The whole is more than the sum of its parts.

Our Team

Agman team members are highly ethical and pragmatic. While we expect individual excellence we celebrate our collective success.

Scott Silverman

Founder, Chief Executive Officer

H. Scott Silverman is Founder and CEO of Agman, a firm built on investrepreneurship — the belief that the best investors think and act like founders.

Scott has played an instrumental role — as both founder and initial investor — across a broad range of industries. Many of these companies have since been acquired or taken public, collectively generating billions of dollars in value for shareholders.

His influence extends beyond investing. Across Agman’s activities, Scott has championed initiatives centered on service and excellence: annually in excess of $1 million is contributed to communities and employees; more than half of team members and nearly a third of leaders are women, minorities, or veterans; and the Silverman Professor of Natural Sciences was awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Scott received his doctorate as a Keasbey Scholar from the University of Oxford and graduated with High Honors from Dartmouth College and first in his class from The Latin School of Chicago.

He serves as a Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of the University of Chicago Medical Center, and as Chairman of its Finance and Investment Committee.

Little Known

Three times a loser in championship water polo matches - high school, college and graduate school.

Jeff Silverman

Co-Founder

Jeff Silverman is a co-founder of Agman. After reading all the biographies he recognized, a 12 year old Jeff started over at 'A' before being inspired by Bernard Baruch – a financier, arbitrageur and advisor to Presidents.

In the more than 45 years since graduating from MIT with a degree in Management, Jeff has applied value-investing principles to interests in commodity futures, real estate and private equity.

Jeff applies the same intensity and creative synthesis that made him successful as an investor to his civic and philanthropic pursuits. Jeffrey currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Israel's premier think tank, the Institute for National Securities Studies (INSS). He recently joined the Advisory Committee for MIT's Center for International Studies and is a member of both the Political Science and Economics Visiting Committees at MIT.

Jeff is especially proud of his support for both an international competition envisioning peace The Jerusalem 2050 Project, and an effort he spearheaded to enhance global energy savings through the Silverman Evergreen Energy Fund. This fund has generated a projected 10 year savings of $50 million at MIT and has the potential to generate far greater savings when extended to other institutions. Jeff also currently serves as an advisor and mentor to PhD students at MIT President Rafael Reif’s new Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative. Previously, Jeff served on the Board of Directors of the CME (Nasdaq: CME) as a popularly elected Director from the Exchange Community and also chaired various committees, including Technology Oversight and Strategic Planning.

For his many contributions to Israel and the Friends of the IDF, Jeff was recognized as the Chicago FIDF "Man-of-the-Year" with the 2009 Binyamin Netanyahu Award.

He currently resides in Miami Beach and regularly travels to Israel and Europe.

Yonatan Dotan

Principal

Yonatan is a Principal with Agman, leading the firm’s real estate practice.

Agman's portfolio is comprised of over $1 billion in AUM held in multifamily, hospitality, and commercial real estate, including operating companies specializing in development, asset management, property management, brokerage, and construction services.

Yonatan previously served as the CEO of Metonic Real Estate Solutions and remains a member of the investment committee and board of Metonic. He also serves on the board of Seldin, LLC. He joined Agman in 2017, initially focusing on acquisitions for Ampler, a multi-unit quick service restaurant business, before moving over to lead the real estate team.

Prior to joining Agman, Yonatan was an analyst with the Scion Group, the largest privately held owner / operator of student housing communities in the United States.

Yonatan received his BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a member of YPO Nebraska and is a licensed managing real estate broker in Illinois.

Ben Gottlieb

Principal

Ben Gottlieb brings a diverse range of domestic and international private equity experience to Agman with a track record in both direct real estate investments and adjacent operating businesses.

Most recently, Ben was a Principal at Geolo Capital where he ran the firm’s hospitality business. During his nine years at Geolo Ben was responsible for a $1bn+ portfolio of hotels, resorts and mixed-use properties including Ventana Big Sur, Carmel Valley Ranch and the Chicago Athletic Association. Under Ben’s leadership, Ventana achieved the highest average daily rate in Hyatt’s entire global portfolio and was sold for the highest per key valuation of any hotel in North America.

