Venus Leshaj

Michael Firestone is the Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Fire Capital Management, LLC (“FCM”). In addition to his leadership and management responsibilities, Michael serves as lead Client Advisor, Portfolio Manager, and Investment Strategist.

Prior to founding FCM, he served as Portfolio Manager and Managing Director at Fiduciary Trust International, a HNW wealth management and trust company.  While managing client portfolios he also maintained various equity strategy and research roles across multiple industries and sectors. Michael currently serves on the San Francisco Foundation Professional Advisors Committee. He previously served on the Board of Directors as President of CFA Society Miami, as a Venture Partner at Courtyard Ventures, and as an adjunct lecturer at Florida International University.

Alyssa joined FCM in January 2019 and supports the firm’s HNW, Family Office and Foundation clients to make the type of impact that is important to them, from how they invest, to how they give. She is responsible for the firm’s operations, impact initiatives, and client service. 

Prior to joining FCM, Alyssa worked in the philanthropic sector, most recently serving as the Executive Director of the Golden Bridges Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, based in Beijing. Alyssa also previously served as Business Development Manager for a Chinese travel start-up company and co-founded a start-up initiative focused on building mindful fitness solutions for schools, companies and communities. She was the Chapter President for the American University Beijing Alumni Club for 6 years and was selected as a Global Shaper, an initiative of the World Economic Forum. Alyssa is fluent in both Mandarin and Japanese. She is a 21/64 Certified Advisor and also serves as a Board Member of AiP (The International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy).

Dr. Kelsey Syvrud has experience in both the finance industry and academia. Prior to joining FCM, Kelsey instructed students at the undergraduate and graduate level at Florida State University’s (FSU) College of Business, and the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business. At FSU, she developed a financial data analytics course for the M.S. in Finance program, designed to conduct financial analysis using the R and Python programming languages. Kelsey previously worked for Cornerstone Research, an economic consulting firm specializing in expert witness support for corporate litigation and was the Assistant Director of the BB&T Center for Free Enterprise at FSU. Recently, she has been expanding her knowledge in the area of responsible investing, having passed the CFA Institute's Certificate in ESG Investing, and received certificates for completing the UN CC's Introduction to Sustainable Finance and the US SIF's Fundamentals of Sustainable and Impact Investment courses.

Kelsey’s work has been published in the Journal of International Business Studies and in a chapter contained within Commodities: markets, performance, and strategies. Her research interests span international corporate finance, responsible investing, politics, law & finance, entrepreneurship, and government contract procurement.

William Reynolds joined Fire Capital Management in June of 2021. Prior to joining FCM, William attended Florida State University’s M.S. in Finance program, where he was the President of his cohort. He gained experience in banking and the wealth management world through internships at First Franklin Financial Services and Prime Meridian Bank. Further, William has experience utilizing the R programming language for various financial and economic applications. Previously, he was a data analytics research supervisor for the DeVoe L. Moore Center’s economic think tank where he conducted and presented research into the effects of pharmaceutical regulation on free markets.

Ryan supports the firm’s investment management and client service initiatives. Prior to joining FCM, he attended the University of San Francisco, obtaining a B.A. in Economics with a concentration in Financial Economics. Ryan’s journey into finance was fueled by a genuine passion for financial markets, which he further honed while navigating the service and retail sectors. Ryan then embarked on his career in wealth management, earning his Series 7 and Series 66 licenses to further solidify his expertise in the field. He also has successfully cleared the first two levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program, demonstrating his commitment to excellence in investment analysis.

Venus joins Fire Capital Management as a Client Service Associate, supporting the firm’s client service and operations functions. Originally from the Bronx, she developed a strong work ethic early, entering professional environments through internships starting at age 14.

Venus attended Lafayette College, where she originally pursued Computer Science, but redirected her path during the pandemic after developing a deep interest in financial markets due to the volatile climate. Following the completion of a data analytics bootcamp, she interned with a non-profit called the Petey Green Program. There she helped them visualize key financial data and metrics for board member discussions, which furthered her interest in finance. She later graduated with a degree in Economics and a Certificate in Financial Policy and Analysis.

Prior to joining FCM, Venus served on the Portfolio Compliance team at Cambridge Associates, where she was responsible for ensuring investment teams operate within the bounds of client contracts. This involved monitoring client Investment Policy Statements and reviewing trades on both a pre- and post-trade basis to identify and prevent potential breaches. Through this work, she developed a familiarity with portfolio construction and investment analysis across a diverse client base.

Fun fact: She loves to play volleyball, go to dance classes, and take her cat for occasional walks to the park.