Capital is not neutral. It carries the values of the people who deploy it, the leaders who steward it, and the organizations that champion the people behind it.
That idea was at the center of the Athena Summit, held at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York City on April 7, 2026. And it is an idea that sits at the center of how we operate at 90North Partners.
The Athena Summit: Capital as a Force for Equity
The Athena Alliance is an organization built to champion executive women and help them step into the boardrooms, ownership roles, and leadership positions they deserve. Their annual summit, held this year inside the iconic Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square, brought together an exclusive, member-only community of senior leaders under the theme “The Power of Money.”
The focus was sharp: exploring capital not just as a financial instrument, but as a force for building companies, accelerating equity, and shifting the conversation from operator to owner. Featured speakers included Coco Brown, Founder and CEO of the Athena Alliance, along with leaders like Jo Ann Corkran, Lilia Shirman, and Samantha Tortora.
The summit culminated in a ceremonial lighting of the legendary Nasdaq Tower in the heart of Times Square, a visual statement that carried real weight for the women in attendance.
The Athena Alliance shares our belief that exceptional leadership deserves to be recognized and amplified. Their commitment to executive women is unwavering. Their community is world-class. And moments like the Nasdaq Tower lighting are proof of what happens when an organization truly champions its people.
A Personal Moment on a Public Stage
Our Managing Director, Tracey Figurelli, is a proud member of the Athena Alliance community.
After the summit, Tracey shared her own reflection on what the experience meant to her: “Seeing photos of my face on the Nasdaq Tower in Times Square this week was fun, but more importantly the chance to share the time with an amazing group of women was even better. I’m honored to be featured alongside the incredible women of Athena Alliance.
This organization exists to champion executive women and help us step boldly into the boardrooms and roles we deserve. To the Athena team and Coco Brown: thank you for this unforgettable experience and for the community you’ve built. I’m proud to be part of it.” Tracey’s presence at the summit was not a branding exercise. It was a reflection of how she operates every day: leading with credibility, showing up in rooms that matter, and investing in the relationships and communities that elevate the people around her.
Why Alignment Is Not a Marketing Word
At 90North, we talk a lot about trusted relationships. We talk about treating every conversation as someone’s life’s work. We talk about director-led engagement, real-world experience, and the kind of credibility that only comes from having actually sat in the seats our clients and their targets sit in. But none of that means anything if it stops at the pitch deck. Alignment is a practice. It shows up in who you partner with, what communities you invest your time in, and which values you are willing to put your name next to in public.
The Athena Alliance shares our belief that exceptional leadership deserves to be recognized and amplified. Their commitment to executive women is unwavering. Their community is world-class. And moments like the Nasdaq Tower lighting are proof of what happens when an organization truly champions its people. We do not take lightly who we align with. That is not a casual statement. It is how we evaluate every client engagement, every partnership, and every relationship we build.
From Operator to Owner: A Shift That Matters in M&A
The summit’s theme, the shift from operator to owner, resonates deeply with the work we do every day in middle-market M&A. We spend our time talking to business owners who built something from nothing. Founders who started as operators and became owners through decades of discipline, risk, and personal sacrifice. When we engage with these business owners on behalf of our private equity clients, we understand the weight of that transition.
We understand what it took to get there. And we understand that the next chapter, whether it is a sale, a partnership, or a recapitalization, has to honor what came before it. The conversation about capital as a force for equity is not abstract for us. It is the conversation we have every single day. The question is always the same: are you deploying capital in a way that respects the people and the work behind the business? If the answer is yes, good things tend to follow.
The Athena Summit was a reminder that the most meaningful work happens at the intersection of capital, leadership, and values. We are proud to be connected to an organization that lives that truth, and proud to have Tracey Figurelli representing 90North in rooms where that conversation is advancing. The leaders and communities you choose to stand beside say more about your firm than any pitch deck ever will.
