Traction Capital’s team is made up of Minnesota entrepreneurs, business owners, and investors who have built, grown, acquired, and exited companies. We’ve been there ourselves and understand the challenges founders and business owners face. That’s why we provide smart capital, strategic guidance, and the resources needed to help companies grow with confidence and create long-term value.
Advisory Committee members are all investors in the fund and assist the Traction Capital team in deal vetting and analysis.
Traction Capital is backed by more than 200 investors, 85% of whom are business owners themselves. Beyond providing capital, they serve as mentors, advisors, and strategic connections for the founders and companies we partner with.
Ready to take the next step? Apply below to connect with Traction Capital and begin your journey towards growth and success.
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Shane Erickson is the Managing Partner of Traction Capital. Passionate about helping Minnesota entrepreneurs, his singular mission is to provide companies with the intellectual, human and financial capital required for successful growth through sale/exit in today’s increasingly complex and competitive marketplace.
He is an active member of Entrepreneur Organization (EO) and leads Minnesota’s EO Accelerator. He was an early adopter of EOS® (Entrepreneurial Operating System) and the co-developer of the Traction Capital Proven Process for the systematic management of businesses to drive sustainable and profitable growth.
Prior to forming Traction Capital, Shane served for nearly 30 years as the Co-Founder and CEO of IMC, a leading provider of marketing services and promotional products to the beverage industry. IMC is a recipient of the Inc. Magazine 5000 and Inc. Magazine 500 awards.
Shane is an experienced investor with notable success as a venture capitalist including investments in Mentormate (20x return, 51% IRR) and Ultralox (29x return, 182% IRR). Both are recipients of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal Fast 50 awards. He’s also invested, mentored, consulted and served on the board of several other businesses including Reside (Magnet 360), Modern Foundation, AutoMotion, and Cedar Valley Exteriors.
Collectively, his experiences as an entrepreneur, investor and advisor have laid a foundation of expertise to provide value for businesses across a variety of stages and industries. Shane earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from St. Cloud State University’s G.R. Herberger College of Business.
A lifelong entrepreneur, Brian is the Integrator/President of Traction Capital. Whether he’s running his current business or focusing on yours, Brian brings a talent for processes and operations to make even the unmanageable manageable.
A lifelong Minnesota entrepreneur, Brian Cox started selling as a child. He then started, operated, and sold two different lawn and landscape businesses, one in high school and one in college. While completing his Undergraduate degree in Business Management / Entrepreneurship at the University of St Thomas, he started his own business in 2004 which, with the help of the Entrepreneurial Operating System®, has grown to be the largest in its space and local market. He continues to operate it today. Brian went through the EOA (Entrepreneur’s Organization Accelerator) Program in 2008-2010 and was mentored by Shane. After graduating EOA in 2010 he joined the Entrepreneurs’ Organization of Minnesota and has been an active member, serving on the board, coaching EOA mentees, and participating in Forum monthly.
Brian joined Traction in March of 2020 and assisted in raising Focus Fund I. He is Process and Operations minded and enjoys helping run the Management Company as well as meeting Founders and learning about their growing businesses. He currently serves as the President / Integrator, working with Shane and the team to ensure the Vision is executed, and to lead, manage and hold the team accountable.
Brian lives in Greenfield, MN with his wife Cassandra, daughter Ava and son Bennett. They enjoy boating, travel, skiing/snowboarding, football and spending time with family.
VP of Investments and Founder champion, Peyton is the deal guru for Traction Capital. Entrepreneurship is in his veins, and he loves nothing more than spending time with Founders working to make their vision reality.
Peyton Green is the VP of Investments for Traction Capital. Peyton oversees the entire investment process. In addition, he supports both portfolio company founders and the Traction Capital Partners in long-term strategy, as well as day-to-day tasks.
Peyton has a passion for entrepreneurship that stems from both his experience growing up around the Minnesota entrepreneurs in his family, and his desire to own and run companies of his own in the future. He is particularly drawn to the Minnesota startup scene due to the tremendous opportunity he sees in the region and its underdog status relative to the well-known, well-funded coastal entrepreneurial ecosystems. His favorite aspect of his job is meeting the many talented founders he sees at various events around town.
