Stellar V Capital Corp.
Prokopios (Akis) Tsirigakis has served as our Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and Co-Chief Executive Officer since July 2024. Mr. Tsirigakis is currently co-chief executive officer of Nautilus Energy Management Corp. and chief executive officer of SevenSeas Investment Fund (Luxembourg). Mr. Tsirigakis founded four blank check companies, conducted their initial public offerings and successfully closed four business combinations. From December 2019 to February 2022 Mr. Tsirigakis served as chairman and co-chief executive officer of Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: GCAC), a special purpose acquisition company that completed an initial public offering on February 2, 2021. From May 2016 until December 2018, Mr. Tsirigakis served as chairman and co-chief executive officer of Stellar Acquisition III, Inc. (Nasdaq: STLR), a special purpose acquisition company that completed an initial public offering on August 16, 2016. From May 2011 until October 2013, Mr. Tsirigakis served as chairman and co-CEO of Nautilus Marine Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: NMAR), a special purpose acquisition company that completed an initial public offering on July 16, 2011. Mr. Tsirigakis has served as the chief executive officer of Nautilus Offshore Services Inc., an offshore service vessel owner and the successor of Nautilus Marine, since October 2013 and as a vice president of DryShips, Inc. (Nasdaq: DRYS), which acquired Nautilus Offshore Services Inc., since December 2015. From 2011 to 2015, Mr. Tsirigakis served as a director of Ocean Rig UDW Inc. (Nasdaq: ORIG). From May 2005 to November 2007, he co-founded and served as chairman of the board, chief executive officer and president of, Star Maritime (AMEX: SEA), a blank check company. From November 2007 until February 2011, he was the president and chief executive officer of, Star Bulk Carriers Corp., a dry-bulk ship-owning company and the successor of Star Maritime. From November 2003 until November 2007, he served as managing director of Oceanbulk Maritime S.A., a company that managed dry bulk vessels. From November 1998 to November 2007, Mr. Tsirigakis established and served as the managing director of Combine Marine Inc., a ship management company. From 1981 to 1998, Mr. Tsirigakis was the vice-president and technical director of Konkar Shipping Agencies S.A. of Athens and of Arkon Shipping Agencies Inc. of New York. Mr. Tsirigakis received his Master’s Degree (1979) and B.Sc. in Naval Architecture from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
George Syllantavos has served as our co-Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Director since July 2024. Mr. Syllantavos is a director of Cepton, Inc. (Nasdaq: CPTN), an innovator in the LiDAR industry, that closed its business combination with Growth Capital in February 2022. Since December 2023, Mr. Syllantavos has served as director of Beam Global. (Nasdaq: BEEM), a clean-technology innovation company headquartered in San Diego, California with factories in San Diego, Chicago and Kraljevo, Serbia in Europe. Mr. Syllantavos was also a director of ITHAX Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: ITHX), a special purpose acquisition company that completed an initial public offering on February, 2021 raising $241.5 million until the closing of its business combination with Mondee Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: MOND), in July 2022. Mr. Syllantavos co-founded and served as co-chief executive officer of Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: GCAC), a special purpose acquisition company that completed an initial public offering on February 2, 2021. From May 2016 until December 2018, Mr. Syllantavos co-founded and served as co-chief executive officer of Stellar Acquisition III, Inc. (Nasdaq: STLR), a special purpose acquisition company that completed an initial public offering on August 16, 2016 and that merged in December 2018 with Phunware, Inc. (Nasdaq: PHUN) serving as a Director till early December 2021. Mr. Syllantavos co-founded in February 2013, and is chief executive officer of, Nautilus Energy Management Corp. (not affiliated with Nautilus Offshore Services Inc.), a maritime energy services company involved in maritime project business development and ship management focusing on the drybulk and tanker sectors. From May 2011 until February 2013, Mr. Syllantavos co-founded and served as co-chief executive office and chief financial officer of Nautilus Marine Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: NMAR), a special purpose acquisition company that completed an initial public offering on July 16, 2011. He served as the chief financial officer of Nautilus Offshore Services Inc., an offshore service vessel owner and the successor of Nautilus Marine, from February 2013 until April 2014. From November 2007 to August 2011, he served as chief financial officer, secretary and director of Star Bulk Carriers Corp., a dry-bulk ship-owning company (Nasdaq: SBLK). From May 2005 to November 2007, he served as the chief financial officer, secretary and director of Star Maritime (AMEX: SEA), its predecessor, which was a special purpose acquisition company that completed an initial public offering on December 16, 2005 raising $189 million. From May 1999 to December 2007, he was the president and general manager of Vortex