About
Who We Are
Republic Square was founded on a desire to enhance access to capital for lower- to mid-market companies. We built Republic Square on four core values that help us strive protect our investors’ capital while helping businesses to flourish: integrity, transparency, accessibility and collaboration.
Our journey has been one of steady growth and evolution for over ten years. As our work evolved, we found ourselves supporting clients with larger-scale needs and more complex goals. To better reflect our services, we updated our founding name, CrowdOut Capital, to Republic Square in 2025, a name that better aligns with this next stage of growth.
Our Experience
Republic Square brings a downside protection, risk-adjusted approach to investing. Our team has more than 50 years of combined investment experience, developing a cohesive and consistent investment approach across more than four dozen transactions.
We have seen our share of successes and challenges, including successfully managing turnarounds and navigating complex situations through market downturns and pandemic conditions.
Our Values
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Integrity
We do what we say.
It is paramount to us that we act with full integrity and honesty. We treat everyone with the same dignity and respect we wish to be treated with and do all that we can to live up to our obligations. -
Transparency
We say who we are.
We are radically focused on full transparency in our business, both with our investors and investments. We believe it is important to be open and honest with everyone, sharing our incentives and thoughts. -
Accessibility
We streamline investing.
We seek to broaden the alternative investment market. This often means taking greater efforts to make capital available to qualified companies, and extend those opportunities to industry experts. -
Collaboration
We are smarter together.
We continually strive to improve everything that we do, seeking to learn at every turn, and benefit from the wisdom of our expert investor base. We bring together their experiences to every opportunity.
Executive Leadership & Investment Committee
ALEXANDER SCHOENBAUM
Partner; Investment Committee
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Alexander Schoenbaum co-founded Republic Square and has more than 20 years of direct lending, private equity, and investment banking experience.
He has provided financial and strategic advisory services to many growing middle market companies across a range of industries including: consumer, retail, telecom, media, manufacturing, technology, financial services, oil & gas, and industrials.
Collectively, Alexander has completed more than $3 billion of transactions, including both debt and equity placements. Previously, Alexander founded Swift Estate Capital, a specialty finance firm focused on lending to high-net-worth individuals. He also worked at Blue Sage Capital, a middle market private equity and debt firm, focused on finding investment opportunities, performing due diligence, structuring and executing transactions, and supporting Company management to grow their businesses. He began his career at Piper Jaffray in San Francisco, focusing on mergers and acquisitions, IPOs, and capital raises in the consumer space, including restaurants, retail, food, and consumer products.
Alexander received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree in Finance, International Business, and Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis.
BRIAN GILMORE
Partner; Investment Committee
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Brian Gilmore co-founded Republic Square after more than 20 years of direct lending, hedge fund, and investment banking experience.
Throughout his career, he has specialized in middle market transactions across a variety of industries including oil & gas, industrials, chemicals, and manufacturing.
Brian has sourced and executed more than $1 billion of complex debt and equity transactions, having been a consistent originator for Westlake Securities. In addition, he co-founded the Institutional Sales & Trading Group for Westlake Capital Markets, sourcing numerous equity positions on both U.S. and foreign exchanges.
Brian began his career at H.C. Wainwright in New York, focusing on PIPE transactions for emerging technology companies. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin.
ERIC ALTHOFER
Partner; Investment Committee
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Mr. Althofer joined Republic Square with nearly 20 years of experience in investing, strategy consulting, and investment banking.
Prior to joining Republic Square, Mr. Althofer served as Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of Finance/M&A at Live Ventures, a publicly traded investment holding company where he oversaw all M&A efforts, as well worked with Live Venture's existing subsidiaries to manage their capital structures and lending relationships, and helped develop enhanced underwriting and reporting processes across the platform.
Before Live, Mr. Althofer led underwriting and portfolio efforts at Capitala, a multi-billion dollar private credit firm focused on the lower-to-middle market. Mr. Althofer also worked as an associate Jeffries investment banking group, executing over 25 M&A, debt, and equity transaction, as well as as a strategy consultant at Deloitte Consulting. Mr.
Althofer graduated cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis in 2005 with a degree in Economics and minors in Philosophy and Humanities, and received his Master of Business Administration, with distinction, from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.
LEWIS LEAVITT
Partner; Investment Committee
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Lewis joined Republic Square with 25 years of experience in investing, originations, and company operations.
Prior to Republic Square, Lewis worked as a director at AB (AllianceBernstein), where he co-launched AB Tech Capital Solutions in 2018 as part of AB’s nearly $20 billion private credit group.
Lewis was previously a principal with Escalate Capital Partners, a private credit firm, where he led business development by working closely with other lenders, venture capital and growth equity firms.
Prior to Escalate, he helped start AlertMedia, a mass-notification software business based in Austin, Texas, which was acquired by Vista Equity Partners in 2021.
Lewis holds a BA in Spanish and political science from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin.
Investment & Portfolio Management
KEN CHUANG, CFA
Vice President
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Ken is a Vice President with Republic Square, having started with the Company in 2016.
Prior to joining the company, Ken worked as a Corporate Development Intern at SunEdison, focused on mergers and acquisitions integrations across various transactions.
Before SunEdison, Ken started his career as an assistant sales manager, and later promoted to Sales Director, at LUSTROUS in Taiwan where he managed new business development for the company.
Ken received his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis with a strong concentration in Finance as well as the bachelor degree in Business Administration from National Taiwan University. Ken is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
MASON MEDART
Associate
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Mason is an Analyst with Republic Square, having started with the Company in 2022.
Prior to joining the company, Mason worked as a Financial Analyst at YETI Coolers, focused on new product pricing and demand forecasts.
Before YETI, Mason started his career as an Equity Research Analyst at Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City, where he covered the Aerospace and Defense sector including companies such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.
Mason received his MSBA from University of Virginia in Charlottesville and his bachelor degree in Finance with a minor in Mandarin Chinese from Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
BURKE PLATER
Associate
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Burke is an Associate with Republic Square, having started with the Company in 2024.
Prior to joining the company, Burke worked as a Project Development Associate at an EPC firm, where he focused on project finance, sales, design and permitting for commercial businesses’ energy projects. Before that, Burke started his career as a Research Analyst at Advanced Resources International.
Burke received his MBA with distinction from the University of Texas at Austin and his bachelor degree in Business Administration with a minor in Geology from Washington and Lee University.
Compliance & Investment Servicing
CHRISTINA GUSTAVSON, CPA
Chief Financial Officer, Chief Compliance Officer
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Christina Gustavson joined Republic Square in October 2018 and brought with her over 10 years of accounting experience.
Prior to Republic Square, she worked for C3 Presents, an entertainment production company, RGM Advisors, a local quantitative trading firm, and spent some time in New York City, consulting for a few of the city’s most popular restaurants.
Before starting her accounting career, Christina owned her own food trailer and also worked in the mortgage industry underwriting home loans.
Christina graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting.
DARLENE ESQUIVEL
Investment Servicing Associate
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Darlene Esquivel is an Investment Servicing Associate with Republic Square, having joined in July 2018.
Prior to joining Republic Square, Darlene worked as a Client Service Representative at Northern Trust, a private wealth management company in Austin, TX.
Before Northern Trust, Darlene started her career as Office Coordinator, and later promoted to Administrative Assistant, at Specialty Surgical Center in California where she managed patient accounts and provider relations.
Darlene graduated with her Bachelor of Business Administration from Santa Barbara Business College in California.