IVELISSE SIMON
Managing Partner
Avante Capital Partners
Originally from Puerto Rico, Ivelisse Rodriguez Simon grew up in a low-income neighborhood on the south side of Chicago becoming the first of her family to attend college—the University of Illinois, where she studied finance and accounting and graduated with honors from the University of Illinois. Then, after earning an MBA from Harvard Business School, she and her business partner Jeri Harman formed Avante Capital Partners where she serves as the managing partner.
Simon now has over two decades of middle-market debt and equity investment experience. Prior to Avante, she held positions at Palladium Equity Partners, Reliant Equity Partners and various investment banks including Salomon Brothers. Simon serves on the board of several companies including Quest, LLC. Simon has been involved with the Small Business Investment Company through a program offered by the Small Business Administration.
