Lantern Capital Advisors Leadership Team
Meet the Team
Chris Risey, President
Chris Risey is the founder and President of Lantern Capital Advisors and helps companies raise capital from a variety of financing sources. He is also active as a speaker for Vistage International and is invited regularly to share his knowledge regarding raising capital and financing businesses for growth. Chris concurrently served as Vice President for Decathlon Capital Partners based in Park City, Utah from 2019-2023. Decathlon provides revenue based financing solutions to help growth-stage companies reach their full potential.
Chris Risey has spent his career helping growing companies and entrepreneurs plan for and use corporate finance strategies to raise capital and execute transactions in order to support growth, finance acquisitions, buyouts, or refinance debt. As a recovering CPA, Chris has found passion in using the same financing strategies and sources as investment bankers and equity firms in order to successfully secure business financing for his own clients, but without clients having to pay the high broker fees, or give away control of their businesses (or as he describes, “Robbing Peter to pay Paul”). Mr. Risey has successfully helped Lantern Capital Advisors clients raise capital from a variety of institutions including banks, mezzanine and subordinated debt providers, venture capitalists, and underwriters. No one can do what he has formed Lantern Capital Advisors to achieve: faster, better, or with better results. His clients love him.
Chris Risey is very active in many local civic and business organizations. He is an active speaker for Vistage International and Renaissance Executive Forums, Membership Director for the Knights of Columbus, past President and founding member of the Tampa Downtown Daybreak Rotary Club; past President of Financial Executives International of Tampa Bay and a board member for The Association for Corporate Growth Tampa Chapter. Mr. Risey is a Certified Public Accountant and a frequent speaker to industry groups, executive networks, and corporate meetings throughout the United States on business planning, strategy, and financing issues for growing companies.
Prior to Lantern Capital Advisors, Chris Risey was Managing Director for Tunstall Consulting Inc. in Tampa, Florida, and had been with the firm from 1997-2006. Mr. Risey left Tunstall Consulting after being with the firm for nine years to create Lantern Capital Advisors and provide his high growth clients with a more reliable and cost-effective corporate finance solution that would guarantee results and ensure client satisfaction. Prior to Tunstall Consulting, Mr. Risey was a CPA in the audit and advisory services group for Arthur Andersen in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Sheryl Lyles, Senior Managing Director
Sheryl Lyles serves as Senior Managing Director of Lantern Capital Advisors, leading client engagements focusing on helping growing companies and entrepreneurs raise capital from financing sources including venture capital, mezzanine funds, and senior lenders in order to use finance to grow their business, achieve acquisition financing, or execute management buyouts.
Sheryl has been the Chief Financial Officer of Acquisitions at All-American Holdings since its inception in 2006, where she is responsible for handling the financial due diligence on potential acquisition candidates, as well as the financial analysis and projection of several AAH-owned entities.
Sheryl’s professional experience in the financial services industry has spanned nearly 35 years. Prior professional experience includes serving as Senior Managing Director of Tunstall Consulting, Inc. where she spent 16 years specializing in securing institutional capital for high growth clientele. She was instrumental in evaluating her client’s strategic initiatives for emerging operating plans, including analysis of product line expansions, divestitures, and entity acquisitions or mergers. Sheryl was the liaison between these client companies and the institutional capital markets, soliciting and securing debt and/or equity infusions required to fund each client’s growth plans.
Sheryl began her career at Arthur Andersen & Co., working in both audit and tax disciplines.
Sheryl achieved her title as a Certified Public Accountant, and is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.
Jennifer Mooney, Managing Partner and Chief Operations Officer
Jennifer Mooney serves as the Managing Partner and Chief Operations Officer for Lantern Capital Advisors and has been with the firm since 2006. Jen’s passion is raising capital for women business owners. Ms. Mooney also serves as a consultant and creative strategist for our client engagements and is responsible for matching our clients financing needs to institution requirements and capabilities.
Ms. Mooney is responsible for the ongoing operations of the firm as well as identifying strategic business partners and banking institutions for the firm’s clients. Ms. Mooney directs Lantern’s overall marketing and strategic planning programs, corporate communications, and facilitates client development through marketing and client services programs.
Prior to Lantern Capital Advisors, Ms. Mooney was the Chief Operations Officer for Triangulum Financial Partners and The Insurance Advisor in Tampa, Florida. Ms. Mooney also served as Vice President of Client Services and eBusiness for Hydrogen Media, a new media development firm, where she was responsible for overall sales support and engagement delivery, and was a Director for IMRglobal/ECWerks in their eBusiness solutions group, where she led large scale implementation engagements in the areas of global e-commerce and online business strategy for Blockbuster, Frederick’s of Hollywood, and John Hancock Insurance. She started her career in management consulting with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu in Houston, Texas and Arthur Andersen in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Ms. Mooney has a B.A. in Economics and Government from Sweet Briar College in Virginia, and spent her junior year abroad at The University of St Andrews in Scotland.
The Wonder of Bras: Tales From Hollywood Boulevard
What If? Spark People!
How To Get Funding Sources Interested In Your Business
Disrupting The Business Model: Rent The Runway
Did Borders Not Explore The Future?
When Is The Right Time To Sell Your Business?
Failure Is Not An Option
Asking What If: The Rules Of Cheese Moving
Chris Risey Featured News
The Rise of “DeEquity”
The NFL’s Long Term Financial Goal
Acquisition Strategies: Think Small To Go Big
The Value of A Process Change Weekly What If: Testing The Capital Markets Before Accessing The Capital Markets
Weekly What If: What if We Change The Revenue Model?
Weekly What If: What if We Consolidate on our own?
Partner Buyout: An Opportunistic Way to Build More Equity Value
Focus on Growing Cash Flows not Just Revenue
The New Get Rich Scheme: No Money Down!
Smart Money Doesn’t Ensure Success
Losing Your Company in a Bad Roll Up
Charlie Sheen on Corporate Financial Planning