Josh Jd

Josh Christensen is a Director (Principal) at Mercato Partners, where he works on the firm's Traverse growth funds and also carries titles as Equity Director, Growth and Director, Artificial Intelligence. He joined Mercato in 2016 and leads the firm's sourcing and investing efforts in Southern California, applying a background in organizational design, corporate strategy, change management, and market research to help portfolio executive teams optimize growth strategy and execute organizational change.

Before Mercato, Josh was VP of Private Equity Investing and an engagement manager at Cicero Group, a leading management consultancy in the Intermountain Region. There he led strategic consulting and transformation engagements for Fortune 1000 companies across logistics, energy, financial services, technology, and private equity. His blended experience spans investing, management consulting, and law.

He is deeply tied to the University of Utah, holding a B.A. in Spanish and Business, an M.B.A. from the David Eccles School of Business, and a J.D. from the S.J. Quinney College of Law (the "JD/MBA" combination reflected in his LinkedIn handle, "joshjdmba"). He serves or has served on the boards of Vasion, Sphero, Protopia AI, and Cloud Elements.

Mercato Partners itself was founded in 2007 and focuses on growth companies outside traditional coastal hubs — prioritizing regions with abundant talent but constrained capital. Its Traverse Fund IV closed at $400 million in February 2023.

• Invests at the growth/expansion stage through Mercato's Traverse fund — targeting high-growth technology and branded consumer companies with roughly $7M–$50M in annual revenue.
• Emphasizes non-coastal, capital-constrained markets — Mercato's stated thesis is to back "geographies that have an abundance of talent but are constrained for capital."
• Focus sectors include software/SaaS, AI and deep-learning infrastructure, fintech, healthcare technology, and branded consumer.
• Values ecosystem-building and operational value creation — in a November 2025 podcast he described embedding "sales, marketing, and human capital excellence from first touch through IPO" and focusing resources where they "actually accelerate 100%+ growth."
• Personally sources and leads deals in Southern California, extending Mercato's playbook into that market.