Michael McCracken is the General Partner of MCM Venture Partners (www.MCMVP.com), a boutique strategic advisory firm focused on early-stage, high-growth companies across multiple industries specializing in entertainment, digital media, and e-commerce.

Michael has 28 years of experience and relationships as a business operator, consultant, investment banker, and venture capitalist.

Since its launch in 2009, MCMVP has successfully executed dozens of advisory engagements including:

• Advising the CEO of a major network on strategic alternatives for its wholly owned digital media subsidiary
• Advising the Senior Partners of a preeminent talent management firm on the sale of their controlling position to a top film and television conglomerate
• Advising the co-owners of a leading Hollywood based editorial and production company on strategic alternatives including a sale, external financing or recapitalization
• Performing as lead sell-side M&A advisor to the board of a pet-centric wellness company and TV property while simultaneously serving as the company’s Interim CEO as it pursued its strategic alternatives
• Performing as lead sell-side M&A advisor for a Southern California based environmental consulting and design firm

Michael has also assumed the position of Interim CEO, COO, and CFO in several companies.  Most recently, he was the Executive Chairman and Interim CEO for a start-up college campus-based experiential marketing company, architecting the bridge financing strategy, pitch collateral and financial model. He was Interim COO of an LA-based digital entertainment start-up focused on producing premium mobile content for the millennial audience. Michael also served as Interim CFO and COO at a leading health and wellness supplement retail and e-commerce company.

Michael has been the executive coach and thought-partner to over 75 CEO’s, Senior Partners and studio heads across dozens of organizations including TV & film studios, production companies, talent management agencies, digital media start-ups, and Fortune 500 consulting firms.

A distinguishing feature of MCMVP is that it works in conjunction with top-tier venture capital and private equity shops as well as global consulting firms. Examples of recent collaborations include:

• Managing the development, negotiation and operational launch of an intrapreneurial joint venture between P&G and Ernst & Young
• Successfully launching, funding and operating two digital media start-ups while acting as the Managing Director and head of the venture control fund of a Los Angeles based private equity fund
• Serving as CEO of LivingHealthy, a VC funded contextual e-commerce venture in the health and wellness space
• Founding MeCare, a private equity-backed online behavioral healthcare start-up focusing on delivering telemedicine services through an affiliate network of specialists
• Advising the CEO and founders on the launch of Cintrifuse, a government and corporate sponsored venture fund-of-funds (P&G, Krogers, Macy’s, Upfront Ventures) and mentoring start-up CEOs in their accelerator/incubator program

Previously, Michael was President & COO of UGO Entertainment, a leading online lifestyle property which he sold to Hearst Corporation in 2007.  During his career at UGO Michael successfully managed the operational integration of over 7 sizeable acquisitions made by the Company and raised over $102 million in 13 financings and two recapitalizations over an 11-year period.

Prior to UGO Entertainment, Michael worked in the Investment Banking divisions of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ) in Los Angeles and Salomon Brothers on Wall Street.  As an Associate at DLJ, he worked with Ken Moelis’ Los Angeles based team in advising public and private companies on M&A, debt and equity capital raising and corporate restructurings.  Additionally, he participated in various principal investments made by DLJ’s venture capital division, GRP Partners (renamed Upfront Ventures), as well as DLJ’s Merchant Banking Group in the media, technology, retail and healthcare verticals.  As an Investment Banking Analyst at Salomon Brothers, he worked on the Equity Capital Markets desk advising companies on initial and secondary public market offerings.  Prior to joining Salomon Brothers, Mr. McCracken served as the Director of Business Development at Intel Japan in Tsukuba, Japan, reporting to the President.

Mr. McCracken received his Bachelors in Foreign Service with Honors in International Business Diplomacy and Japanese language proficiency from Georgetown University.  Michael was an All-American track athlete and the recipient of the School of Foreign Service Scholar-Athlete Award.  Michael received his Masters in Business Administration from Harvard.