Biography of Greg Warnock
Co-Founder, Managing Director at Mercato Partners Greg Warnock is an entrepreneur, investor, and advisor with over 40 years of experience building, scaling, and guiding companies across a variety of industries. He is the co-founder and managing director of a growth capital firm that supports expansion-stage businesses in reaching their next level of growth. Through a structured approach based on operator experience, strategic governance, and strong networks, he works closely with company leaders to refine market strategies, develop leadership, and unlock new growth opportunities. The firm’s investments cover technology, healthcare, consumer services, and other high-growth sectors, reporting over $5 billion in exits as of 2020. Greg is also the co-founder of a platform focused on buyouts and growth in the food and beverage space. This initiative supports emerging restaurant brands with operational knowledge, focused investment, and access to a vast operator network. Under his leadership, it has contributed to the expansion of some of the country's fastest-growing restaurant businesses. The team helps improve performance, scale operations, optimize site selection, and preserve company culture during periods of rapid growth. The platform has become a key accelerator for early-stage food concepts growing across the U.S. Earlier in his career in investing, he co-founded an early-stage venture capital firm focused on high-potential opportunities in information technology and life sciences. As managing director, he played a central role in establishing the firm as a leading early-stage investor in its region. The team backed startups with transformative potential and guided founders navigating the early stages of building scalable operations. The firm later merged with another to form a continued presence in early-stage investment.