Email: matt@saharainvestmentgroup.com
Matt Zagby is responsible for supporting the team in the execution process, including internal underwriting, financial modeling, due diligence, and closing. Additionally, Matt assists with investor relations and portfolio analysis. Prior to joining Sahara Investment Group, Matt worked as an accountant at Tang Industries Inc., where he contributed to the month-end closing process by posting journal entries and preparing financial statements. Matt graduated cum laude from Northern Arizona University with a B.S.B.A. in Finance and a B.S. in Accounting. In his free time, Matt enjoys following financial markets, hiking, and spending time with family.
Email: ali@saharainvestmentgroup.com
Bio coming soon.
Email: connor@saharainvestmentgroup.com
Connor Bucknam joined Sahara Investment Group in 2024. As an Analyst with the company, he is responsible for supporting the originations and underwriting team in every stage of the execution process, from internal underwriting to financial modeling, due diligence, and closing. Prior to joining Sahara Investment Group, Mr. Bucknam worked for Sahara's sister company, CORE Advisory Partners, where he worked as a Capital Markets analyst from 2023 to 2023. Connor graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where he earned a B.S. Finance and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the UNLV Honors College.
Email: josh@saharainvestmentgroup.com
Joshua Ruegsegger joined Sahara Investment Group in 2020. As the Accounting and Compliance Manager Mr. Ruegsegger is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the company’s financial operations and ensures the company follows and upholds all federal and state mandated guidelines. Before joining Sahara Investment Group Mr. Ruegsegger worked with a local Oregon Home Rehab/Developer where he assisted with property analysis, budget creation and management, and managed 3rd party contractors. Mr. Ruegsegger graduated from Oregon State University with a B.S. in Finance.
Email: kimberly@saharainvestmentgroup.com
Kimberly “Kim” Tapia is responsible for all aspects of investor relations. In addition, Ms. Tapia works directly with the CFO to analyze the portfolio, risk and returns, and other performance factors. Prior to joining Sahara, Ms. Tapia worked as a Registered Wealth Management Client Associate at Merrill Lynch. Ms. Tapia is a Las Vegas native and graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a B.S.B.A in Finance. In her free time, Ms. Tapia enjoys traveling and spending time with family.
Email: kenny@saharainvestmentgroup.com
Mr. Daniels is a Managing Director with the Firm that helps lead originations, underwriting, asset management and execution across the business. Mr. Daniels has been with the Firm since inception. He began his career at CORE Advisory Partners, ultimately leading multi-year engagements with the company's two largest advisory clients, who work across multiple real estate product types and have completed $4B+ of development & acquisitions to-date. Additionally, during his time with CORE Advisory Partners, Mr. Daniels executed on $200M+ of financings across various real estate product types. Mr. Daniels began his transition to Sahara's investment business in 2020, driving execution of the Firm's initial investments and ultimately playing a key role in the execution of the Firm's first fund. Mr. Daniels graduated from the University of Nevada Las Vegas with a BSBA in Finance & Accounting.
Email: evan@saharainvestmentgroup.com
Mr. Vitale is an accomplished financial leader who currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Sahara Investment Group. In his role, Mr. Vitale oversees a comprehensive portfolio of responsibilities, including accounting, finance, tax, investor relations, portfolio management, and asset management for Sahara Investment Group. Prior to joining Sahara Investment Group, Mr. Vitale held a key position as Vice President at SoftBank Investment Advisers. In this capacity, he played a pivotal role in the successful launch of all accounting and finance processes for an $8 billion private equity/venture capital fund focused on Latin America and for a groundbreaking $100 million venture capital fund. Additionally, Mr. Vitale served as the finance lead and right-hand to the CEO and CFO of a publicly traded Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), demonstrating his versatility and ability to navigate diverse financial landscapes. Prior to SoftBank, Mr. Vitale spent nine years at BNY Mellon where he served as Vice President, managing a large team focused on servicing the accounting and finance needs of private equity clients with over $8.5 billion of Assets under Management. Notably, he spearheaded the development of an in-house IT tool that seamlessly integrated two different accounting systems, enabling streamlined communication between the two systems and automating multiple critical processes. Mr. Vitale received a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a concentration in Accounting and Business Law from the University of Miami and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).
Email: david@saharainvestmentgroup.com
Mr. Hirschfeld has over 17 years of finance, investment, development and operating experience. Mr. Hirschfeld currently acts as a Partner & Managing Director of Sahara Investment Group as well as the Chief Investment Officer for Fiume Capital, a direct investment platform for a multi-billion-dollar family. Prior to his current positions at Sahara Investment Group and Fiume, he was a Senior Vice President at Atalyst Financial Group where he led capital raising and M&A advisory and invested proprietary capital across the capital structure. Before that, Mr. Hirschfeld was Director of Investment and Strategy at Fertitta Entertainment where he managed corporate development and strategic initiatives. Prior to that, Mr. Hirschfeld was with The Calida Group, a Las Vegas-based apartment developer, and he began his career in investment banking focusing on M&A, capital raising and debt restructuring within the real estate, gaming, sports and entertainment industries. Mr. Hirschfeld holds an A.B. in Business Economics from Brown University.
Email: francis@saharainvestmentgroup.com
Mr. Abrao has over 18 years of investment banking and real estate private equity experience. Prior to his role as a Partner & Managing Director of Sahara Investment Group and CORE Advisory Partners, Mr. Abrao was a Managing Director at Valtus Capital Group, where he closed over $2.25B of capital transactions. Notable transactions include; the $367M acquisition of the US Bank Tower in Los Angeles by Singapore-based Overseas Union Enterprise and the Riady family and the $600M capital raise for The Parq casino in Vancouver, Canada. Prior to Valtus Capital, Mr. Abrao worked as a Director of Corporate Finance at Caesars Entertainment. Under the direction of Apollo and the TPG Group, Mr. Abrao oversaw the team that lead Caesars'initial public offering. In this role, Mr. Abrao also managed restructuring and valuation at the company. Prior to Caesars Entertainment, Mr. Abrao worked for MacFarlane Partners, a real estate private equity firm with over $20B of Assets Under Management. While at MacFarlane, Mr. Abrao underwrote new markets and projects with a total transaction value exceeding $500M. Mr. Abrao holds a B.S.B.A. in Finance from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
