Terren Peizer
Terren Scott Peizer, is an investor, financier and stock promoter. He is the founder of the Los Angeles-based investment companies Acuitas Group Holdings, and is the CEO of Ontrak.[1][2]
Terren Scott Peizer | |
---|---|
Born | |
Alma mater | Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania |
Occupation | Financier |
Website | www |
Peizer has held various senior executive positions within several technology and biotech companies, and was employed by Goldman Sachs, First Boston and Drexel Burnham Lambert as a bond salesman.[3]
Early life and education
Peizer was born in 1959, and raised in Beachwood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. He graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Career
In 1983, Peizer worked at First Boston, where he worked as a high yield bond salesman. After two years there he was interviewed by Michael Milken for a position at Drexel Burnham Lambert.[4]
Even though Michael's brother Lowell disapproved of Peizer, he was hired nevertheless, and given a 3.5 million dollar salary, as well as a $500.000 loan, so he could invest in the partnership.[5] Peizer worked directly under (and at the same desk as) Milken, whom he admired, sometimes pretending to be him on the phone, and calling him "Dad".[6]
When investigations into Milken's illegal activities started, Peizer approached the investigators, and offered them material evidence, in exchange for immunity.[7]
In 1989, after losing his job at Drexel Burnham Lambert (who were about to go bankrupt), Peizer moved back to his parents in Cleveland, and purchased a minor league basketball team, the Omaha Racers, which he sold again after about a year.[8][9].
Major deals and financial transactions
Between 1991 and '95 Peizer was also Chairman & CEO of Urethane Technologies, which was producing bicycle tires.
The company had been making losses since its inception in 1985, and went bankrupt in 1997.[10]
From 1993 to '95 he was the Chairman at CMS Enhancements (a subsidiary of Ameriquest), which produced computer parts.[11]
From 1997 to '99, Peizer was president of Hollis-Eden, a pharmaceutical company that was developing a drug that would work against HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis & biowarfare.[12]
In 1999 Peizer raised money for Tera Computer Company, a manufacturer of supercomputers, which allowed them to later buy out Cray Research. Peizer became chairman & director of Cray, until he stepped back one year later.[13]
Financial vehicles
Over the years Peizer has used the following holding and investment companies to conduct business (listed roughly in chronological order):
- Financial Group Holdings (California) [14]
- Beachwood Financial (California) [15]
- Wendover Financial (California) [16]
- Socius Capital Group (Delaware) [17]
- Socius CG II (Bermuda) [18]
- Crede Capital Group (Delaware) [19]
- Crede CG II (Bermuda)
- Crede CG III (Bermuda) [20]
- Intellect Capital Group (Delaware) [17]
- Acuitas Group Holdings (California) [16]
- Acuitas Capital Group (California) [19]
- Acuitas Financial Group (California) [21]
- Optimus Capital Partners (Delaware) [21]
- Optimus CG II (Cayman Islands)
- Optimus Life Sciences Capital Partners (Cayman Islands) [22]
Prometa
60 Minutes and The Dallas Morning News have criticized Peizer for bypassing clinical studies and government approval when bringing his Prometa program to market.[23][24]
References
- "22nd Century Group: A Lot Of Smoke, Not Enough Fire". nasdaq.com.
- "Curb Your Cravings For This Stock". wsj.com.
- "Kohlberg, Kravis Official Tells of a Hidden Milken Stake". The New York Times.
- "No Sales, but Watch the Stock Soar". The New York Times.
- Kornbluth, Jesse. Highly confident: The Crime and Punishment of Michael Milken. p. 213.
- Griffin, Nancy; Masters, Kim (12 January 2016). Hit & Run: How Jon Peters and Peter Guber Took Sony for a Ride in Hollywood. ISBN 9781439128046.
- "4th Drexel Employee in Immunity Bargain". The New York Times.
- "Of Rats and Riches". Financial World. 1994-04-26. p. 22.
- "Fun While it Lasted: 1989-1997 Omaha Racers".
- "Small world, ain't it?". Forbes.
- "CMS Enhancements Names New Top Management Team". LA Times.
- "Market Place; No Sales, but Watch the Stock Soar". The New York Times.
- "L.A. Financier Reemerges as Key Player in Cray Deal". Los Angeles Business Journal.
- "Drexel Figure Gains Control of UTI Chemicals". Los Angeles Times.
- "In the Shadow of the '80s : Yesterday's High Rollers Struggle in a New Era of Sobriety". Los Angeles Times.
- "Terren S. Peizer - About Me". terrenpeizer.com.
- "Terren Peizer Biography". marketscreener.com.
- "DayStar Technologies, Inc. - Schedule 13G". sec.gov.
- "Linkedin - Terry Peizer profile". linkedin.com.
- "Terren Peizer's Crede Capital Group invests $15 million into Net Element". terrenpeizer.com.
- "Growth Capital Investor" (PDF). growthcapitalist.com.
- "Advaxix - Notice of Redemption and Settlement Agreement". sec.gov.
- "Prescription For Addiction". 60 Minutes. CBS News. December 9, 2007. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- Ramshaw, Emily (January 20, 2008). "Texas' Prometa program for treating meth addicts draws skeptics". Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05.