and a General Partner at Denver’s Pioneer Venture Group.
Blaine was born and raised in Vero Beach, Florida and attended the University of Florida where he majored in Food and Resource Economics. At the University of Florida Blaine was a four-time recipient of the College of Agriculture and Life Science’s Dean list and was awarded the Brannan Family Scholarship, the Hal W. Lively Scholarship, and the Wayne Hawkins Scholarship. In his free time, Blaine enjoys hiking, biking, and researching crypto assets.
Clayton Skulski
Analyst
At KEY Investment Partners, Clayton is responsible for deal sourcing and analysis, market research, due diligence, and the continued expansion of the KEY Investment Partners network.
Prior to joining KEY, Clayton was an Analyst at LAGO Innovation Fund where he worked in the dedicated cannabis equity and credit funds. He was responsible for deal flow and analysis for both credit and equity opportunities. Clayton joined LAGO after interning with KEY Investment Partners in the Summer of 2021, post graduating from the Leeds School of Business with his Master of Finance degree. Before finding his way to the financing side of the cannabis industry, Clayton was a cannabis operator/consultant in Colorado working for The Green Solution, Mayflower Farms, JETT Cannabis and City Session Denver.
Clayton was raised in Boulder, CO and attended the University of Oregon where he majored in Political Science with a Minor in Business Administration. Clayton achieved his Master of Finance from the Leeds School of Business at CU Boulder in May 2021. In his free time Clayton enjoys traveling, reading, live music and spending time with his friends and family.