David M.V. Barnes

David M.V. Barnes is Managing Director and Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at Palm Tree. Mr. Barnes has over 30 years of investment banking experience, having closed over 350 M&A transactions with a combined enterprise value in excess of $10 billion.

Prior to joining Palm Tree, Mr. Barnes was Head of Corporate Development at Lumio, Inc. where he created, built, and financed the fourth-largest photovoltaic solar sales & installation company in the country. During his tenure with Lumio, Mr. Barnes interviewed the owners of over 100 of the top solar sales & installation companies in the country, ultimately combining five of them into Lumio. Mr. Barnes helped recruit senior management of the company, assisted integrate the five companies and engaged his former firm, Houlihan Lokey, to provide the $110 million of acquisition financing necessary to purchase and roll-up all five PV solar companies.

Prior to Lumio, Mr. Barnes was a Managing Director at Cowen & Company and Head of West Coast Financial Sponsor Coverage. Prior to Cowen, Mr. Barnes was a Managing Director at Houlihan Lokey, where he was the architect and co-founder of the Financial Sponsor and Hedge Fund Coverage groups that are now responsible for generating over 70% of Houlihan Lokey’s total revenue.

Prior to Houlihan Lokey, Mr. Barnes was Vice President in charge of Mergers & Acquisitions at Protection One, where he reported directly to the CEO and closed over 200 alarm acquisitions. He also has direct investing experience as an Associate at both Brentwood Associates and Hancock Park Associates. Mr. Barnes began his finance career with Morgan Stanley in the New York Office.

Mr. Barnes graduated with honors from Harvard University with a dual-major in Economics & Sociology. He has also earned an MBA from Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA with an emphasis on finance. He has been a member of the NASD with Series 7 and 63 licenses since 1997.

Mr. Barnes lives in Manhattan Beach, and is always busy chasing and adoring his five children. He has a professed addiction to long distance swimming (ocean and pool) which he calls meditation. Golf will have to wait until his 70’s.