Delta Lake founders Austen and Ashhab grew up in Fort Myers, Florida, where their parents still reside. After attending Fort Myers High School together, they went off to college and later led successful careers in private equity, investing in and supporting the operations of businesses ranging from $10 million to $1 billion+ in revenue. They both left their private equity careers to pursue the idea of acquiring and maintaining the legacies of high-quality American businesses critical to local communities like the one they grew up in.
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Austen most recently worked at Ampersand Capital, a private equity fund with over $3B of assets under management, and previously worked at Cimarron Healthcare Capital. At both firms, Austen invested in and supported the operations of critical infrastructure and services businesses.
For as long as he can remember, Austen has been excited about the idea of continuing the legacy of great family-owned businesses. In high school, he used to pitch Ashhab on acquiring a hand dryer maintenance company. Austen received his bachelor's degree from The Wharton School at UPenn, followed by his MBA at NYU Stern. He is now based in Tampa and is an ardent supporter of his father's Miami Hurricanes.
Ashhab most recently worked at General Atlantic, a growth equity fund with over $80B of assets under management, and previously worked at Great Point Partners. At both firms, Ashhab invested in and supported the operations of rapidly growing healthcare and pharma services companies.
During Ashhab's childhood, his parents were the owner-operators of the only grocery store in Fort Meade, Florida (on top of their day jobs); this is where he first began to appreciate the importance of local businesses to their communities. Ashhab received his bachelor's degree from Harvard College. He is now based in New York City and roots for his sister's Florida Gators.