Management Team

David Spreng Image

David founded Runway Growth Capital in 2015 and is a member of the firm's investment committee.

David is a seasoned and respected Silicon Valley-based investment executive, with 30 years of experience as a venture capitalist and growth debt lender. As a VC, he has been active in the formation and development of nearly 50 technology companies with 18 IPOs and 14 trade-sales. He was ranked four times by Forbes magazine on their annual Midas List as one of the top 50 venture capitalists; in 2006 he was ranked the #8 VC.

Beginning in 2010, David transitioned from venture capital to growth lending as a Co-Founder of Decathlon Capital Partners, a provider of revenue-based loans to small, fast-growing, bootstrapped companies. His experience at Decathlon opened his eyes to the opportunity to use debt as an alternative to equity to finance the growth of both venture-backed and non-venture backed growth companies. In 2015, he formed what is today Runway Growth Capital to pursue this vision.

David’s commitment to the entrepreneurial ecosystem is unwavering. He has served on the board and as Chairman of the Government Affairs Committee of the National Venture Capital Association (“NVCA”) and has been an active member of the World Economic Forum (“WEF”) community—including as a frequent panelist in Davos, as a member of the Technology Pioneers Selection Committee, the Steering Committee for Entrepreneurship and Successful Growth Strategies, and as an adviser to the Alternative Investments 2020 and Mainstreaming Impact Investing initiatives.

Carmela Thomson

Carmela joined Runway in 2021 as Vice President of Finance & Accounting.

Before joining Runway, Carmela was an Audit Senior Manager at KPMG LLP. She is a skilled finance and accounting professional with more than 10 years of experience in audit, accounting, and risk management for financial institutions. She served as the Lead Senior Manager on the two largest banking audit engagements in KPMG's Chicago Financial Services Audit Practice.

Carmela has extensive experience performing integrated audits and a deep understanding of SEC, PCAOB, COSO, and SOX rules and requirements. She is also highly experienced in project management and driving process improvements. This led to her appointment as the Chicago Business Unit Continuous Improvement Champion, where she developed innovative methods to redesign the program that were later adopted nationally. In that role, she partnered with audit teams and business units to identify pain points, implement solutions, and improve both audit efficiency and audit quality.

Carmela is a CPA and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Economics from Loyola University Chicago.

corwell

Colleen joined Runway Growth Capital in 2022 as Chief Compliance Officer.

Colleen is a Managing Director in Kroll’s Financial Services Compliance and Regulation practice, based in New York. She leverages more than 20 years of experience in assisting industry firms navigate complex regulations by serving as in-house and outsourced Chief Compliance Officer for more than 20 firms, including registered investment advisors, investment companies and broker-dealers.

Prior to joining Kroll, Colleen worked as a Consultant at ACA, where she advised both small and large firms, including Fortune 500 companies on complex regulations. Before that, she held the title of Managing Director at Foreside Financial. Colleen has also held senior-level positions at Alaric Compliance, Ameriprise, Capital One and ING, and she was on the advisory board for BasisCode.

Further, Colleen has been the lead on numerous SEC and FINRA examinations and has a deep knowledge of a wide range of investment products, including private equity, private credit and real estate funds, registered investment companies, business development companies, private placements and retail asset management products.

Colleen was named in the Top 25 Financial Services Consultants and Leaders in 2024. Colleen holds a B.A. from The College of William and Mary. She also has an MBA from Touro University. Colleen has also completed the Corporate Governance Program at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. She holds FINRA Series 7, 24, 55, 63, 79 and 99 registrations and the Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) certification.

Colleen was the Head Coach of the Division I Women’s Soccer Team at American University in Washington, D.C., and she is currently a yoga teacher in New York City.