Our firm
Innovation.
Growth.
Commitment.
For 25 years, Mountain Group has been built around a set of values that makes us a unique venture partner:
WE LIKE TO COME EARLY AND STAY LATE
We take a long-term approach to venture investing.
WE ARE BUSINESS BUILDERS, NOT FINANCIAL ENGINEERS
We take pride in our background as operators and like to roll up our sleeves.
WE INVEST IN THE AREAS WE KNOW
Our sectors of focus are often underserved or underappreciated.
Our belief in these values traces back to our family office roots. Today, we remain the largest investor in our funds to maintain true alignment with our investors in our mission to develop technologies that improve the lives of others.
OUR TEAM
Byron Smith
Managing Director
Expertise: Disruptive Technologies
Byron Smith currently serves as Managing Director at Mountain Group Partners. Before co-founding MGP, Mr. Smith served as EVP/Chief Marketing Officer for Asurion, where he led the relocation of Asurion’s headquarters from Silicon Valley to Nashville. Before Asurion, Mr. Smith held senior management positions at Excite@Home and Verizon. He began his career at Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo in brand management and advertising.
Mr. Smith currently serves as Director on the boards of airVet, AngelEye Health, In the Bowl Animal Health, Silicon Ranch and Verility. He co-founded Creed & Culture Books, a publishing company dedicated to curating works in history, biography, memoir, religion, and social and cultural analysis.
Mr. Smith was a founding board member at The Nashville Entrepreneur Center and sits on the boards of The Trinity Forum in Washington D.C., Montgomery Bell Academy and The Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He taught entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
He received his MBA from the University of Chicago.
Joe Cook, III
Managing Director
Expertise: Diagnostics, MedTech
Joe Cook, III currently serves as Managing Director at Mountain Group Partners. Before co-founding MGP, Mr. Cook was a Director of Private Placements in the Investment Banking Group of Robert W. Baird & Co. Prior to Baird, he was a Vice President in the Investment Banking Group at J.C. Bradford & Co. in Nashville.
Currently, Joe serves as a Director on the boards of Mindera Health, Circular Genomics, and PinkDx. He previously served on the boards of Castle Biosciences (NASDAQ: CSTL) and Clearside Biomedical (NASDAQ: CLSD). Mr. Cook currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Southeastern Life Sciences Association and the Advisory Board of the Nashville Capital Network.
Mr. Cook graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Davidson College.
Rob Readnour
Managing Director
Expertise: Animal Health, Drug Development
Rob Readnour currently serves as Managing Director at Mountain Group Partners. Prior to joining MGP, Dr. Readnour worked at Elanco Animal Health for nearly 30 years. During his Elanco tenure, he held several senior management positions in which he was responsible for developing and executing Elanco’s Research and Development strategies for new business areas. Dr. Readnour was responsible for the development and commercialization of multiple novel animal health products.
Dr. Readnour currently serves as Executive Chairman of In the Bowl Animal Health and serves as Director on the boards of Advanced Animal Diagnostics, AN2 Therapeutics, Borah, Exubrion, Velo-1, and Verility. He previously served on the boards of TARGAN and Vytelle.
He received his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Illinois.
Joe Cook, Jr.
Managing Director
Expertise: Drug Development, Diagnostics
Joe Cook, Jr., currently serves as Managing Director at Mountain Group Partners. Prior to co-founding MGP, Mr. Cook retired as a Group Vice-President, Global Operations, of Eli Lilly and Company in 1993 after more than 28 years of service.
Joe currently serves as Executive Chairman of Appello Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and previously served on the boards of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMLN), Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IRWD), Corcept Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CORT) and Castle Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTL). At Amylin, Joe served as CEO from 1998 to 2003 and Chairman from 1998 to 2009. Amylin sold to Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) in 2012 for $5.3B. At Ironwood, he was a founder and served as Chairman for over 10 years.
Mr. Cook is a past Chair and current Director of Mercy Multiplied International, Inc. with headquarters in Nashville, TN. He is also a past Chair and current member of the University of Tennessee College of Engineering Advisory Board. Mr. Cook has served on the national board of the American Diabetes Association and is past Chairman of the board of Life Science Tennessee. He is the co-founder of the Charis Foundation.
Mr. Cook received a BS in Engineering with High Honors from the University of Tennessee and was a UT Torchbearer.
Jack Slaughter
Principal
Jack Slaughter currently serves as Principal at Mountain Group Partners. Mr. Slaughter joined MGP in 2019 and focuses on investment opportunities predominantly in the healthcare technology sector. Jack currently serves or has visitation rights on the boards of Airvet, AngelEye Health and Mindera Health.
