Team | Blacksmith Investment Group

Wayne Threatt: Senior Advisor

Wayne Threatt is a senior strategic advisor, investment professional, and board leader with 30+ years across private equity, venture capital, angel financing, and IPO-stage growth. He has structured and negotiated complex transactions—including growth financings, acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic alliances—capturing hundreds of millions in capital for startups, middle-market companies, turnarounds, and high-growth spinouts. As a former CEO, President, and operator, Wayne has driven transformative outcomes such as raising $100M+ from institutional investors, executing major private placements, leading international manufacturing operations, and producing triple- and quadruple-digit revenue gains across multiple sectors. He serves on the board of Advent Technologies Holdings (NASDAQ: ADN) and leads strategic advisory engagements for investment banks and private equity firms.

Wayne brings a uniquely broad industry footprint—spanning technology, consumer electronics, software, clean energy, impact capital, and community-development financing—supported by his roles with Synergy Services, Pacesetter CDE, and leading Minority Business Development organizations. His advisory work integrates capital strategy, operational alignment, and investor-readiness to help companies scale with discipline while protecting ownership and strengthening financial sustainability.

Phil Osuwu: Advisor

Phil Owusu is a senior finance and operations executive with 20+ years building investor-grade financial infrastructure for growth-stage companies across SaaS, engineering, telecommunications, and GovCon. He has served as CFO, COO, and finance leader for organizations ranging from founder-led businesses to large contractors, with work spanning M&A evaluations, ERP transitions, indirect rate restructurings, and FP&A systems that shorten close cycles, improve visibility, and unlock meaningful margin and revenue lift.

At Blacksmith, Phil serves as a financial readiness architect—transforming messy books, weak controls, and chaotic reporting into clean, defensible, institution-ready financial systems. He specializes in SaaS and engineering-driven businesses preparing to raise private capital, leveraging deep expertise in cash flow modeling, subscription economics, indirect rates, and cost optimization to help founders present accurate data, believable runway, and credible capital needs.

Davina Federgreen: Advisor

Davina Federgreen is the founding partner of several companies, and a globally recognized corporate advisor, strategist, and analyst. She specializes in capital raising, debt financing, private funding solutions, and innovative financial structuring, pioneering the New World of Finance—a system that enables startups and growth companies to secure 100% financing without equity dilution. Through Federgreen Consulting, she leads a global team providing 360° business support, emphasizing investor readiness, risk mitigation, and multiple revenue streams to ensure long-term scalability.

Over the past decade, Davina has advised clients worldwide across real estate, aerospace, renewable energy, technology, health, commodities, film, and sports, among other sectors. She is the creator of a proprietary Business Xray System that identifies inefficiencies, reallocates resources, and increases profitability. As a master connector with deep relationships among HNWIs, billionaires, and family offices, Davina structures complex financial instruments and strategic partnerships that protect capital, enhance sustainability, and drive measurable growth.

Jesse Thomas: Advisor

Jesse Thomas advises on specified, asset-backed real estate opportunities for owners, accredited investors, and note holders, with a geographic focus on value-add assets within 5–10 minutes of Downtown San Diego and the coast. His mandate is clear: prioritize location quality, de-risk the capital structure, and deliver durable, risk-adjusted returns secured by the underlying collateral. A true owner–operator, Jesse remains directly involved from sourcing and diligence through execution and exit.

Jesse sources value-add residential (2–4 units; 5+ multifamily) and selective mixed-use in San Diego micro-markets, capitalized $500K–$5M (checks $50K–$1M) via manager-led LLC Class A/B or 1st/2nd trust deeds at 65–75% LTV/LTC. Equity typically offers an 8% pref with 15–20% targeted annualized ROI; debt targets 10–15%. Execution is owner–manager–builder with disciplined underwriting and MOIC/IRR/DPI reporting.

Godwin Ona: Chief Executive Officer

Godwin Ona is the Chief Executive Officer of Blacksmith Investment Group and runs the firm like a tight ship. His foundation was built in insurance, high ticket sales, and real estate. He is specialized in leading teams and keeping conversations on track. Today he applies the same discipline to private capital allocation across real estate, insurance aligned businesses, and AI driven companies.

A large share of Godwin's expertise in real estate including value add multifamily, small bay industrial, medical office, NNN portfolios, and selective adaptive reuse. Godwin stays hands on with every deal and maintains clear communication that matches how investment committees decide on fund strategy. His methodology is preparation before performance and he delivers, especially for commercial real estate brokers who rely on his expansive investor network.

Christina M. Ona: Chief Operating Officer

Christina M. Ona supports founders and investors at the point where execution determines outcome. As Chief Operating Officer of Blacksmith Investment Group, she oversees the operating rhythm that moves opportunities from screen to close coordinating origination, mandate fit, and investor coverage while keeping compliance, documentation, and diligence tight. Her priorities are steady and strategic: align incentives, reduce risk in the process, and create clear decision paths for capital providers.

Christina structures clean, repeatable pipelines for private placements: direct equity and credit, co-invests, and SPVs with disciplined packaging (teasers, data rooms, Q&A), stage gates, and audit-ready tracking. She manages investor mapping by thesis and check size, calibrates updates to IC timelines, and measures progress through conversion, velocity, and diligence resolution KPIs. The result is a supportive, well-governed process that gives founders confidence, gives investors clarity, and gets quality deals over the line.