Description

Solutions for VC funded companies during Covid-19

VC funded Emerging growth companies have raised capital and are weathering the  tough times of COVID 19 on their ability to raise additional capital, prepare and launch an IPO, and maintaining revenue growth while controlling costs. The CARES Act aggregation rules made many of these companies ineligible for the Paycheck Protection Program.  Learn about the challenges and the possible solutions emerging growth companies during this critical time from a panel of experts, including a seasoned entrepreneur, tech banker, tax expert, and a tech attorney.

Featuring: 

Brent Beckert, Associate, Haynes and Boone 
Stu Bell, SVP and Group Manager, Comerica Bank
Dave Foster, CFO, GIACT Systems 
Ben Isley, Sr. Tax Manager, Moss Adams
Melissa Townsley-Solis, CEO, GIACT Systems


Brent Beckert, JD Brent Beckert is an attorney in the Corporate Practice Group in the Dallas office of Haynes and Boone, LLP. He has experience in venture capital raises, domestic and international acquisitions, divestitures, and other complex business transactions. Brent has also advised companies and sole proprietors of all types on potential relief available under recent state and federal legislation enacted in the wake of COVID-19, including the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program available under the Small Business Administration.  In his spare time, Brent assists several local and national non-profit and civic institutions, including Feeding America, No Kid Hungry, the North Texas Food Bank, the Dallas Independent School District and the City of Dallas.  

Stu Bell  has spent 20 years serving the Dallas technology community, primarily as a venture lender at Comerica.  Currently, he leads the group’s efforts in the Central US.  Stu has a broad base of experience, accumulated as an early executive at a startup company, an investor at a private equity firm, and a lender (both Bank and private credit).



Dave Foster joined GIACT in early 2016 and manages all aspects of finance, accounting, human resources, and facilities management at the company. Dave has over 30-years of financial leadership experience primarily with fintech companies. As the financial and accounting leader in both public and private corporations, Dave has an established reputation for driving revenue growth, managing cost structures, maximizing operating efficiencies, delivering and reporting accurate financial results, and building strong finance and accounting teams throughout all phases of corporate development. He has served in finance leadership roles at Fiserv, Northern Trust, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, and Goodwill and has rich management experience including pre-IPO, mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and post-acquisition alignment and integration. Dave graduated from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and has an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Dave is an avid soccer player/fan and locally has volunteered on several 501(c)(3) entity boards and was a “Big” with Big Brothers Big Sisters. 

Ben Isley, CPA has practiced public accounting since 2007. He consults with both private firms and publicly traded companies on a variety of tax planning and compliance issues.  He primarily serves clients in the technology, oil and gas, real estate, and professional services industries.





Melissa Townsley-Solis is one of GIACT's founders and has led GIACT is responsible for setting the strategic direction for the company. With deep expertise in payment processing, risk mitigation and compliance, Melissa identified the need in the market for a new approach to identify and eliminate payments fraud as multiple industries increasingly began to rely on digital payments. Under her leadership, GIACT has grown to include a client roster of over 1,000 companies, many of them in the Fortune 500. Prior to founding GIACT in 2004, Melissa held a broad range of leadership positions across multiple departments including sales, customer service, claims payments and more during a 17-year career in the insurance industry. While the COO of iPromotion, she led new business development while it rapidly grew to $100 million in annual revenue in its first 18 months of operation. Outside of GIACT, Melissa is active in several nonprofits focused on improving the lives of children both locally and internationally. She has helped raise money to build schools in developing countries, send thousands of children to summer camp, and provide children in need with clothing, school supplies, and other essentials.