The people on your deal
Partner-led from the first conversation to closing.
Ellis Steinberg
Ellis leads Phoenix-Hill's origination and sell-side work. A venture capital investor and start-up specialist by background, he established Phoenix-Hill Partners with Kaunteya Nundy after a successful engagement with a Canadian venture capital firm, and now spends most of his week in conversation with business owners across Greater Montreal — sourcing opportunities, structuring sales and raising capital.
Earlier, Ellis co-founded and co-owned Summit Waters, a long-short global macro hedge fund, and advised several high-profile banks and investment institutions. Away from the office he is a competitive chess player and practises Muay Thai.
Kaunteya Nundy
Kaunteya is a mergers-and-acquisitions specialist who has been involved in roughly $2 billion of closed transactions, with a focus on food manufacturing, retail and technology. He spent several years in emerging-market private equity and private debt at a firm with $2 billion under management, analysing, structuring and syndicating investments in telecommunications, infrastructure, clean energy and agriculture, and most recently ran underwriting and portfolio management at a Montreal venture capital firm.
He was also chief operating officer of a food-robotics start-up, where he was instrumental in a $5 million seed round led by a Japanese automotive venture arm. Before finance, Kaunteya — a Cordon Bleu-trained chef — helped establish Joe Beef, one of Canada's top-ranked restaurants, leading its kitchen as chef de cuisine. He has three children and still cooks for family and friends whenever he can.
Michael Stachowski
Michael joined Phoenix-Hill in 2024 and has since risen to become Vice-President of Acquisitions. A CFA Level III candidate, he leads the firm's origination work: he runs the research that turns a buyer's criteria into a shortlist of Greater Montreal companies, qualifies each one, and is a driving force in the firm's client relationships.
He works alongside the partners through every stage that follows — valuation, letters of intent, diligence and financing — so the buyer and the owner deal with the same team from the first conversation to closing.
Before finance, Michael had a career in competitive hockey, which shows in how he works: disciplined, relentless and a team player. Away from the office he excels at golf and other sports.