Michael F. O’Connell is Managing Partner and President of M2O. He oversees the assessment of investment opportunities and reviews the ongoing performance of portfolio companies. For most of his career, Michael was President and Managing Director of Anhalt, O’Connell & Steffanci Inc., a Los Angeles-based investment management firm with almost $1 billion under management.

In 1992, Michael purchased the National Lines Bureau, a ship mooring company operating at the Los Angeles and Long Beach harbors, the largest commercial port in America. This direct investment prompted many more and Michael soon shifted his focus from investment management to private equity and venture capital. Today, he leads M2O with a portfolio of more than 60 companies and sits on the boards of Veri-Tax, TruMed and Xiltrix.

Michael holds a B.A., with high honors, from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Michael-Kevin (M-K) O’Connell joined M2O in 2009. He is responsible for sourcing and reviewing new investment opportunities as well as monitoring the performance of portfolio companies. M-K currently serves on the board of four search fund companies (Apex, Origo Commodities Management, ListEngage, and Veri-Tax) and two venture businesses (Camio and Recurve). M-K also promotes the traditional partnership approach to search fund investing through his work on the board of the Search Fund Alliance.

Prior to joining M2O, M-K was a Manager with L.E.K. Consulting. During his tenure there, M-K led project teams across a diverse range of industries and business issues. Before L.E.K., M-K helped develop an industry-leading CRM and data management solution for commercial real estate as the Director of Research for CB Richard Ellis in New England.

M-K received his B.S, magna cum laude, from Boston College and his MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he was the recipient of the Thomas P. Gerrity Leadership Award.

Shaun Rader joined M2O in 2019. He sources and executes new investments and collaborates with portfolio company management teams. Shaun serves on the boards of five search fund companies (Helpside, P&S Machining, Swoogo, AppWrap, and Nirvana UW).

Prior to joining M2O, Shaun was a Managing Director at Sagard, an alternative asset management division of Power Corporation of Canada. At Sagard, Shaun screened, researched, and managed investments totaling $250 million of invested capital across 12 companies, primarily in the business services sector. In between stints at Sagard, Shaun served as a Partner in a related family office where he led an investment in a national network of veterinary practices and spent two years as CFO and board member of the company, now branded Lakefield Veterinary. Shaun started his career at Bain & Company where he advised private equity and corporate clients on investment decisions and growth strategy.

Shaun earned a B.A. with distinction from the University of Virginia and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he was a Palmer Scholar.

Nicholas (Nick) Qiu joined M2O in 2022. He works closely with search fund entrepreneurs throughout their search, acquisition, and operating phases.

Prior to joining M2O, Nick was a consultant at Bain & Company where he advised private equity and corporate clients on investment decisions, due diligence, and growth strategy. Nick started his career as an Army officer.

Nick received a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Anna Zhang joined M2O in 2023. She oversees the accounting, financial, and tax reporting for M2O.

Prior to joining M2O, Anna was a Controller at Axonic Capital LLC, a New York based structured credit asset manager, where she focused on the accounting and financial reporting of funds. She also previously served as a Fund Controller at Prosiris Capital Management, LP, a structured credit hedge fund. Anna started her career in Assurance at Ernst & Young working in their Asset Management group.

Anna received her B.S. and M.S. in Accounting from New York University’s Stern School of Business, and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of California and New York.

Rebecca Krause joined M2O in 2019. She is responsible for ensuring the efficiency of daily operations, supporting the executive team in all administrative matters, and assisting the company’s business development efforts.

Rebecca brings over 10 years of managerial and administrative experience in the financial services industry. She most recently served as Commercial Client Officer at City National Bank where she supported a team of Senior Relationship Managers with a large portfolio of commercial clients.

Additionally, Rebecca has served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteer for children in LA County and is licensed to provide notarial services in the State of California.

Matthew Rios joined M2O in 2023. He provides administrative support to the investment team and assists in the internal operations at the firm.

Matthew brings experience in digital marketing and event coordination, enabling him to assist with on-campus engagement, strategic brand management, and content creation.

Matthew received his B.S. in Business Administration from USC Marshall.