Prior to Geolo, Ben was a Vice President of Acquisitions at AJ Capital Partners where he was one of the founders of Graduate Hotels®. While at AJ Capital, Ben oversaw the growth of Graduate Hotels® from a concept to a scalable investment platform. Ben began his career in Tokyo with Morgan Stanley Real Estate where he covered the firm’s hospitality business in Asia Pacific and Europe.

Ben received an MBA from Cornell University’s Johnson School and holds a BA from the University of Michigan.

Mark Plandowski

General Counsel

Mark serves as General Counsel for Agman.

Mark joined Agman in 2018 to apply his legal expertise across the firm’s activities.

Prior to joining Agman, Mark was an attorney with Greenberg Traurig, LLP, where he advised companies in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and various related matters associated with corporate transactions. While with Greenberg, Mark assisted Agman in the successful acquisition of over 130 quick service restaurants.

Before his legal career, Mark worked for CME Group, Inc., the largest derivatives exchange operator in the world. As an Associate Director of Operations, Mark spent time in London and Chicago overseeing trading operations in CME’s electronic derivatives markets.

Mark received his J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, his MBA from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, and his B.S. in Economics and Business Management from Cornell University.

Little Known

Cornell University - Swim Team Captain

Erica Wessel

Chief Financial Officer

Erica is the Chief Financial Officer at Agman and joined the firm in March 2025.

Erica is responsible for Agman’s overall financial functions, overseeing key areas such as treasury, tax, and financial reporting. In addition to her financial leadership, she actively contributes to key operational efforts and family office initiatives. Erica is developing and implementing strategic plans designed to enhance Agman’s efficiency and long-term performance.

Prior to joining Agman, Erica held leadership roles spanning strategic planning, operations, and financial management in both public accounting and the private sector. She is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.A. in Marketing from the University of Nebraska, as well as a Master’s degree in Accounting from Arizona State University.

Chris Kauffman

Strategic Advisor

Chris is a Strategic Advisor and has been affiliated with Agman in various capacities since 2011.

Chris currently serves as Chief Investment Officer of Agman Capital, an SEC-registered investment adviser based in Omaha, NE. Previously, Chris was Agman's CFO from 2021-2025, and he has managed Agman's direct public equity strategy since 2014.

Prior to joining Agman, Chris served in various strategic management roles, operational, and financial roles in both private industry and public accounting. Chris is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive) and received his B.A. in Accounting and Finance from Cedarville University.

Little Known

Nick Davies

Operating Partner

Nick is an Operating Partner at Agman.

He joined the firm in 2021 to support Agman’s rapidly expanding insurance platform. He serves on the Board of Directors for Virtus and Omaha National and is responsible for the identification and development of new opportunities.

Prior to Agman, Nick served as President of Brit Global Specialty Americas, spanning property, casualty, professional liability, and reinsurance in the US and Bermuda. As a member of Brit’s group executive, he was involved in strategic, financial, and cultural oversight for one of the largest syndicates in the Lloyd’s market. Nick also served as Chairman of Brit USA, Brit Bermuda, and Commonwealth Insurance.

Nick received his B.A. from King’s College London. He holds an ACII (Chartered Insurer) qualification and is a board member of City of Hope’s National Insurance Council. He is also a member of YPO (Chicago and Ocean Reef) and The Economic Club of Chicago.

Little Known

Former house music DJ
Master scuba diver and coral restoration enthusiast

Steve Wiborg

Operating Partner

Steve Wiborg is an Operating Partner at Agman and has been affiliated with the firm since 2016.

Prior to joining Agman, Mr. Wiborg served as Chairman, Executive Vice President and President of North America for Burger King Corporation, as part of the 3G Capital sponsored acquisition. At BKC, Steve played an instrumental role in defining and implementing the tremendously successful turnaround strategy, including a public listing of the company (NYSE: QSR).

Previously, Steve was President and Chief Executive Officer of Heartland Food Corporation, at the time, one of the larger franchise operators in the country. He held the position of Chief Operating Officer from 2003 to 2006 and was named President and Chief Executive Officer in December 2006. Prior to joining Heartland, Steve was an owner and operator of 56 Hardees restaurants.

Steve is a former director of Carrols Restaurant Group (Nasdaq: TAST) and currently serves as Executive Chairman of Ampler Restaurant Group, which he co-founded with Agman in 2016.