Ltd., an aviation consulting firm specializing in strategic analysis, fleet planning and asset management. From January 1998 to April 1999, he served as a financial advisor to Hellenic Telecommunications Organization S.A., where, on behalf of the chief executive officer, he coordinated and led the company’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: OTE) raising $1.1 billion and had responsibilities for the strategic planning and implementation of multiple acquisitions of fixed-line telecommunications companies. Mr. Syllantavos served as a financial and strategic advisor to both the Greek Ministry of Industry & Energy (from June 1995 to May 1996) and the Greek Ministry of Health (from May 1996 to January 1998), where, in 1997 and 1998, he helped structure the equivalent of a US$700 million bond issuance for the payment of outstanding debts to the suppliers of the Greek National Health System. From 1998 to 2004, he served as a member of the Investment Committee of a merchant banking firm, where he was involved in negotiating, structuring and implementing the acquisition of several small-medium sized manufacturing firms. Before that, he served for almost 5 years as a transportation consultant with an aviation focus specializing in strategic planning, corporate finance and fleet asset management. Mr. Syllantavos has a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from Roosevelt University in Chicago and an MBA in Operations Management, International Finance and Transportation Management from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.
Anastasios (Tassos) Chrysostomidis has served as Vice President of business development since July 2024. Mr. Chrysostomidis has also been business development director of Nautilus Energy Management Corp. since February 2013. From December 2019 to February 2022 Mr. Chrysostomidis served as business development director of Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: GCAC), a special purpose acquisition company that completed an initial public offering on February 2, 2021. From May 2016 until December 2018, Mr. Chrysostomidis and served as business development director of Stellar Acquisition III, Inc. (Nasdaq: STLR), a special purpose acquisition company that completed an initial public offering on August 16, 2016 and merged with Phunware Inc in December 2018. From May 2011 until February 2013, Mr. Chrysostomidis served as market and financial analyst of Nautilus Marine Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: NMAR), a special purpose acquisition company that completed an initial public offering on July 16, 2011. From November 2007 to September 2013, he served as market and financial analyst of Star Bulk Carriers Corp., a dry-bulk ship-owning company (Nasdaq: SBLK). From January 2007 to November 2007, he served as the market and financial analyst of Star Maritime (AMEX: SEA), its predecessor, which was a special purpose acquisition company that completed an initial public offering on December 16, 2005 raising $189 million. From June 2005 to November 2007, he was the market and financial analyst of Oceanbulk SA, a company focused on owning and managing dry bulk vessels. Since 2011 Mr. Chrysostomidis has served as the chairman of the investment committee of Golfam SA, a small family office investment firm. Since September 2007, he is the owner of a solar power station based in Greece. Mr. Chrysostomidis has a B.Sc. in Physics from National and Kapodestrian University of Athens and an MSc in Business Mathematics from the Economic University of Athens.
Nicolas Bornozis will serve as our director upon the closing of this offering. He has over 40 years of experience in the US and European financial and capital markets. Since 1996, he has served as the Founder and President of Capital Link, Inc., an international investor relations and advisory firm, which assists listed companies and capital markets related organizations to develop and maintain access to European and North American investors. Capital Link has a leading position in investor relations for listed shipping companies as well as focuses on U.S. Closed-End Funds and ETFs and international companies accessing the U.S. and European markets. He also established and managed, Alexander Capital, L.P, a US broker-dealer firm, which developed securities brokerage business in North America with the Greek and Egyptian markets and sold the company at the end of 2003. Prior to Capital Link (1988 – 1995), he served as President and CEO of CCF International Finance Corp. (CCF IFC), the US broker/dealer subsidiary of Credit Commercial de France, now part of HSBC. Prior to CCF IFC he worked at the International Department of Bankers Trust Company in New York and then at the Commercial Banking operation of CCF in New York where he was responsible for business development and lending to US multinationals and Wall Street firms with special focus on asset-based financing for shipping and real estate. He obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1982 and a Law Degree from the University of Athens, in Greece with specialization in commercial and corporate law in 1979. For ten years he was a Visiting Lecturer on International Banking and Finance at the City University Business School in London, United Kingdom. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Atlantic Bank of New York, a subsidiary of the New York Community Bank.
