Tom Goldblatt

Tom Goldblatt is Managing Partner of Ravinia Capital LLC, a Chicago-based boutique investment bank focused on middle-market M&A, debt advisory, and distressed/special-situation transactions. Public sources conflict on Ravinia’s founding date: Ravinia’s current Tom Goldblatt profile says he founded the firm in 2011, while Financial Poise, National Law Review, and PRWeb biographies say he founded Ravinia Capital in 1998.

Before investment banking, Goldblatt held operating roles across sales, general management, acquisition, investment, and company leadership. Financial Poise says he led Bright Source, a consulting company focused on reducing import pricing, and previously served as CEO of Global Innovations, an import-products supplier.

Goldblatt’s academic background combines accounting, law, and business. Ravinia and National Law Review list a BA in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a JD from the University of Chicago, and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. He is also described as a CPA and CTP in third-party profiles.

His current role is primarily deal advisory, not traditional angel investing. Ravinia describes its work as helping owners uncover value, run competitive buyer/lender processes, raise senior debt, junior capital and equity, and close M&A or refinancing transactions. Goldblatt is also active in the turnaround community, including long-running involvement with the Turnaround Management Association and business-community events such as “What’s the Deal with Deals?” and “Battle of the Economic Experts.”

• No verified public source was found showing an active personal angel-investing mandate, seed-stage thesis, check size, or startup portfolio for Goldblatt. The public record supports a profile as a middle-market investment banker and distressed/special-situation deal adviser.
• Ravinia’s stated process emphasizes “vigorous competition” among buyers/lenders, broad buyer research, tailored sale narratives, structured diligence, and careful control of the transaction process.
• Focus areas include healthy sell-side M&A, distressed sell-side M&A, Chapter 11 / Section 363 sales, refinancing, senior debt, junior capital, equity capital raises, and strategic action plans for owners and creditors.
• Goldblatt’s own stated view on distressed deals: “In distressed deals, there will always be some parties who won’t benefit. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t take a stand and deliver your best work.”
• Ravinia’s target client appears to be a middle-market owner, lender, receiver, trustee, restructuring advisor, or sponsor dealing with liquidity pressure, insolvency risk, succession planning, sale preparation, or a difficult capital structure.