Mina Takayanagi is a seasoned investment professional with over 15 years of experience across investment banking and private equity. Most recently, she was a founding partner at Nogales Investors, a Los Angeles–based middle-market private equity firm, where she was primarily responsible for due diligence and deal execution. Prior to Nogales, she served as Chief Administrative Officer for Lehman Brothers’ Los Angeles office, where she focused on identifying potential investment banking clients and building systems to track compensation. Before Lehman, she was a Principal at Warburg Pincus in New York, investing in real estate companies and leading rigorous due diligence efforts, with particular expertise in identifying risk factors often overlooked by other investors. Mina began her Wall Street career at Salomon Brothers and Bankers Trust, where she worked in investment banking across high-yield and leveraged finance groups, advising on leveraged buyouts and high-yield capital raises. While at Lehman Brothers and Warburg Pincus, she also founded internal women’s support groups, including Ladies of Lehman and Women at Warburg. She holds a BA from the University of California, Irvine, and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.