About

Trail Blazers!

ABOUT CEDAR VENTURES LLC

Cedar Ventures is a financial advisory, consulting and investment banking firm that was founded in 2000 capitalizing on decades of experience in the municipal finance, investment banking and venture capital/start up world. It is a majority woman owned entity. Cedar is an independent municipal advisor registered with the MSRB and the SEC. Equity transactions are offered through Cedar’s FINRA broker dealer of record.

During their careers, the principals of Cedar Ventures (Karen Kassouf and Jim Jackson) have executed and closed over $1.4 billion of tax-exempt bond transactions for not for profits and for-profit entities. Our backgrounds include the disciplines of law, banking and accounting.

Since the founding of Cedar Ventures, we have executed, overseen and closed multi-million dollar transactions involving the sale and merger of health care businesses, sourced and raised debt and equity for the acquisition of and ground up construction projects for the following:

Cedar Ventures is also positioned to assist with other projects in the following sectors:

  • Port Facilities
  • Alternative Energy (selectively)

  • Small Manufacturing
  • Infrastructure/convention center/hotel

 Cedar has raised debt and equity for these types of construction projects through the use of

  • Tax exempt and taxable bonds
  • Specialty lenders
  • Ground leases
  • Tax credits including Historical Tax Credits and State Mill Tax Credits
  • EB5 financings
  • Equity capital
  • Subordinated Debt
  • Bridge to HUD financing

Cedar has also considered New Markets Tax Credits and agency debt for some of these projects and works through entities licensed to source such federal agency debt such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

In prior years, Cedar has also assisted with mergers, acquisitions and sales of companies, business development, strategic consulting and marketing services.

Cedar has relationships with some family offices and institutional investors that invest in commercial real estate. Cedar Ventures has also been establishing contacts and relationships with International investors and has traveled to the Middle East where it has some contacts with those in the Medical and Real Estate fields. 

Cedar is small, innovative and we think outside the box. We are not siloed to a specific product as is the case with larger firms. The number of years that we have worked on financings, over 30, provides us a framework to be creative as we have ‘seen a thing or two’.

We are not afraid of blazing a new trail!

Cedar Ventures

An Innovative Firm

We are not siloed to a specific product as is the case with larger firms. The number of years that we have worked on financings, over 30, provides us a framework to be creative as we have ‘seen a thing or two’.