Daniel Smith

Dan Smith is the president of Capstone Financial Group, Inc., which he founded in 1988. Under his leadership, Capstone has closed more auto-related M&A transactions than any other investment banking firm. Dan has served as consultant, restructuring expert or investment banker to more than 300 automotive companies and private equity firms. Due to his diverse transaction portfolio, he and the team he has assembled have “touched” virtually every conceivable component of automobiles, light trucks and heavy-duty trucks, and have been involved in several of the industry’s more prolific mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, restructurings and turnarounds.  Over the last five years, Dan has led Capstone’s efforts into Silicon Valley’s auto technology sector, which is maturing from a cottage industry to a full-fledged automotive juggernaut with critical mass. By identifying the world’s best automotive tech companies that will become integral parts of the “cooperative mobility ecosystem,” the firm’s San Jose office provides clients and prospective clients with the insight and connections needed for this new wave of automotive transactions.  As part of Capstone’s efforts in the autonomous/connected vehicle movement, Dan was elected to the Board of Trustees of Mineta Transportation Institute, a leading “think tank” and research institute for matters related to surface transportation.  His first mission there is working with entities that will be responsible for designing the critical standards and protocols necessary for autonomous vehicles.  Prior to founding Capstone, Dan built, operated and sold several substantial enterprises, including the southeast’s largest travel organization, which was twice ranked in  INC. 500’s list of America’s fastest growing privately held companies. Dan received a B.A. degree in Economics (Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Davidson College, and an M.B.A. degree in Finance from Duke University.