Away from work, Peyton enjoys mentoring students, golf, travel, the Minnesota culinary scene, and working on various projects that scratch his entrepreneurial itch.
A CPA and seasoned CFO, Jo Ann is the VP of Finance & Operations for Traction Capital. With a specialization in M&A’s, she’s an invaluable resource for companies throughout the acquisition and integration process.
As VP of Finance & Operations, Jo Ann brings extensive experience building teams, training resources and putting scalable solutions in place for growing organizations.
A certified public accountant, Jo Ann’s expertise stems from more than two decades of accounting and financial management experience working for technology and professional services organizations.
With a particular focus on rapidly growing organizations, Jo Ann’s career has included taking two organizations from startup through merger/acquisition. Jo Ann honed her finance and accounting skills at Ernst & Young as a member of the Audit team before taking on the role of Director of Finance and Administration for a multinational communications software company. For the next several years, she worked as an independent consultant serving small to mid-sized organizations. Recently, Jo Ann has served as the CFO of PowerObjects, leading all back-office components during a decade-plus of rapid growth and ultimately positioning the company for acquisition.
Angela has spent her career walking into organizations mid-growth or mid-change and figuring out what the people function needs to become. Sometimes that means building HR from nothing. Sometimes it means untangling infrastructure that’s outgrown itself. After doing it several times, she knows the patterns.
Builder, technologist, and AI strategist, Eric Scheel serves as the AI Tech Partner
for Traction Capital — helping the firm and its portfolio companies turn the AI agent
era into real operating leverage.
Eric brings more than 25 years of experience architecting and scaling technology
businesses. As Chief Technology Officer of Magnet360 for two decades, he was the
technical engine behind the company’s growth from bootstrapped startup to a $50M
Salesforce consultancy serving Fortune 2000 clients — earning investment from
Salesforce Ventures and a successful acquisition by Mindtree in 2016. Along the way he
architected platforms for some of the world’s best-known brands, including 3M, Best
Buy, Starbucks, adidas, General Mills, Medtronic, Wells Fargo, and the Obama-Biden
Presidential Transition Team. He began his career at Carlson Marketing Group, building
the loyalty programs and points engines that powered some of the earliest large-scale
customer data platforms.
Since Magnet360, Eric has been an active investor and advisor, including at Saltbox, a
Salesforce consultancy focused on B2B commerce, and is an investor in both Traction
Capital Fund I and Fund II. At Traction Capital, Eric brings an AI lens to every deal,
embeds with portfolio companies to ship working AI tools — not strategy decks — and
builds the firm’s own AI-native operating platform. EOS®-fluent and
operating-cadence-disciplined, his instinct is simple: live in the future and build
what’s missing — and ship in days what most teams ship in months.
Eric lives in Minneapolis. An avid hiker, he’s happiest on a trail — a passion he took
to 14,410 feet with a summit of Mount Rainier in 2025 — and he’s always planning the
next climb.
Entrepreneur and Certified Implementer of EOS®, John is the is the Implementer for Traction Capital. Whether talking over beers at his award-winning brewery or participating in his highly regarded implementation sessions, John’s ability to guide Founders in their path to growth is invaluable.
A true Minnesota entrepreneur, John Klick has 25 years of experience of starting, managing, and owning small businesses. Fifteen of those years were running businesses on the Entrepreneurial Operating System®. His diverse background includes owning companies ranging from promotional products to an award-winning brewery.
John is passionate about helping leaders run their business, drive growth, and live a balanced life. As a Professional EOS® Implementer, he works with leadership teams to help simplify, clarify and achieve their vision. John implements EOS® to companies within the Traction Capital portfolio as well as has his own practice and works with many different companies.
Living the EOS® Life is important to John and his other passions include spending time with his family, skiing and anything to do with a lake.
Scaling strategist and Founder’s ally, Matt Meents serves as the Strategic Growth Partner for Traction Capital, partnering with founders to drive growth and operational excellence.
