Our Team

Jon Sebastiani

The journey is the ultimate reward for Jon. Whether it be building a business like he did with KRAVE from the ground up, raising his daughter in Sonoma, or training for one of the many marathon races he has competed in, the small moments Jon spends with his team, family & friends are those that truly define him. Jon’s philosophy is that a marathon is nothing without the miles logged leading up to race day, just as building a successful business is all for not without being surrounded by a team that bands together through both wins and challenges.

Jon founded Sonoma Brands Capital in late 2015 and leads all aspects of the Firm’s investment strategy and portfolio company management. He currently lives in Sonoma with his wife, Carol, and daughter, Alexandra.

Prior to Sonoma Brands, Jon was Founder & CEO of KRAVE Pure Foods. The KRAVE journey culminated in the acquisition by The Hershey Company in 2015. Prior to KRAVE, Jon was the President of Viansa Winery, a destination winery in Sonoma’s Carneros region.

Jon received his B.S. in Economics from Santa Clara University and his dual M.B.A from the Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley and Columbia Business School.

Kevin Murphy

Kevin and his family live in San Francisco, where his twin boys compete for the title of second favorite child behind their big sister, Gracie (white Labrador). Kevin enjoys his frequent early morning mountain bike rides over the Golden Gate Bridge and up the Headlands. He thinks often about playing golf, and occasionally actually plays golf. Despite having lived in San Francisco for over 20 years, Kevin maintains a strong – possibly unhealthy – degree of devotion to Boston sports teams.

Kevin joined Sonoma Brands Capital in 2019. Prior to joining Sonoma Brands Capital, Kevin worked at Encore Consumer Capital from 2005 (year of founding) to 2018. At Encore he led the firm’s beauty and personal care investment efforts, which included investments in tarte Cosmetics and Supergoop!. He also led investments in the food and pet categories, including ThunderShirt, Atlantic Aqua Farms and Fantasy Cookie.

Prior to Encore, Kevin was with Genstar Capital. He began his career with PricewaterhouseCoopers in the Boston office before relocating to San Francisco.

Kevin is originally from Massachusetts. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and his MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. He has served on the board of directors of several Bay Area philanthropic organizations, including The Guardsmen, the San Francisco Conservation Corps and Fort Mason Center.

• Prior Investments
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Shahir Amin

Hailing from the mountains of West Virginia, Shahir followed the country roads to Sonoma where he lives with his wife and mini bernedoodle, Griffey Jr., (named after baseball great). Although born a Mountaineer, Shahir is a devoted Tar Heels fan who follows Carolina basketball year round. A proud son of Bangladeshi parents, Shahir spent his childhood summers wreaking havoc with his cousins in the rural village his parents grew up in outside of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Taught by his mom, Shahir also loves to bring the traditional flavors and spices to his favorite Bengali dishes. In Sonoma you can find Shahir relaxing at one of his favorite vineyards, training for half marathons (as a result of peer pressure from Jon) or working on his short game at the golf course.

Shahir joined Sonoma Brands Capital in 2017 and currently serves as a Managing Director for the Firm. Shahir is actively involved in all aspects of the investment process, including sourcing, diligence, execution, and portfolio management.

Prior to joining Sonoma Brands Capital, Shahir was a member of the Private Investments team at UNC Management Company (“UNCMC”). While at UNCMC, Shahir managed alternative asset classes, including Venture Capital and Private Equity, on behalf of the $8.5 billion UNC Investment Fund. Prior to UNCMC, Shahir was an investment banking analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey.

Shahir received a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

John Wilson

Originally from Maine, and carrying a huge amount of state pride, John happily adjusted to West Coast life with his Siberian Cat, Sasha, when he realized Nob Hill doesn’t require shoveling snow. As a self-proclaimed foodie, John has enjoyed exploring the culinary richness that is the Bay Area and has recently taken up cooking himself. He enjoys testing new recipes and flavor combinations on the weekends when he’s not occupied by watching UNC sports – go Tar Heels!

John joined Sonoma Brands Capital in 2021 as a Senior Vice President and is actively involved in all aspects of the investment process, including sourcing, diligence, execution and portfolio management.

Prior to joining the Sonoma Brands Capital team, John was an Investment Associate with Swander Pace Capital where he focused on middle market investment opportunities in CPG. Prior to that, John spent several years with the Wells Fargo Consumer and Retail group as an Investment Banking Analyst.

John received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina.

Ben Jang

While there is much internal debate about whether skiing or snowboarding is the superior snow sport, Ben sits squarely in the snowboarding camp, riding Tahoe as often as he can. When not on the mountain, Ben is a regular at Ocean Beach where he takes his other board out on the waves. Ben can be found drinking coffee at all hours of the day and is on a mission to find a Bay Area bagel that can rival that of New York.

Ben joined Sonoma Brands Capital in 2021 as an Vice President and is actively involved in both the investment process and portfolio management.

Prior to joining Sonoma Brands Capital, Ben worked in Corporate Development at Gap Inc., where he led acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic investment projects. He began his career in investment banking at Cowen & Company in New York and San Francisco.

Ben received his B.S. in Business Administration with concentration in Finance from Carnegie Mellon University.

Kelsey Simon

Kelsey is most comfortable in water – either swimming laps or 100 feet under with her scuba gear on. On land, you can find Kelsey in the barre studio, spin class or out on the golf course. Kelsey has a special place in her heart for a themed event and brings a true art to hosting. On the off chance that she’s not playing hostess, she never arrives without a charcuterie board in hand, a pro move by this Sonoma native.

Kelsey joined Sonoma Brands Capital in 2016 and currently serves as the firm’s Chief of Staff. Kelsey plays a cross-functional role in the efforts of the Sonoma Brands Capital team and is known around the office as the “Air Traffic Controller.”

Kelsey received her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Caitlyn McDuffee

An outdoor enthusiast, Caitlyn is happiest when spending her weekends in the mountains. In the summer, you can find her swimming in the American River, kayaking on the lake, and hiking the Tahoe trails. In the winter, Caitlyn trades the Sierra Nevada mountains for the hills in the East Bay, where she lives. Caitlyn enjoys running (but will leave the marathons to the rest of the team) and is always planning her next trip to Italy.

Caitlyn joined Sonoma Brands Capital in 2021 and currently serves as the firm’s Chief Financial Officer. Caitlyn handles finance and accounting for the Management Company and assists with Fund accounting.

Prior to joining Sonoma Brands Capital, Caitlyn worked as a Fund Controller at Standish Management, providing fund administration services to various private equity and venture capital clients.

Caitlyn received her B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Saint Mary’s College of California.