My beginnings

I’m Michael Le. Born and raised in East Oakland, CA. Growing up without much taught me one thing: I need to work extremely hard on the right thing, so that I could create something out of nothing.

Realize CPA

2018 - 2022

Tax Advisory

Lots of people are leveraging the tax code to build wealth. I wanted to learn all the tips & tricks. In 2018, I joined Realize CPA, a tax advisory firm for high-net-worth individuals. Typical client had over $30M net worth and fell into one of the following four buckets: 1) tech co early employee or founder, 2) private equity / venture capital principal or owner, 3) large co executives, or 4) professional services firm owner.

Carta

2022 - 2023

Fund Operations

Asset ownership is one of the tools of wealth building. With the majority of people not owning assets, one important challenge to improve quality of life is building the infrastructure that makes it easier for people to become owners. In 2022, I joined Carta, a San Francisco-based financial technology company. We built technology products that make it easier for people to own assets. Backed by Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz.

The Naked Market

2023 - 2024

Strategy & Operations

Over 12% of global GDP is in food and beverage. Huge impact. In 2023, I joined The Naked Market, a Los Angeles-based food & beverage startup focused on starting and buying snack brands. Brands include Flock Foods (high-protein, low-carb snacks) and Rob’s Backstage (Jonas Brothers backed artisanal popcorn). Backed by Integrated Capital and Sequoia Capital.

Pegacy Capital

2024 - Present

Owner

Entrepreneurs and small businesses are the lifeblood of the U.S. economy. With 30% of small business owners retiring in the next 20 years and 70% to 90% of M&A failing, there is one thing we must do in order to maintain the lifeblood of the U.S. economy: transition business ownership into the hands of capable operators. In 2024, I founded Pegacy Capital, which is focused on small business acquisition.