Kite was established in 2023. The Partners began working together in 2012 and over that time have deployed and managed over $7bn of assets and issued $10bn in debt financings across transportation, specialty finance, renewable energy and logistics

Jared Keating

Partner

Jared focuses on sourcing and managing investment opportunities and operating partnerships with leading industry participants including ticketing platforms, event organisers, venue owners and operators, management platforms and other key actors across the live events world. Jared has invested across live events, transportation, logistics, energy and financial services for more than 20 years.

Additionally, Jared serves on the Board of Directors of Transam Trucking Holdings Limited, a leading provider of transportation and logistics services to the music and live performance sectors in the UK and Europe. Jared is also an Advisory Board member of Hans Global Security and Logistics, a specialist in live events.

Prior to founding Kite in 2022, Jared helped found the Private Investments business at Napier Park Global Capital, raising approximately $2 billion of AUM in multiple private capital funds from investors across the US, UK and Europe, subsequently deploying and managing a $7.5 billion global investment portfolio alongside high-quality operating partners while building a business and a team until its successful sale in 2022. Prior to Napier Park, Jared was focused on the transportation, financial services and energy sectors at Eurazeo, Camulos Capital and Lazard Frères & Co. in London, Paris and New York.

Jared graduated with an A.B. from Princeton University and earned a Masters in International Affairs, cum laude, from l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (“Sciences Po”) with a concentration in Energy and Security Studies.

Steve Ciampi

Partner

Steve has 35+ years of investment banking, finance and asset management experience. Managing Partner and co-founder of Kite Live, responsible for investment sourcing and underwriting, capital formation and investor relationships

Senior Management Experience: Managing Director, Citigroup Equity Finance/Prime Brokerage and Capital Introduction, EMEA; Managing Director, Citigroup Alternative Investments EMEA; Chairman, Citigroup Asset Management, Ireland & Citigroup Asset Management GMB; Managing Director/Director of Napier Park Global, London
Finance experience: responsible for Citi Equity Finance Trading. Experience in asset backed structures and investments.
Capital Formation: Launched and led Citigroup Capital Introduction, EMEA and successfully developed infrastructure for raising capital for investment management clients. Responsible for institutional capital raising for Citigroup Alternative Investments, EMEA. Helped build the Real Assets and Credit businesses at Napier Park Global through institutional equity commitments.
Cross-border regulatory and investor reach: regulatory and investor outreach experience across European, Asian and US markets.
Industry Associations: Vice Chairman, FIA London, Board Member and Vice Chairman FOA, London.

Jon Whitty

Director

Jon has 15+ years’ investment management experience across capital formation, investor relations, product management and marketing. Helps lead Kite Live’s investor engagement, product positioning and capital formation strategy, translating a specialist live-event finance opportunity into a clear institutional investment proposition.

Previously held senior investor relations and marketing roles at RWC Partners / Redwheel, supporting growth to $25bn AUM and servicing 350+ institutional and wholesale clients globally.

Capital formation: experience building investor relationships, shaping institutional messaging and supporting fundraising across multiple investor channels
Product positioning: ability to translate a specialist asset-backed finance strategy into a clear, investable proposition for capital partners
Investor communication: deep experience creating investor materials, reporting frameworks and client communications that support transparency and confidence
Platform scaling: helped build and professionalise investor-facing infrastructure at a rapidly growing investment platform, supporting growth from $3bn to $25bn AUM
Cross-border investor reach: experience across UK, European, US and global markets, directly relevant to Kite Live’s international opportunity set and capital partner base

Lou Nardi

Senior Advisor

Lou has more than 40 years’ experience in financial services, including credit analysis, structuring and investing, along with management experience in fixed income sales, trading and research.

Lou utilizes his background to analyze promoter credit worthiness, event sales history, local market strength and transaction terms, all with a view toward optimizing results

Prior to Kite, Lou spent 10 years as Chief Credit Officer and Debt Placement Arranger for Seraph Aviation Group and its predecessors, where he structured and placed more than $2 billion of loans with institutional investors. He also was instrumental in the successful placement of an $800 million ABS transaction. He previously spent 30+ years in sell-side High Yield departments with roles in sales, trading and research including managing those areas at such firms as BMO Capital Markets, Credit Lyonnais Securities, Nomura Securities and Bear Stearns. He was involved in placing over $3 billion of new issue bonds across a wide variety of industries including gaming, energy, industrial, and consumer products, among others. He also provided research to investors in those industries and others to facilitate secondary market trades.

Before switching to the High Yield market at Bear Stearns, Lou ran the Private Placement distribution effort, successfully placing securities for a multitude of issuers primarily with insurance companies. He gained those skills during his tenure in the Investment Department of an insurance company and at a fixed income research firm.

Lou graduated from Rutgers University with a B.A. in Economics and from New York University with an M.B.A. in Finance. He has also earned a Chartered Financial Analyst designation.