CEO and Founder
David@kickpoint-ventures.com
David is the CEO and Founder of Kickpoint Ventures. He is a strategic partner to executive teams, with deep expertise and experience in all things related to "how the place is run".
David brings a world-class approach to transformation and operational excellence, having played leadership roles in transforming 30+ of the best global organizations, across sectors. Over his near 15 years with McKinsey, he held many leadership roles, most recently co-founding and convening the Next Generation Operational Excellence Practice.
David has led several efforts within the Michigan community - economic development, workforce development, education, support for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), and efforts related to equity. He was a founding member of Detroit Means Business. David holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University; and a BSE and MSE in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan. David and his wife, Maureen, live in the Detroit area with their three kids. They enjoy travel, golf, hockey, pickleball, sailing, and skiing.
Portfolio Operations Director
Marty@kickpoint-ventures.com
Marty is a proven middle market executive, operator, and operational excellence expert. He brings an ability to elevate strategy to the C-suite and drive execution through every level of an organization. He loves building relationships that drive buy-in and ownership within the team. He is passionate about people and the benefits of amazing culture within the team.
Marty brings extensive experience as an operator within manufacturing operations. He has held lead roles within core business functions including Program Management, Purchasing, Quality, and Engineering. Within his role of Director of Purchasing, he led multiple sub-supplier turnaround initiatives, negotiated multi-million dollar long term contracts, managed off-shore supply challenges, and evolved his team through structure, accountability and coaching. As Director of Quality, Marty led teams that managed annual certification audits, led root cause investigation and established quality at the source through design and release. Marty was active with OESA and has held roles within the Chief Purchasing Officers council throughout his time in Purchasing.
Marty holds an MBA from Oakland University and a BS in Engineering from Michigan State University. Marty and his wife live in the Detroit area with their five children. He is a proud Eagle Scout and enjoys camping with the family, traveling, bike riding, and golf.
Vice President and Head of Strategic Partnerships
Tony@kickpoint-ventures.com
Tony Tricozzi is a strategic advisor and operational leader driven by growing high-impact businesses and high-performing teams. As Vice President at Kickpoint Ventures, Tony works alongside entrepreneurs, CEOs, and executive teams, partnering in advisory, operating, and investor roles to accelerate earnings and growth for Family, Founder, and PE-owned businesses. In addition, he leads Kickpoint’s relationships with strategic partners in support of shared clients and portfolio companies.
Tony has over a decade of experience in management consulting coupled with direct operational experience in roles at companies ranging from Fortune 500 to technology start-ups. He has worked in B2B and B2C contexts across Industrial goods, Agribusiness, Consumer goods, and Technology sectors. His functional experience is in growth strategy, go-to-market acceleration, M&A and corporate development, supply chain & operations, and sustainability.Tony is passionate about making his unique experiences and expertise accessible to businesses of all types, particularly those at unique inflection points in their growth journeys.
Tony holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BSE and MSE in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan. Tony, his wife, Elsa, and their two kids recently moved from Chicago to the Ann Arbor area in order to raise their kids closer to extended family. They enjoy traveling, spending time outdoors and on the water, playing sports, and cheering on the Michigan Wolverines.
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