Prior to joining MGP, Jack served as an Investment Banking Associate at Raymond James in Nashville where he focused primarily on the evaluation and execution of M&A transactions. Before Raymond James, Mr. Slaughter served as an Associate at Brookline Capital Markets, a merchant bank in New York focused primarily on Life Sciences. Prior to Brookline, Jack started his career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Stephens in New York.
Jack graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Mississippi with a BS and Masters in Accounting.
Scott Holmstrom
Director
Scott Holmstrom currently serves as Director at Mountain Group Partners.
Before joining MGP, Scott led the R&D, regulatory, and external innovation efforts at United Animal Health. Prior to that, Dr. Holmstrom had a long tenure at Elanco Animal Health where he provided strategic direction for the global development of products through external and internal coordination, governance, and resourcing. Scott has spent more than 20 years discovering, developing, acquiring, and registering products in the animal health industry.
Dr. Holmstrom received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Miami University.
Gerard Franks
Director
Gerard Franks currently serves as Director at Mountain Group Partners. Mr. Franks joined MGP in 2022 and leads MGP’s investor relations while also advising existing portfolio companies on their financial, operational and strategic initiatives.
Prior to joining MGP, Mr. Franks served as an Investment Banking Associate at J.P. Morgan in New York where he primarily focused on Debt Capital Markets. Prior to J.P. Morgan, Mr. Franks started his career in the Risk Division at Goldman Sachs.
Mr. Franks graduated Cum Laude from Vanderbilt University with a BA in Economics.
Chapman Varnell
Associate
Chapman Varnell joined MGP in 2024 and focuses on evaluating investment opportunities as well as advising existing portfolio companies on their financial, operational and strategic initiatives.
Prior to joining MGP, Mr. Varnell served as an Investment Banking Analyst at Piper Sandler in Charlotte where he primarily focused on sell-side M&A transactions in the Services & Industrials group. Prior to working as a full-time Investment Banking Analyst, Mr. Varnell interned at Piper Sandler, Tobin & Company and Wallick Investments.
Mr. Varnell graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina with a BS in Accounting and Finance.
Lincoln Chambers
Associate
Lincoln Chambers joined MGP in 2025 and focuses on evaluating investment opportunities as well as advising existing portfolio companies on their financial, operational and strategic initiatives.
Prior to joining MGP, Mr. Chambers served as an Actuarial Lead Analyst at The Cigna Group where he focused on valuation of healthcare affordability initiatives and advising on specialty pharmacy economics. While at Cigna, Lincoln earned his Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) credential.
Mr. Chambers graduated Summa Cum Laude from Vanderbilt University with a BA in Mathematics and Economics.
Byron Smith
Managing Director
Expertise: Disruptive Technologies
Byron Smith currently serves as Managing Director at Mountain Group Partners. Before co-founding MGP, Mr. Smith served as EVP/Chief Marketing Officer for Asurion, where he led the relocation of Asurion’s headquarters from Silicon Valley to Nashville. Before Asurion, Mr. Smith held senior management positions at Excite@Home and Verizon. He began his career at Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo in brand management and advertising.
Mr. Smith currently serves as Director on the boards of airVet, AngelEye Health, In the Bowl Animal Health, Silicon Ranch and Verility. He co-founded Creed & Culture Books, a publishing company dedicated to curating works in history, biography, memoir, religion, and social and cultural analysis.
Mr. Smith was a founding board member at The Nashville Entrepreneur Center and sits on the boards of The Trinity Forum in Washington D.C., Montgomery Bell Academy and The Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He taught entrepreneurship as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.
He received his MBA from the University of Chicago.
Joe Cook, III
Managing Director
Expertise: Diagnostics, MedTech
Joe Cook, III currently serves as Managing Director at Mountain Group Partners. Before co-founding MGP, Mr. Cook was a Director of Private Placements in the Investment Banking Group of Robert W. Baird & Co. Prior to Baird, he was a Vice President in the Investment Banking Group at J.C. Bradford & Co. in Nashville.
Currently, Joe serves as a Director on the boards of Mindera Health, Circular Genomics, and PinkDx. He previously served on the boards of Castle Biosciences (NASDAQ: CSTL) and Clearside Biomedical (NASDAQ: CLSD). Mr. Cook currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Southeastern Life Sciences Association and the Advisory Board of the Nashville Capital Network.
Mr. Cook graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Davidson College.
Rob Readnour
Managing Director
Expertise: Animal Health, Drug Development
Rob Readnour currently serves as Managing Director at Mountain Group Partners. Prior to joining MGP, Dr. Readnour worked at Elanco Animal Health for nearly 30 years. During his Elanco tenure, he held several senior management positions in which he was responsible for developing and executing Elanco’s Research and Development strategies for new business areas. Dr. Readnour was responsible for the development and commercialization of multiple novel animal health products.