With over 25 years of experience in building, scaling, and transitioning high-growth companies, Matt is a visionary entrepreneur and leader in the startup and venture space. As Co-Founder & CEO of Magnet360, he scaled the company from bootstrapped origins to $50M in annual revenue, serving Fortune 2000 clients and earning investment from Salesforce Ventures before a successful acquisition by Mindtree in 2016. He later Co-Founded Yardstik, a VC-backed SaaS platform, where he drove growth, improved margins, and built revenue predictability before transitioning to a board leadership role. Both Yardstik and Magnet360 have earned multiple Best Place to Work accolades and are innovation award winners.
Beyond his entrepreneurial success, Meents is passionate about mentoring and equipping the next generation of founders. He teaches entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas, speaks frequently on leadership and culture, and shares his deep expertise in EOS® (Entrepreneurial Operating System®) —bringing practical frameworks to help companies thrive.
Scott Litman is a serial entrepreneur, advisor, and investor who brings decades of hands-on startup and growth experience to Traction Capital. With five successful company exits and a long list of accolades, he’s a driving force behind innovation and scale in Minnesota’s business community.
As a Strategic Growth Partner, Scott has an immense level of experience in entrepreneurship that he brings to Traction Capital. He has gone from startup, funding, growth and exit five times (Imaginet Inc, Spot Buy Spot, Imaginet LLC, Magnet 360 & Lucy). In that time, he has received a number of honors & awards including E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year, Business Journal Titan of Technology, University of Minnesota Outstanding Achievement, Smart Business Dealmakers Hall of Fame, Twin Cities Business 100 People to Know / Watch (3 times), Minnesota Business The (Real) Power 50 and Business Journal 40 Under 40. Along the way, Scott has experienced being #1 in The Business Journals Fast 50, made the Inc 500 and has worked with over 25% of the Fortune 500.
Scott founded the Minnesota Cup, the largest state wide business plan competition in the US and has been on the Board of Advocates for Backpack, a student run marketing and communications agency out of the University of Minnesota.
Scott has served on the BOD, Advisory Board or been advisor to a number of startups that have had tremendous success including Enstratus (acquired by Dell), InStereo (acquired by Salesloft), HealthSimple (acquired by J&J), Hollywood Fashion Secrets (acquired by American International Industries), I See Me (acquired by The McEvoy Group) and more.
A Post-Exit Entrepreneur, Chris runs EOS® Self-Implementation for Traction Capital. As someone who has successfully navigated building and exiting a company, Chris provides invaluable knowledge and hands-on support to Founders traveling that path.
Chris Carey is a Post-Exit Entrepreneur who launched his first venture, Modern Automotive Performance, in 2006 with little more than a dream and a bedroom closet to store inventory. By 2020 the business was generating more than $40M in revenue and employed over 80 people in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. MAP was sold at the end of 2020 to Enthusiast Enterprises where Chris remained involved for 15 months ensuring a successful transition. Chris joined Traction Capital in April of 2022 with aspirations to add value from his entrepreneurial experience and learn more about the industry.
Chris lives in Cottage Grove, MN with his wife Heather and their two daughters. He enjoys hockey, golf, travel, and spending time with family and friends at the lake.
Dan Mallin is a serial entrepreneur, advisor, and investor who brings decades of hands-on startup and growth experience to Traction Capital. With five successful company exits and a long list of accolades, he’s a driving force behind innovation and scale in Minnesota’s business community.
As a Strategic Growth Partner, Dan has an immense level of experience in entrepreneurship that he brings to Traction Capital. He has gone from startup, funding, growth and exit five times (Oatmeal Media, Spot Buy Spot, Imaginet, Magnet 360 & Lucy). In that time, he has received a number of honors & awards including E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year, Business Journal Titan of Technology, University of Minnesota Outstanding Achievement, University of Minnesota Alumni Service, Smart Business Dealmakers Hall of Fame & Dealmaker of the year, Twin Cities Business 100 People to Know / Watch, Minnesota Business The (Real) Power 50, Business Journal 40 Under 40 and AASCB Influential Leader. Along the way, Dan has experienced being #1 in The Business Journals Fast 50, made the Inc 500 and has worked with over 25% of the Fortune 500.
Dan founded the Minnesota Cup, the largest state wide business plan competition in the US and is on the Board of of the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship – Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota.
Dan has served on the Board or been advisor to a number of startups that have had tremendous success including Enstratus, InStereo, Bellacor, Rocket55, Good Leadership, and more.
