Clayton Christopher is a Managing Partner at Astō Consumer Partners. He is a serial entrepreneur and respected CPG investor known for founding Sweet Leaf Tea (acquired by Nestlé), Deep Eddy Vodka (acquired by Heaven Hill Distilleries), and Waterloo Sparkling Water (acquired by Flexis Capital). As the Co-founder and former Managing Partner at CAVU Ventures, he managed ~$550 million in assets across two funds. He is a two-time Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner in Central Texas, and he is a co-founder and board member of SKU, the largest CPG accelerator in the U.S.

Brian Goldberg is a Managing Partner at Astō Consumer Partners. He is a CPG industry veteran with operator experience at Amplify Snacks and has been a C-level executive, board director, advisor, or investor in many successful CPG companies including Sweet Leaf Tea, Deep Eddy Vodka, Waterloo Sparkling Water, Kettle & Fire and Nutrabolt/C4. Previously, Brian was the Founding Partner of Redbud Ventures where he primarily focused on early-stage CPG brands. He is a Board Member of JDRF and Naturally Austin and a benefactor of Austin City Limits.

Robbie Patterson, Partner at Astō Consumer Partners, previously served as a Principal at Christopher and Co. Prior investment experience includes work at venture capital firm CAVU Ventures along with Arbor Investments, a prominent Food & Beverage private equity fund based in Chicago. Prior to investing, Robbie gained experience in the Food & Beverage M&A group at William Blair & Company. With a BS in Finance from Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, and an MBA from the University of Texas, McCombs School of Business, Robbie brings a strong financial background to his role.

Natalie leads Astō’s Investor Relations and spearheading Astō’s Business Development efforts. Natalie joined Astō from Vance StreetCapital, where she served as Head of Business Development and Investor Relations. Prior to Vance Street, she spent several years in the middle-market consumer M&A space, first with J.P. Morgan’s Consumer and Retail Investment Banking Group, and later in a sponsor finance role lending to consumer-focused private equity funds including TSG Consumer Partners, MidOcean Partners, and TA Associates. Natalie holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business.

Moira O’Connell, Vice President at Astō Consumer Partners, previously served as a Senior Associate at L Catterton, a leading consumer private equity firm. Moira has also worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Bank of America. Moira holds a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Matt Jennings, Associate at Astō Consumer Partners, previously served as an Associate at Tinicum, an industrials focused private equity firm. Matt has also worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Bank of America. Matt holds a BBA in Finance from the Mendoza School of Business of the University of Notre Dame, and a Supplementary Major in Applied and Computational Math and Statistics

Max Trenz, Analyst at Astō Consumer Partners, previously served as an Investments Analyst at The Amherst Group. Max holds a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Investment Banking from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Paul Kapsner serves as the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for Astō Consumer Partners. Before Astō, Paul was a Vice President at Redbud Brands, a CPG incubation and early-stage investing firm. Paul also has experience as a Senior Associate at Catalyst Holdings and as a Deal Advisory Associate at KPMG. Paul holds a BBA and a Masters in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas.

Christina Burke leads Investor Relations for Astō Consumer Partners. Prior to joining Astō, Christina spent four years in a chief of staff and strategic partnerships role in the medical cannabis industry, where she helped launch and operate Texas’s first legal medical cannabis dispensary and worked closely with legislators and regulatory agencies to expand patient access. Earlier in her career, Christina spent 17 years in investor relations and special projects with several of the most innovative companies in the oil and gas and energy sectors. She began her career in corporate communications and investor relations, supporting executive teams through strategic growth initiatives and capital market engagement. Christina holds a B.S. in Health & Human Science with a concentration in Biological Psychology from the University of Houston.

Mary Phillips, Executive Assistant at Astō Consumer Partners, previously held the same role at Christopher & Co. Before this, Mary worked at Motorola/Freescale for 20 years in Product Engineering and Project Management. She holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas.