Announcing Clavana's October 2026 Elite Athlete Cohort
Clavana is delighted to welcome the newest members of its Elite Athlete Program: New Zealand two-time World Champion rower Oliver Welch; Team USA Olympians Tara Prentice and Lauren Jortberg; Egyptian Olympian Mohamed Farouk; and three-time Junior World Wrestling medallist Erin Golston.
Announcing Clavana's October 2026 Elite Athlete Cohort
Clavana is delighted to welcome the newest members of its Elite Athlete Program: New Zealand two-time World Champion rower Oliver Welch; Team USA Olympians Tara Prentice and Lauren Jortberg; Egyptian Olympian Mohamed Farouk; and three-time Junior World Wrestling medallist Erin Golston.
Representing an exceptional breadth of sporting and professional experience, the new cohort brings together talent from rowing, water polo, cross-country skiing, diving and wrestling.
As Clavana continues to expand its global Origination Team, the firm remains committed to creating meaningful career opportunities for individuals who have demonstrated exceptional ambition, resilience and performance at the highest levels. From world championship podiums and Olympic competition to professional sports leagues, each new team member brings a distinctive perspective and a proven ability to perform in demanding, highly competitive environments.
Whilst all continue to pursue international sporting success, with ambitions that include competing at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, they are simultaneously applying the skills developed throughout their athletic careers to new professional challenges. Through its Elite Athlete Program, Clavana provides a flexible platform to build commercial experience, develop meaningful business relationships and contribute directly to the firm's proprietary M&A origination activities.
Oliver (Oli) Welch
Two-time World Champion | Rowing | New Zealand
Oli Welch joins Clavana as a two-time World Champion, having won consecutive men's pair titles representing New Zealand in 2025 and 2026 alongside teammate Ben Taylor. Following their first World Championship victory in Shanghai in 2025, the pair successfully defended their title in Amsterdam in August 2026, cementing their position among the world's leading rowing combinations. Oli's international achievements also include World Rowing Cup victories and national championship titles.
Alongside his sporting career, Oli completed a degree in Financial Engineering at the University of Canterbury, combining technical and analytical development with the demands of international competition.
Tara Prentice
Olympian & Two-time World Champion | Water Polo | United States
Tara Prentice represented Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where the American women's water polo team finished fourth. A two-time World Champion, she helped the United States secure gold medals in 2022 and 2024, alongside contributing to the team's victory at the 2023 Pan American Games.
During her collegiate career at the University of California, Irvine, Tara established herself as one of the institution's most accomplished water polo players, becoming a four-time All-American and the program's all-time leading scorer. She also pursued extensive academic development, earning degrees spanning criminology, psychological sciences, innovation and entrepreneurship, and social analysis.
Lauren Jortberg
2026 Winter Olympian & Three-time NCAA All-American | Cross-Country Skiing United States
Lauren Jortberg represented Team USA at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, competing in cross-country skiing after establishing herself on the international World Cup circuit.
A three-time NCAA All-American at Dartmouth College, Lauren has also recorded top-20 World Cup results and represented the United States at junior and under-23 world championship level.
Originally from Boulder, Colorado, Lauren developed her sporting career in the Rocky Mountains before competing collegiately at Dartmouth, where she earned a degree in Environmental Science. Her progression to the Olympic Games followed a challenging period of injury and rehabilitation, demonstrating the resilience and sustained commitment required to return to international competition.
Mohamed Farouk
Olympian & NCAA All-American | Diving | Egypt
Mohamed Farouk represented Egypt at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, competing in the men's three-metre springboard event. He has also represented his country at major international diving competitions, including the World Aquatics Championships, and earned medals on the international Diving Grand Prix circuit.
Originally from Cairo, Mohamed developed his collegiate career in the United States, competing for the University of Miami after previously attending the University of Alabama. At Miami, he earned NCAA All-America honours and multiple Atlantic Coast Conference championship podium finishes, demonstrating versatility across springboard and platform events.
Erin Golston
Three-time Junior World Medallist | Freestyle Wrestling | United States
Erin Golston is a three-time Junior World Championship medallist in freestyle wrestling, having secured bronze medals in 2011 and 2012 before winning silver in 2013. A long-standing member of the US national wrestling programme, she has also claimed a US Open title and competed extensively at senior national and international level.
Originally from Illinois, Erin began wrestling at a young age before relocating to Michigan to train at the US Olympic Education Center while still in high school. Her development through the American wrestling system reflects years of intensive training, competitive resilience and the ability to adapt continually against elite opposition.
The Clavana Elite Athlete Program
Clavana’s Elite Athlete Program was created to support world-class athletes as they pursue their competitive ambitions while building meaningful careers beyond sport.
We recognize that elite athletes share many of the same qualities that make outstanding dealmakers: resilience, persistence, drive, competitiveness, focus under pressure, and exceptional communication.
Through the program, Clavana provides hands-on professional experience in origination, business development, and deal sourcing. The initiative offers both economic and structural support, creating a bridge between athletic excellence and future professional pathways. It helps athletes gain transferable skills, build networks, and develop commercial acumen while maintaining the flexibility required to train, travel, and compete at the highest level.
“Our goal is to create opportunities that not only recognize the discipline and intensity it takes to compete globally, but also provide a meaningful platform for transition, from sport to professional life,” said Clive Cooper, Co-Founder of Clavana, who has also enjoyed a remarkable career representing New Zealand in duathlon and continues to compete internationally. “This is about empowering exceptional individuals to thrive both on and off the field.”
About Clavana
Redefining M&A Deal Origination: Modern, Human and Fiercely Effective
Clavana helps private equity funds, portfolio companies, and corporate acquirers build predictable M&A pipelines through vetted, off-market opportunities worldwide.
We combine decades of private markets experience with focused research, human-first outreach, and qualified introductions to create proprietary deal flow without the noise.
Our role is simple but powerful: to help ambitious investors access off-market opportunities, build predictable acquisition pipelines, and connect with the right business owners at the right time.
By combining rigorous research, thoughtful engagement, and a global network of experienced originators and elite athletes, we help clients access decision-makers, uncover acquisition opportunities, and build relationships before opportunities reach the wider market.