Phillip Caplan

Co-founder and Managing Partner, Renova Capital Partners

Phillip Caplan is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Renova Capital Partners, an investment firm dedicated to the development and financing of renewable energy infrastructure assets. Renova concentrates its investments on projects or companies that generate clean, affordable and reliable biofuel and power. Caplan is involved in all aspects of Renova’s investments, including due diligence, raising equity/debt financing and structuring and closing transactions. As Managing Partner, he is also responsible for investor relations, strategic communications, and all legal and operational activities of the firm.

Prior to co-founding Renova, Caplan was a Senior Vice President in the Investment Banking Group at FBR & Co (NYSE: FBRC), where he was directly responsible for capitalizing over $12 billion of structured finance and equity capital market transactions. He also served as the Managing Director and COO of Capital Crossover Partners, a hedge fund initially affiliated with FBR.

Immediately prior to co-founding Renova, Caplan developed a mixed-used retail/apartment building near the University of Denver. The development consists of 213 residential units and 25,000 sf of retail. His responsibilities included obtaining entitlements, rezoning and raising equity and debt.

Prior to his career in finance, Caplan had a 17-year career in government and politics, which culminated in his service as Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary to President Bill Clinton. In this position, he provided counsel to the President and senior staff on wide range of issues, reported directly to and had daily interaction with the President, managed all information flow to and from the Oval Office and around the West Wing and was responsible for final presentation and analysis of all decision memoranda for the President.

Caplan has been dedicated to education and urban renewal issues over the course of his career. He was one of the founding staff members of AmeriCorps during his time serving in the White House. Over the past ten years, he has been active in the Denver community and currently serves on the Board of Commissioners for the Denver Urban Renewal Authority (DURA). At DURA, he helps set the organization’s strategic priorities and works closely with the staff on DURA’s investments and capital markets transactions. He also is the founding board member of Teach for America – Colorado and continues to serve on the board.

Caplan holds a B.A. from Emory University and a J.D. from Georgetown University School of Law.