Senatus is led by people who have built Utah's startup ecosystem, formed capital at scale, and deployed practical AI in operating companies, supported by an advisory board with deep operator and network depth.
Founder & General Partner
For more than two decades, Peter has worked at the intersection of entrepreneurship, venture capital, and economic development, helping founders build scalable businesses and connecting them with the capital, expertise, and networks needed to succeed.
At Kinect Capital (formerly VentureCapital.Org and the Wayne Brown Institute), he designed and led the mentor, education, and accelerator programs that prepared hundreds of early-stage startups for investment. Earlier, at USTAR, he helped establish and grow the Park City Angels and Salt Lake Angels, and has advised hundreds of entrepreneurs since.
Senatus Fund applies those lessons directly: better investment decisions through disciplined underwriting, diverse perspectives, AI-enabled workflows, and active value creation.
Investor Relations
Trent leads Investor Relations for Senatus Fund, building and maintaining relationships with limited and strategic partners. He is also Executive Director of Focusing on Children.
Previously he served as CEO & President of VentureCapital.org, as a Vice President at Zions Bank overseeing the bank's entrepreneurship efforts across Utah, and as Director of the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation.
He has raised significant capital nationwide, most notably over $90 million as a Regional Finance Director for the 2012 Romney presidential campaign. He graduated cum laude from BYU and magna cum laude from the J. Reuben Clark Law School.
AI Strategist
Shane drives AI-enabled operations across the firm, strengthening LP outreach and supporting portfolio companies in implementing practical AI that accelerates growth and improves efficiency.
He is the founder of SilverShore Partners, a growth and AI operations firm that helps investors and founder-led businesses build practical systems for outreach, diligence, sales workflows, automation, and execution.
Shane is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied Politics, Philosophy & Economics and was a three-time Ivy League champion in the hurdles.
Advisory Board · President & CEO, Utah Black Chamber of Commerce
Sidni champions access to capital, investment opportunity, and resources for minority- and women-led businesses. She is the former owner and CEO of ExecuteNow!, a finance and accounting firm serving nonprofits and small-to-mid-sized organizations, where she built national programs addressing systemic barriers to capital.
She holds a Doctorate in Biblical Psychology, a Master's in Theology, and Bachelor's degrees in Behavioral Science and Theology, and brings business strategy, DEI, and financial-accessibility expertise in support of overlooked founders.
Advisory Board · Co-Founder, Scale Navigators
Mick brings 25+ years of leadership across Fortune 100 companies and high-growth startups, specializing in aggressively scaling companies to successful exits. He has held executive and board roles at Micron Technology, ClickBank, Boeing, and AT&T Wireless, as CEO, COO, CGO/CRO, and strategic advisor.
He has chaired VentureCapital.Org–Idaho and the Boise Valley Economic Partnership, co-founded the Treasure Valley CFO Forum, and serves on the boards of the Idaho AgTech Council and the College of Western Idaho.
Senatus is supported by a stipended analyst bench recruited for diverse backgrounds, the engine that lets a lean team meet, screen, and genuinely understand far more companies than a partner-only model.
Analysts widen the top of the funnel and surface opportunities others miss.
Deep engagement produces proprietary insight and comparable evaluations.
A bench recruited for varied backgrounds strengthens every decision.