Our team

The people behind Persistent Ventures

Persistent Ventures is led by two partners who pair hands-on operating experience with acquisition discipline — and who intend to own the companies they acquire for the long term.

Headshot of Shaun Ritchie

Shaun Ritchie

Founder & Managing Partner

Shaun founded Persistent Ventures after a career building and operating B2B companies from the inside. As CEO and Chairman of nClouds — an AWS Premier cloud and DevOps services firm — he led the strategic acquisitions of Cloudnexa and Foghorn. Before that, he founded Teem, a workplace-experience SaaS platform that raised more than $20 million from Greycroft, Google Ventures, and GE, and was acquired by WeWork, where he became Chief Workplace Experience Officer.

At Persistent Ventures, Shaun leads sourcing, deal execution, and the long-term stewardship of every company the firm acquires. He started the firm with a conviction he has lived firsthand: “We believe in, and back persistent entrepreneurs who are creating significant value, usually by sheer force of will and determination. We’ve been there. We’ve done that. We know how hard it is, and we support those entrepreneurs who are making it happen.”

Areas of expertise

  • Operator & entrepreneur
  • M&A & acquisition
  • Founder transitions
  • Long-term stewardship
Headshot of Kyle Poulin

Kyle Poulin

Partner

Kyle brings a finance and investment background shaped by institutional transaction experience and founder-stage company building. He began his career as a financial institutions group analyst at Nomura, advising on bank, insurance, and REIT M&A across billion-dollar-plus transactions. He went on to found Bridge 4 Ventures, an advisory and investment firm focused on acquisitions, and serves as an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurial Analytics at BYU Marriott.

At Persistent Ventures, Kyle leads investment strategy, underwriting, and the disciplined capital allocation behind a buy-and-hold-forever model. He holds an MBA from BYU Marriott and a Master of Business Creation from the University of Utah.

Areas of expertise

  • Transaction analysis
  • Underwriting & diligence
  • Capital allocation
  • Long-term commitment

Why we build together

A partnership built to last

Shaun founded Persistent Ventures on a simple conviction: enduring B2B services businesses deserve owners who intend to keep them. With his partner Kyle, he pairs hands-on operating experience with the discipline to acquire carefully and hold for the long term.

They are not a roll-up — by design. The partnership exists to give founders a permanent, respectful home for what they've built — with continuity for teams and customers — and to compound patiently as long-term owners.

Building something enduring?

Whether you're a founder weighing a sale, an investor evaluating our strategy, or a partner with a company to introduce — we'd welcome the conversation.

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