Keith Schaefer brings decades of leadership experience to his position of Managing Partner at Zermatt Capital Advisors, a mid-market advisor that provides consulting and investment banking services to healthcare, clean tech, information technology and real estate sectors.  Throughout his career, he has held a variety of senior management positions with companies ranging from hyper‐growth start‐ups to Fortune 100s and a Global 500 company.  Shortly after launching his career in sales and marketing at Procter & Gamble, followed by Clorox, Mr. Schaefer was Executive Vice President at Atari Corporation.  Since then, he has co‐founded or led ten start‐ups, two buy‐outs and was instrumental in completing two Initial Public Offerings and multiple trade sales. 

Previously, Mr. Schaefer was COO of Avinger, a company that designs and produces image guided, catheter-based systems for the treatment of PAD.  He raised over $80MM of growth capital leading to a successful IPO in 2015.  He served as Chief Executive Officer and President of BPL Global, Ltd., a smart grid, clean tech company he co-founded in 2006.  He planned, directed, and managed all aspects of the company’s strategy, business development, joint venture partnerships and financing. Recognized for outstanding leadership, Mr. Schaefer was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2007 in the western Pennsylvania region and CEO of the Year in 2009 by the Pittsburgh Technology Council. 

After serving as a US Naval Officer, Mr. Schaefer attended UCLA’s Graduate School of Business.  Prior to UCLA, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as a past President of the Alumni Association.  As University Trustee for twenty years, he sat on the Institutional Advancement Committee which led their $2 billion capital campaign to a successful conclusion.  Today, Mr. Schaefer serves as Chairman of the University’s Board of Visitors, a member of the Executive Committee, Student Affairs Committee, as well as the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Committee. He was a member of the Board of Governors at the Hesselbein Leadership Institute before it was merged into the University of Pittsburgh’s Hesselbein Forum. 

Presently he is the Chairman of Interphase Materials, Inc., Managing Partner of Connected Energy, and a member of the Advisory Board of Cap Rock Partners.