Christopher Thomas will serve as our director upon the closing of this offering. He has over 40 years of experience in investments, corporate management and capital markets in the areas of energy, transportation/maritime, energy infrastructure and banking. Since May 2022 he is the Chief Financial Officer of TC Holding LLC, which is part of the Tsakos Group of companies located in Athens, Greece. From January 2019 to May 2022, Mr. Thomas served as the Chief Financial Officer of ADNOC Logistics and Services, the dedicated logistics provider and division of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. Prior to that, from 2015 to 2018 he was an Associate Director, Capital Markets at Berenberg Bank while from 2012 to 2015, he was the Chief Project Director at Dubai Trading Agency. From 2011 to 2012 he worked as an investment consultant for Torm A/S (CPH: TRMD-A, Nasdaq: TRMD), a major global maritime transporter of petroleum products and from 2010 to 2011 he was the Chief Financial Officer of East West Maritime Investments, a maritime assets investment company. From 1994 to 2009 Mr. Thomas served on the Boards and had financial executive positions in a number of private and public entities involved in the transport, logistics and energy infrastructure of both drybulk and petroleum products commodities. Specifically, from 2004 to 2009 Mr. Thomas served on the Board of Directors of Top Ships Inc. (Nasdaq: TOPS) and as Chairman of the Audit and Compensation Committees. From 2006 to 2010 Mr. Thomas served as the Chief Financial Officer of Paragon Shipping Inc. (Nasdaq: PRGN) and from 2001 to 2006 as Chief Financial Officer of DryShips Inc. (Nasdaq: DRYS). Mr. Thomas also served as the Chief Financial Officer of Excel Maritime Carriers Inc. (NYSE: EXM) from 1999 to 2001 and as the Chief Financial Officer of Cardiff Marine Inc. from 1994 to 1999. Earlier in his career he served in various positions within financial services and investments including from 1985 to 1993 as a Relationship Manager for Greyhound Financial Services, a transportation assets lender, from 1983 to 1985 as a Relationship Manager for Grindlays Bank plc (now part of Standard Chartered Bank) and from 1981 to 1983 as a Project Administrator at Hill Samuel & Co. Ltd., a leading UK merchant bank (now part of Lloyds Bank). Mr. Thomas holds a diploma in Business Administration from Crawley College, England.
Harry Braunstein will serve as our director upon the closing of this offering. Mr. Braunstein has been practicing law for over 49 years with a focus on corporate and commercial real estate transactions. He has been serving as the managing partner of Braunstein Turkish LLP since 2010, which specializes in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, private placements, transactional real estate, commercial lending, and franchise law. From January 2021 till February 2022, he served as Board member of Growth Capital Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: GCAC), a special purpose acquisition company that raised $172.5 million in February 2021 and merged with Cepton Inc. (Nasdaq: CPTN) in early February 2022. Prior to founding Braunstein Turkish LLP, Mr. Braunstein practiced with the Wall Street law firm Herzfeld & Rubin, P.C. for over twenty years, ultimately becoming head of the real estate group before establishing his own firm. Mr. Braunstein was a substantial shareholder and the Chairman of the Board of, Gotham Bank of New York, a commercial bank and member of the Federal Reserve. Gotham Bank was sold to Provident Bank, a subsidiary of Provident New York Bancorp (NYSE: PBNY) in August of 2012 and in April of 2013 Provident Bank acquired Sterling National Bank (NYSE: STL) which subsequently merged into Webster Bank (NYSE: WBS). Following the sale, he became a member of the New York advisory board of Sterling. Mr. Braunstein was admitted to the New York bar and is admitted to practice before the Federal courts of the United States and holds a BA in Political Science from Queens College and a Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School.