Dr. Readnour currently serves as Executive Chairman of In the Bowl Animal Health and serves as Director on the boards of Advanced Animal Diagnostics, AN2 Therapeutics, Borah, Exubrion, Velo-1, and Verility. He previously served on the boards of TARGAN and Vytelle.
He received his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Illinois.
Joe Cook, Jr.
Managing Director
Expertise: Drug Development, Diagnostics
Joe Cook, Jr., currently serves as Managing Director at Mountain Group Partners. Prior to co-founding MGP, Mr. Cook retired as a Group Vice-President, Global Operations, of Eli Lilly and Company in 1993 after more than 28 years of service.
Joe currently serves as Executive Chairman of Appello Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and previously served on the boards of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMLN), Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IRWD), Corcept Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: CORT) and Castle Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSTL). At Amylin, Joe served as CEO from 1998 to 2003 and Chairman from 1998 to 2009. Amylin sold to Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) in 2012 for $5.3B. At Ironwood, he was a founder and served as Chairman for over 10 years.
Mr. Cook is a past Chair and current Director of Mercy Multiplied International, Inc. with headquarters in Nashville, TN. He is also a past Chair and current member of the University of Tennessee College of Engineering Advisory Board. Mr. Cook has served on the national board of the American Diabetes Association and is past Chairman of the board of Life Science Tennessee. He is the co-founder of the Charis Foundation.
Mr. Cook received a BS in Engineering with High Honors from the University of Tennessee and was a UT Torchbearer.
Jack Slaughter
Principal
Jack Slaughter currently serves as Principal at Mountain Group Partners. Mr. Slaughter joined MGP in 2019 and focuses on investment opportunities predominantly in the healthcare technology sector. Jack currently serves or has visitation rights on the boards of Airvet, AngelEye Health and Mindera Health.
Prior to joining MGP, Jack served as an Investment Banking Associate at Raymond James in Nashville where he focused primarily on the evaluation and execution of M&A transactions. Before Raymond James, Mr. Slaughter served as an Associate at Brookline Capital Markets, a merchant bank in New York focused primarily on Life Sciences. Prior to Brookline, Jack started his career as an Investment Banking Analyst at Stephens in New York.
Jack graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Mississippi with a BS and Masters in Accounting.
Scott Holmstrom
Director
Scott Holmstrom currently serves as Director at Mountain Group Partners.
Before joining MGP, Scott led the R&D, regulatory, and external innovation efforts at United Animal Health. Prior to that, Dr. Holmstrom had a long tenure at Elanco Animal Health where he provided strategic direction for the global development of products through external and internal coordination, governance, and resourcing. Scott has spent more than 20 years discovering, developing, acquiring, and registering products in the animal health industry.
Dr. Holmstrom received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from Miami University.
Gerard Franks
Director
Gerard Franks currently serves as Director at Mountain Group Partners. Mr. Franks joined MGP in 2022 and leads MGP’s investor relations while also advising existing portfolio companies on their financial, operational and strategic initiatives.
Prior to joining MGP, Mr. Franks served as an Investment Banking Associate at J.P. Morgan in New York where he primarily focused on Debt Capital Markets. Prior to J.P. Morgan, Mr. Franks started his career in the Risk Division at Goldman Sachs.
Mr. Franks graduated Cum Laude from Vanderbilt University with a BA in Economics.
Chapman Varnell
Associate
Chapman Varnell joined MGP in 2024 and focuses on evaluating investment opportunities as well as advising existing portfolio companies on their financial, operational and strategic initiatives.
Prior to joining MGP, Mr. Varnell served as an Investment Banking Analyst at Piper Sandler in Charlotte where he primarily focused on sell-side M&A transactions in the Services & Industrials group. Prior to working as a full-time Investment Banking Analyst, Mr. Varnell interned at Piper Sandler, Tobin & Company and Wallick Investments.
Mr. Varnell graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina with a BS in Accounting and Finance.
Lincoln Chambers
Associate
Lincoln Chambers joined MGP in 2025 and focuses on evaluating investment opportunities as well as advising existing portfolio companies on their financial, operational and strategic initiatives.
Prior to joining MGP, Mr. Chambers served as an Actuarial Lead Analyst at The Cigna Group where he focused on valuation of healthcare affordability initiatives and advising on specialty pharmacy economics. While at Cigna, Lincoln earned his Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) credential.
Mr. Chambers graduated Summa Cum Laude from Vanderbilt University with a BA in Mathematics and Economics.