Meet the Team
Dave Smith founded Marathon Partners LLC in 2002, formalizing an entrepreneurial and intrapreneurial career.
“I’m blessed to have had an interesting career with some success, plus one or two failures. It was capped in 2017 with the sale of Buddy’s Kitchen to Premium Brands Holdings. For the next 18 months, I continued to lead Buddy’s for the buyer. In June of 2019 I started a “sabbatical” to step back and evaluate new opportunities. At 60, I have no interest in retiring, and no interest in working just to get paid. I’m fortunate to be able to be very selective about looking at new deals and new roles that look both fun and profitable.”
Education
- MBA- Harvard Business School, 1986
- BA- Macalester College, 1981
Special Interests: Social Entrepreneurism
- The Open Door, Mobile Food Shelf, Eagan, MN www.theopendoorpantry.org
- Semilla Nueva (Guatemala-based seed corn company combating nutrition issues) www.semillanueva.org
- Miracles in Action, www.miraclesinaction.org, helping Guatemalans living in extreme poverty through education, nutrition and vocational skills
- Habitat for Humanity- participated in multiple week-long construction projects in Dominican Republic; training to be trip leader.
- Affordable Housing- active investor/developer in projects that are affordable to lower income Minnesotans