Leadership

Sundip Patel is a visionary entrepreneur whose journey embodies resilience and a deep commitment to social impact. Immigrating from Zambia as a child, his early experiences instilled in him a lifelong dedication to financial equity and community empowerment.

He earned an MSc in Social Business & Entrepreneurship from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine, and holds CPA and CMA licenses. Sundip is a lifelong member of YPO. Since founding AVANA Companies in 2002, Sundip has grown it into a family of three world-class brands—AVANA Capital, AVANA CUSO, and EqualSeat™—to become a top private credit platform united by the mission “Delivering Capital for a Better Tomorrow.” As CEO, he oversees these entities and leads EqualSeat™, a fractional loan-trading platform that democratizes access for both retail and accredited investors.

Under his stewardship, AVANA Companies, the holding company for AVANA Capital and AVANA CUSO, was named an Inc. 5000 firm, has secured over $6.5 billion in funding to date, manages more than $1+ billion in private credit assets, and created over 5,500 jobs worldwide. AVANA CUSO stands as the nation’s leading provider of full-service lending solutions to credit unions.

In addition to serving on the board of AVANA Bank in Abilene, Texas, Sundip is spearheading strategic expansions into Saudi Arabia through Ezdaher Financing Company and into India via LendThrive Finance Private Limited. Beyond his business ventures, Sundip founded the Giggle Foundation to support underprivileged children.

Splitting his time between Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, India, and Phoenix, Arizona, he continues to inspire future generations as a sought-after speaker on socially and environmentally conscious business practices.

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As Chief Lending Officer at AVANA Companies and Chair of the Board at AVANA Bank, Sanat Patel brings more than three decades of experience in financial services, private credit and commercial banking, with a proven track record in loan structuring, risk management, and balance sheet growth.

Sanat has led strategic initiatives that connect institutional capital with entrepreneurial ambition, supporting the growth of businesses, and  owners engaged in commercial real estate across the U.S. He has built and scaled lending platforms in partnership with banks and credit unions, developing tailored financial solutions that drive job creation and foster inclusive economic development.

Sanat’s earlier career includes leadership roles at JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, and Household Bank, where he consistently ranked among the top performers nationwide. He is widely recognized for creating innovative niche-lending programs and pioneering “social underwriting,” a relationship-based credit approach that evaluates borrowers’ community ties and business character—particularly for underserved communities.

Sanat holds an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management (2021), is a graduate of California State University at Fullerton, and has completed executive banking studies at the Pacific Coast Banking School. A dedicated community leader, he served as President of the Phoenix Chapter of Pratham USA (2020–2024) and currently serves on the Board of Community Housing Works (San Diego) as Chair of the Finance Committee. He is also a former board member of the Arizona Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

With a servant-leadership philosophy grounded in integrity and humility, Sanat is committed to delivering sustainable value to clients, investors, and community partners. Sanat remains focused on building lending solutions that not only generate financial results but also uplift communities and fuel lasting impact.

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Matt has over 25 years of lending experience and currently serves as the Chief Credit Officer for AVANA. Prior to joining AVANA Capital, Matt was Senior VP and Director of National Real Estate lending for Zions Bank. In that role, he oversaw the bank’s nationwide commercial real estate lending platform with a primary focus in SBA 504 lending.

During his 16 years at Zions, the National Real Estate Group originated over $10 billion in commercial real estate loans, including nearly $5 billion in SBA 504 1st mortgage loans. He brings deep experience, having managed a $5.0 billion CRE portfolio through the global financial crisis and overseeing the secondary market program at Zions Bank.

Matt earned an MBA from the University of Utah in 2010. He also graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from University of Utah in 1998. In 2005, he graduated from the Pacific Coast Banking School.

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Brianna Vaughan has 20 years of experience working for credit unions and has been associated with Extensia/CUSO during much of that time. She initially joined AVANA CUSO(fka Extensia Financial) in 2012 as the Human Resources Manager utilizing her HR degree.

Over the span of her time with the CUSO she has worked in every department inclusive of Human Resources, Information Technology, Facilities, Servicing, Finance, Credit, Originations and Loss Mitigation. Her experience and knowledge in credit union practices and philosophy has made her a highly effective part of the leadership team.

She has a strong understanding of their systems and procedures in IT and tech support. A passionate advocate for the credit union movement, she received her CUDE designation specific to credit union relationships. Currently, Brianna is responsible for CUSO Information Technology and Systems, Human Resources and Facilities.

Brianna holds a BA in Human Resources from Concordia University in Portland, Oregon.

Cathy Ellsworth is the Executive Vice President of Investor Relations for AVANA Companies, a private credit/CRE investment manager with approximately $1B in assets.  At AVANA, she is responsible for the firm’s fundraising efforts in the United States, working with both retail and institutional investors, including family offices, endowments, foundations, RIA firms, pension funds, insurance companies and investment consultants.

Cathy has over 30+ years of experience creating, implementing and managing strategic sales and business plans for a variety of investment products and programs, ranging from long-only equity/fixed income portfolios to alternative investments.  Additionally, she has a due diligence background evaluating investment managers of mutual funds, separate accounts and variable insurance products.  Cathy’s fundraising experience encompasses investment firms of varying sizes, ranging from under $1B to over $40B aum.

Her previous employment includes JPMorgan Chase (Chase Manhattan Bank), Kidder Peabody, EF Hutton and Nordea Investment Management.  She is a graduate from Hood College with a B.A. in Business Administration and Political Science.