Eston Woodard is the Managing Partner and Founder of CognitiveG Capital Partners LLC. Mr. Woodard focuses his efforts on capital raising for alternative investment managers with niche and non-correlated strategies.

Prior to launching CognitiveG Capital Partners, Mr. Woodard was a Managing Director at Riverside Management Group/BCW Securities, a boutique merchant bank where he was responsible for deal sourcing, alternative investment manager research, and institutional capital formation. As a Managing Director, Mr. Woodard spearheaded engagements for venture capital, emerging hedge funds, technology, and real estate private equity managers. During his tenure at RMG, Mr. Woodard either advised or participated in approximately $250M of successful financings across many verticals, including maritime, natural resources, real estate, and infrastructure.

Mr. Woodard also has an extensive background in high-technology. As a Lead Sales Executive at IBM, he positioned their flagship hybrid-cloud computing platform on Wall Street. He leveraged competitive intelligence and strategic product positioning to optimize enterprise IT economics and enhance system resiliency. Mr. Woodard helped launch a completely new, transformational IT life-cycle paradigm and articulated the nuances of organizational change management. He delivered DCF financial models for infrastructure capital investment, driving millions in revenue.

As an IBM Partner, he engaged in market data latency, clock synchronization, and feed-handling complexities of buy-side technology for global capital markets. He closed an enterprise private cloud deal with a U.K. based investment bank that improved market resiliency, scalability, and efficiency. Prior to IBM, Mr. Woodard was one of Oracle Corporation’s leading national business development executives for Retail SaaS applications.

Mr. Woodard earned an AB from The College of William & Mary, an MA in Religion with a concentration in Social Ethics from Yale University, and an MBA in Banking with Merit from The University of London in 2011. He has earned the designation of Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA). Mr. Woodard is a former NCAA Division 1A springboard diver, Classic America’s Cup yacht racing sailor, and international adventurer.

Mr. Woodard currently holds Series 7, 62, 63, and 65 registrations with FINRA.