Investment analyst and entrepreneur, Ellie manages all incoming investment deal flow and assists heavily with the marketing efforts of Traction Capital.
Ellie Pigott joined Traction Capital as a Marketing Intern while a student at the University of St. Thomas. After graduation, she joined the team as an Analyst. Ellie handles all incoming deal flow, represents Traction Capital at local events within the startup ecosystem and helps manage marketing and communication with both our investors and founders.
Majoring in Entrepreneurship with a minor in Sustainability, Ellie graduated with honors. On campus, she served as Director of Alumni Engagement for the Undergraduate Business Council, a volunteer at Big Brothers Big Sisters, and a Creativity and Innovation Center student employee. Active in her University’s pitch competitions and entrepreneurial events, Ellie is an aspiring entrepreneur and passionate about our local startup community.
Cooper Eral is an aspiring entrepreneur and an analyst at Traction Capital, focusing on acquisitions while assisting on the venture side.
In May 2023, Cooper Eral began his journey with Traction Capital as an Intern in Private Equity Analysis. By the fall of 2023, he assumed the role of Analyst on a part-time basis. Upon graduating from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in Finance and Data Analytics in the May of 2024, Cooper transitioned to a full-time position at Traction Capital. Cooper collaborates closely with the VP of Investments, focusing on deal sourcing and evaluation. He is especially enthusiastic about cultivating connections with founders in the Midwest.
Born into a family of entrepreneurs, Cooper was actively involved in his mother’s businesses, Therasimplicity and the Nans Centre in Bahrain, from a young age. During his last semester of college, he started his personal venture into real estate by purchasing and renovating a foreclosed property, the first in his portfolio. In his role at Traction Capital, Cooper is thrilled to be contributing to the booming local startup community.
Justina Palmer is an aspiring entrepreneur and analyst at Traction Capital where she focuses on acquisitions alongside helping on the venture side.
Justina joined Traction Capital as a fellow through an exclusive private equity fellowship program offered in partnership with the University of St. Thomas. After excelling in her role, she transitioned to a full-time analyst position in 2024. During her fellowship, Justina gained valuable experience working closely with our seasoned team, sourcing deals, evaluating investment opportunities, and contributing to negotiations. She brings a strong passion for innovative solutions and a deep commitment to the startup community.
A University of St. Thomas graduate with majors in Entrepreneurship and Finance, Justina was a Schulze Innovation Scholar, participating in a selective four-year entrepreneurship program. As part of the program, she served on the Leadership Council, organized educational and networking events with Twin Cities startups, and mentored underclassmen. Justina also took part in numerous pitch and case competitions at St. Thomas and other universities and held a leadership position with the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization.
Beyond her academic and professional pursuits, Justina volunteers at a nearby nursing home, where she organizes activities for seniors, further reflecting her commitment to community engagement.
Finance and entrepreneurship professional, Chris supports Traction Capital’s Strategic Growth efforts through portfolio performance analysis, operational insights and AI initiatives designed to help portfolio companies grow.
Chris graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman with a degree in Finance and Entrepreneurship. While at MSU, he founded Bobcat Ventures, a student-led venture capital fund, serving as its founding Managing Director and continuing today in an advisory role. He also served as a Venture Coach through the university’s entrepreneurship center, helping students turn ideas into businesses.
Originally from Duluth, Chris is excited to be back in Minnesota working alongside founders and entrepreneurs. An aspiring founder himself, he enjoys being immersed in growing businesses and emerging technologies. Outside of work, he takes advantage of Minnesota’s outdoors—especially lake life.
Accounting professional and small business advisor, Amelia supports accounting and finance across Traction Capital and its portfolio companies.
Amelia Buckholz joined Traction Capital as an Accounting Associate in April 2026, where she supports accounting and finance across the firm and its portfolio. She spent three and a half years as the Accounting and Shared Services Manager at a founder-led Minnesota market research firm, and continues to keep the books for a handful of local small businesses. Amelia earned a bachelor’s in History with a minor in Italian Studies from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, and built her accounting expertise on the job — adding coursework through Harvard Business School Online and becoming a certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor along the way. She lives in Saint Paul, where she can most often be found biking around the Twin Cities, keeping up her Italian, or planning her next trip.
