Anthony Rust, Impact Fund Manager, BEI Business Equity Fund; Chair of the Investment Committee, Warren Wilson College
Mr. Anthony Rust has been in the investment industry for over 25 years as a private equity investor, investment banker and impact investor. As an impact investor, Mr. Rust has effectuated change both as impact investment professional across asset classes and also as Trustee and Chair of the Investment Committee for Warren Wilson College’s endowment fund.
Currently, Mr. Rust is the Impact Fund Manager of the BEI Business Equity Fund, which is an innovative program and initiative designed to finance, invest and focus on Minority Business Enterprises, a business sector that has had a difficult time accessing the requisite capital for growth. This innovative program utilizes an active private equity fund model providing MBEs with embedded strategic advisory services and business distribution resources in addition to capital.
Additionally, Mr. Rust serves as a Partner at Caribbean Private Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in private companies and renewable energy projects around the Caribbean Basin. In addition to Mr. Rust’s private equity experience, during his professional tenure, Mr. Rust was an Investment Banker with the First Albany Corporation and Newport Capital. As an Investment Banker, Mr. Rust was involved in the structuring and underwriting of multimillion-dollar senior managed financing transactions and co-managed financing transactions. Further, Mr. Rust assisted in providing financial advisory and capital raising services to private market clientele, structured finance clients, authorities and issuers in the cumulative issuance of several billions of dollars of financing transactions.
Mr. Rust holds a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and a master’s degree from The George Washington University / SUNY joint program and is a candidate for an International Master of Business Administration from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill School of Business, Barbados, WI.