Punks and Pensioners: The Collaborative Culture
A conversation between Jeffrey Sweeney, Chairman and CEO, and Charles Towle, COO and Managing Partner, US Capital Global
Charles Towle: Jeff, you’ve often said that providing people with the ability to prosper drives you in business. Can you expand on that?
Jeffrey Sweeney: Absolutely. US Capital Global was founded to provide capital to growing businesses. When companies grow, they hire, they innovate, and they create stability. I’ve seen this firsthand in our own company—people get jobs, start families, buy homes. A business becomes the foundation of an entire ecosystem. When we fund a client, we’re not just providing capital to their company—we’re investing in people’s futures.
Often, the job we help make possible becomes the very place where a person finds excellence and recognition. If the work environment is supportive and respectful, it gives people a sense of purpose and opportunity for growth. That’s incredibly powerful.
Charles: Have you seen that internally, with our own team?
Jeffrey: Without question. I’ve known you for 24 years—watched you get married, raise your family. I’ve seen Mitch Cohen bring his grandchildren to our events. Frank Villarreal, Ish Spencer, Robert Jones, Vanessa Guajardo—all of them have grown and succeeded with the firm. We’ve created a culture where professionals at different life stages can thrive, whether it’s a senior lawyer with grandchildren or a young angel investor in their twenties looking to collaborate on deals.
Charles: You also seem comfortable operating globally—across cultures, political systems, and even regions that others might avoid. What makes that possible?
Jeffrey: At its heart, banking is diplomacy. To do business anywhere, you have to respect people’s backgrounds, beliefs, and values. You don’t have to agree, but you do need mutual respect. Once you set aside judgment and look for common ground, you can do good business. Transactions are about honorable people working together for mutual benefit.
This attitude has tremendous benefits within the social fabric of the company as well, and it’s led to a remarkably diverse group of people here—organically so.
Look at history—after wars, it’s always the economic reconstruction that brings lasting stability. My thinking is, why not skip the conflict and go straight to collaboration and mutual economic development?
Charles: On the issue of diplomacy and diversity, we see that diversity reflected in our own team too. People bring different ages, experiences, deal styles, beliefs, and ways of thinking.
Jeffrey: Certainly. When it comes to age in particular, diverse perspectives lead to better outcomes—when there’s mutual respect. I call it the “punks and pensioners” model. On one side, you have young talent—energetic, bold, full of new ideas, and in tune with emerging trends. On the other, you have seasoned professionals—calm, experienced, great at spotting risks, and familiar with market cycles. Alone, each group does fine. But together? That’s where the magic happens. You get innovation grounded in judgment. That’s always been our approach.
Charles: Even within the firm, we see different reactions to market changes. Younger professionals may be facing their first volatile interest-rate environment.
Jeffrey: [laughs] Sadly, Charles, you’re no longer a “punk.” But you’re right. When rates spiked and markets shifted, some less experienced folks were caught off guard. Look at what happened with Silicon Valley Bank—they misjudged risk, loaded up on long-term, low-yield bonds, and paid the price when rates rose. That’s what happens without enough historical perspective.
Charles: It raises the point that sectors like VC and private credit are often driven by younger professionals. There’s concern about “froth” when that energy isn’t balanced with experience.
Jeffrey: That’s where the “enlightened pensioners” bring value. They’ve seen cycles, survived crises, and understand that markets are never as good—or as bad—as they seem. That grounding helps temper over-exuberance—but you also have to watch out for unwarranted pessimism.
Sometimes, what feels like a temporary shift turns out to be a structural change. After 2008, we saw a massive rise in private credit—from $2 trillion to over $50 trillion, as Apollo recently noted. Initially, we thought the opportunity would last a few years. But that private credit fund we started in 2006 ran for ten years and performed extremely well. It became a core part of our financial ecosystem.
Charles: And now the banks are adapting again.
Jeffrey: They are. The key is to stay flexible—work with people from different backgrounds, focus on long-term relationships, and remain grounded in both innovation and experience. That’s how we grow sustainably—together.
Jeffrey Sweeney is a lifelong entrepreneur and successful fund manager with decades of experience in corporate finance and asset management. He is Chairman and CEO of US Capital Global (www.uscapital.com), a full-service global private financial group headquartered in San Francisco with primary offices in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York, Miami, London, Milan, Zurich, and Dubai.
Charles Towle is Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner at US Capital Global and CEO of its SEC-registered broker-dealer affiliate, US Capital Global Securities LLC. With over $25 billion in financing and advisory transactions, he is a recognized leader in values-driven investment banking and sustainable finance.
