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Dave Gilbert is the Founder and CEO of National Funding, one of the country’s leading financial technology companies for small- and medium-sized businesses. For more than 20 years, Dave has been a champion of American small business owners. He’s impacted the financial success of National Funding, as well as contributed to Southern California and the city of San Diego through his volunteerism and philanthropy.Headquartered in San Diego, National Funding and its subsidiary Quick Bridge Funding have provided more than $3.5 billion in capital for over 60,000 businesses since its founding. The firm provides working capital loans and equipment financing to small business owners. As CEO, Dave is National Funding’s visionary, providing strategic direction. Under his leadership, National Funding has been recognized eight consecutive years (2013-2020) on the Inc. 500/5000 and seven consecutive years on the the San Diego Business Journal Top 100 list of Fastest Growing Privately-Held Companies. Based on the percentage of revenue growth, the lists recognize entrepreneurs who excel in innovation, financial performance and personal commitment. Through Dave’s innate ability to identify opportunities in the marketplace and create new delivery channels, he is recognized as a thought leader in the alternative lending marketplace and is a sought-after presenter for industry conferences and an expert source for news media.Gilbert received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship from the University of Southern California. He is an Executive Level member of the USC Marshall Partners, the business school's premier giving society. In 2019 Gilbert was a finalist in the San Diego Business Journal Top CEO of the Year. In 2017 Gilbert received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2017 Award in the Finance category in San Diego. In 2007, he was named the USC Marshall School of Business “Entrepreneur of the Year” and was also recognized as a San Diego “40 Under Forty” honoree. Gilbert resides in San Diego, California with his wife and two children.

Mark Okada is Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Highland Capital Management, L.P, a Dallas-based investment advisor with $18 billion in assets under management. Highland is one of the largest and most experienced global alternative credit and equity managers and has been instrumental in providing alternative investment solutions for over 20 years. At Highland, Mark is responsible for overseeing the firm’s investment activities for its various strategies. He is also portfolio manager of the Highland Floating Rate Opportunities Fund, which has won the Lipper Fund Award for “Best Loan Participation Fund” in each of the last two years. With more than 30 years of credit and alternatives experience, Mark is widely regarded as a pioneer and leader in the development of bank loans from a niche market into a trillion dollar asset class including trading systems, transaction practices and underwriting procedures. He is responsible for structuring one of the industry’s first arbitrage CLOs and has been instrumental in the development of Highland’s bank loan separate account and mutual fund platforms. Additionally, Mark has been named CNBC “Squawk Master” and is regularly featured on CNBC Squawk Box, Fox Business Opening Bell and many other media outlets. He is a Director of NexBank, member of the Grow South Fund Advisory Board, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Common Grace Ministries, Inc., and member of the Board of Directors for Education is Freedom.