Who We Are

Portolan Capital Management, LLC is a Boston-based SEC registered investment adviser focused on small- and mid-cap equity investing. Founded in 2004 by George McCabe, Portolan employs fundamental analysis and rigorous primary research in its investment decisions and active management of its portfolios. Portolan services qualified individuals, private and public institutions through its management of separate accounts, pooled investment vehicles and within sub-advisory relationships.

Investment Philosophy

Portolan Capital Management believes that small and mid-sized public companies provide a target rich environment for high quality undiscovered, overlooked and highly inefficient investment opportunities through market cycles. Many successful small businesses typically do not receive the same focus and coverage from both buy- and sell-side investors as do their large-cap peers; we believe this is a persistent inefficiency. With a process rooted in fundamental research and analysis, Portolan analyzes growing businesses with strong prospects, often at inflection points in their lifecycle. We strive to understand companies through the lens of management objectives and competitive dynamics within sectors. The research and investment team places emphasis on portfolio construction with opportunities in growth, value and special situations based on evolving opportunity sets. Portolan generally seeks investments in well-managed companies with strong market and competitive positioning, improving fundamentals, margin expansion potential, and attractive valuation.

Our Team

Investment Research
Operations

Investment Research

George McCabe

Founder, CIO

George is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Portolan Capital Management. George works with the Portolan team on investments across numerous sectors including Consumer, Technology, and Healthcare. Prior to founding Portolan, George served as a Research Analyst at the Boston based Lynch Foundation and the Family Office of Peter S. Lynch, where he covered a wide range of sectors across the market cap-spectrum, with a focus on small and mid-cap public growth equities, as well as investments in private companies. He began his career at a NYC based Pilot Capital Corporation, where he focused on private and public market investments. George holds an A.B. from Princeton University.

George serves as a Trustee of the Achelis and Bodman Foundation, Co-Chair of the Advisory Council at The Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies at Princeton University, as a member of the Investment sub-committee of the United Nations Foundation, and as a member of the Investment Committee of the Wende Museum.

John Damaske

Director of Research

John joined the team in 2009 and is Director of Research. Prior to joining Portolan, John served as a Research Analyst at the Lynch Foundation from 2007 to 2009 and held a prior position at State Street Corporation from 2004 to 2005. John has a B.A. from Hamilton College and an MBA from Boston College.

Steven Pomper

Senior Research Analyst

Steven joined the team in 2022 and is a Senior Research Analyst. Prior to joining Portolan, Steven served as a Portfolio Manager/Senior Research Analyst at Spouting Rock (formerly Copper Rock Capital Partners) on the Global Small Cap fund from 2019 to 2022. From 2008 to 2019, Steven was a Senior Research Analyst at Global Thematic Partners. Steven started his career as a Healthcare Investment Banking Analyst at Deutsche Bank from 2006 to 2008. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst® and is a member of CFA Society Boston. Steven has a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Middlebury College.

Patrick Josephs

Senior Research Analyst

Patrick joined the team in 2021 and is a Research Analyst. Prior to joining Portolan, Patrick served as a Research Analyst at Oppenheimer Equity Research on the Financials and Technology teams from 2019 to 2021. Patrick has a B.S. from Fordham University.

Steven Roberts

Trader

Steven joined the team in 2006 and is a Trader. Prior to joining Portolan, Steven served as an Equity Trader for Dresdner RCM Global Investors from 2004 to 2005, prior to which Steven served as an Equity Trader at Equinox Capital Management, LLC from 1999 to 2004. Steven has a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross.

Operations

Chris Nardone

Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer

Chris joined the team in 2010 and is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining Portolan, Chris was employed as Vice President, Associate Compliance Officer at Weston Financial Group, Inc. from 2004 to 2010, and held prior positions at State Street Corporation from 1999 to 2004. Chris has a B.S. in Economics from Fitchburg State University, and a M.S. in Finance from Suffolk University.

Betsy Flaherty

Chief Compliance Officer

Betsy joined the team in 2016 and is the Chief Compliance Officer. Prior to joining Portolan, Betsy held compliance roles at Fidelity Investments and at Weston Financial Group, Inc. from 2008 to 2016, and held prior positions in the financial industry from 2005 to 2008. Betsy has a B.A. in Economics from Bates College and a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School. Betsy is licensed to practice law in Massachusetts.

Chris Hassett

Director of Institutional Business Development

Chris joined the team in 2022 and is the Director of Institutional Business Development. Prior to joining Portolan, Chris was previously employed as a Director at Brandes Investment Partners and held a business development position at a commodity trading advisor in San Diego. Chris received a B.B.A with a focus in marketing from the University of San Diego.

Bill Brooks

Business Analyst

Bill joined the team in 2021 and is a Business Analyst. Prior to joining Portolan, Bill was an Investment Advisor at Pathstone Family Office from 2018 to 2021 and held prior positions at State Street Corporation from 2015 to 2018. Bill has a B.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the University of Vermont.

Angela Kwan

Vice President, Finance and Compliance

Angela joined the team in 2014 and is Vice President, Finance and Compliance. Prior to joining Portolan, Angela worked at Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership from 2012 to 2014. Angela previously held a position at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the Financial Services Assurance practice. Angela has a B.B.A. and a Master of Science in Accounting from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts.

Nancy Bonner

Chief Administrative Officer

Nancy joined the team in 2004 and is the Chief Administrative Officer. Prior to joining Portolan, Nancy was employed in several roles at Thermo Electron Corporation and Thermo Instruments Systems from 1993 to 2003. Nancy has a B.A. from Judson College.

Melissa Cohen

VP, Clients and Operations

Melissa joined the team in 2019 and is Vice President, Clients and Operations. Prior to joining Portolan, Melissa was the assistant on the trading desk at Highfields Capital Management, LLC from 2007-2019. She held prior positions at various brokerage houses from 2000-2007. Melissa has a B.S. from Bentley University.