AUGUSTA CAPITAL
PARTNERS
Augusta Capital Partners, LLC ("Augusta Capital Partners") is a specialized investment firm located in Dallas, TX, dedicated to providing shareholder value through strategic partnerships. ACP's portfolio includes upstream & midstream companies focused on energy, renewables, and water related opportunities in various basins of the United States.
100+
Years
Experience
28
Current
Targets
8
Resource
Basins
5
Experienced
Partners
AUGUSTA CAPITAL PARTNERS EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Highly experienced technical, financial, and commercial strategists.
Chase Bentley, P.E.
Founder, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Partner
Mr. Bentley has over 20 years of experience in various roles in the engineering, construction, and investment industry. These duties include executive management, corporate development, strategy, M&A, P&L leadership, contract negotiation, project management, and engineering. Operationally, he has been involved in the management and execution of projects ranging from $10k to $100MM+.
Prior to Augusta, Mr. Bentley served on the Board of Directions of Reset Energy based in Midland, TX and worked for various companies including AECOM, Carollo Engineers, Enlink Midstream, and NTACT Operations. In addition, Mr. Bentley is the Founder of Augusta Ventures & Augusta Custom Homes, based in Dallas, TX. In his first Fund, he delivered above market returns on an aggregate $25MM in seed investment which was valued at a PV10 of $430.8MM at Limited Partner exit. He realized a 71.5% unlevered internal rate of return versus the targeted benchmark of ~20%.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering focused on Structural Engineering from Texas Tech University, Master of Science in Civil Engineering focused on Water Resources Engineering from Texas Tech University, and a Master of Business Administration majoring in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also a registered professional engineer in the State of Texas.
Mohamed Salou
Chief Financial Officer & Managing Partner
Mr. Salou has over 20 years of global leadership and financial expertise across various industries including Financial Services, Petrochemicals, Oil and Gas, Asset Management, and Private Equities
He held the positions of Managing Director at Accordion Partners and Managing Director, Finance - Private Equity, Joint Ventures, and Strategic Initiatives at Hospital for Special Surgery. In these roles, Mr. Salou offered comprehensive financial accounting advisory services, including FP&A, operational accounting and buy-side transactions to private equity companies and managed the finance and operation of newly created PEs and JVs, drove operating excellence and supported strategic decisions as the businesses scaled. Prior to that, he served as Director - Deal Advisory at KPMG LLP and Global Senior Manager - Operational Risk Management at Macquarie Group where he evaluated and advised on investment structures, resolved tax issues, directed valuation work, led accounting advisory, IPOs, Due Diligence, and risk management projects with prime clients including State Street, Mizuho Bank, and American Express. Prior to that, Mr. Salou spent over a decade at Ernst & Young advising clients across different industries with prime clients including ExxonMobil, SABIC, and UBS Global Wealth & Asset Management.
Mr. Salou holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration earned from The University of Jordan and an a Master of Business Administration majoring in Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Strategic Management, Marketing & Operations Management, and Organizational Effectiveness from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, Mohamed is an active Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a former board member of the Institute of Management Accountants in New York.
Tanatsa Kamhunga
Chief Operating Officer & Managing Partner
Mr. Kamhunga has over 15 years of experience in various industries. He moved to the U.S. in 2004 from Zimbabwe. In 2017, he and his wife, Deileta, founded Elev8ed Cre8ion. Tanatsa has a background in the insurance sector, holding actuarial positions at companies like ING, United Healthgroup, and State Farm. At McKesson, he played a role in forming business partnerships. His work at Republic Services involved collaborations with retail clients, including Walmart. His career spans roles in business development, strategy, and operations across sectors.
As the Founder of Balanced Rock Capital, Mr. Kamhunga oversees acquisition strategies for U.S. SMEs. He's also a board member for ARKTrust Investments, focusing on projects in Southern Africa.
Mr. Kamhunga holds a Bachelor's in Actuarial Science from The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration majoring in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Kevin Norris
Chief Commercial Officer & Partner
Mr. Norris has 39 years of experience primarily in the oil and gas industry with various energy companies including Apache Corporation, Universal Fuels Company, TOP Gas Gathering
and BlueCreek Energy.
Mr. Norris spent 15 years with e2 Business Services, Inc. a company which provided outsourced administration and marketing services, as well as software solutions for natural gas
marketing, wellhead scheduling and processing. Mr. Norris has been responsible for financial disclosures and corporate reporting for a number of small public companies.
Mr. Norris received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Colorado State University in 1979. He is also a past Chairman of the IPAMS Natural Gas Committee.
Kai Zhu
Chief Investment Officer & Partner
Mr. Zhu brings over 15 years of extensive managerial and entrepreneurial leadership within the insurance, asset management, and financial services and technology sectors on a global scale. His expertise spans strategic consulting, leading multi-million dollar projects for Fortune 500 clients, including AIG, HSBC, Prudential PLC, and the Construction Bank of China, across Hong Kong and the United States. Mr. Zhu played a key role in the $3B FWD acquisition of SCB Life, marking the largest life insurance M&A transaction in Southeast Asia to date.
As an entrepreneur, Mr. Zhu co-founded a licensed FX brokerage business in South Africa and a healthtech venture in China, innovating solutions for national hospitals. Mr. Zhu’s leadership has been recognized by invitations to speak on diverse topics from climate change to big data and risk capital by esteemed professional organizations such as the Society of Actuaries. His insights into the Asian insurance market have been featured in the globally respected publication “The Actuary”, underscoring his contribution to the field.
Mr. Zhu holds dual Bachelor's degrees in Commerce (Honors) in Actuarial Science and in Science, majoring in Mathematics and Biochemistry from the University of Cape Town. He is currently advancing his leadership acumen in the Executive Master of Business Administration program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries (FIA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
Darlene Travis
Executive Administrator
Darlene holds a Master’s degree in Education and has 20 years of experience working in that field.
In addition to classroom teaching, she served as an administrator collaborating closely with staff and parents to ensure the student learning process was a success. Working for Augusta allows her to continue working with both clients and staff to help each venture transact without friction.