Background
Travis Milks is responsible for the overall operations of Topmark Partners, including sourcing, underwriting, and executing the firm’s growth equity investments. He is based in Topmark Partners’ Durham, North Carolina office.
Travis began his career in 1999 when he served as the first undergraduate intern in Stonehenge Capital’s (Topmark’s predecessor firm) Tampa office. Prior to rejoining Stonehenge Capital in 2004 as a senior associate, Travis was an associate in the Investment Banking Group at Morgan Keegan & Company. While at Morgan Keegan, he assisted clients from various segments of the technology marketplace including enterprise software, specialty semiconductors, and security technologies. He has participated in several private and public equity offerings as well as mergers and acquisitions, and was instrumental in executing the firm’s investment in RedVector. He also worked as a summer business development manager in the Online Services Division of Microsoft Corporation.
Travis earned a B.S. in Finance, with honors, from the University of Tampa and an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
Investment Experience
Travis has more than seventeen years of direct investing experience. Prior to co-founding Topmark Partners, he was an integral member of the investment team for a Stonehenge Capital legacy fund that focused on technology-enabled businesses and invested in seventeen companies. Travis currently serves on the board of directors for Soundstripe, Thrive, Tomahawk Robotics (observer) and Datasembly (observer). He also represents the firm’s interests in CEIPAL. Travis formerly served on the board of directors or as an observer of RedVector (acquired by a financial sponsor) and YPrime (acquired by a financial sponsor) and Choice Legal (acquired by ExamWorks).
Ecosystem Engagement
Travis is active in the regional investment community, and currently serves as a board member of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED), an organization charged with empowering the growth of entrepreneurial companies in the North Carolina region. Travis is also an executive committee member of the Florida Venture Forum (FVF), where he was formerly chairman. FVF is Florida’s premier non-profit organization supporting Florida’s entrepreneur and investor ecosystem. He previously chaired the selection committee of FVF’s annual conference for three consecutive years. In addition, he is a board member and previous treasurer and executive committee member of Tampa Bay Tech, Florida’s largest technology council comprised of more than 150 member companies. He also serves on the board of directors at the Tampa Bay Wave and was previously a member of the Sykes College of Business advisory council at the University of Tampa. He is a frequent speaker, guest lecturer, and panelist on various venture capital and finance related topics.