NYSE: YCBD · 2015–2023
cbdMD, Inc.
Co-Founder, Chairman, CEO & President
- Capital raised$100M+
- Initial public offeringNov 2017
- Brand acquisition$135M
- Peak market cap$400M
- Aggregate sales$250M+
- Index inclusionRussell 3000
Charlotte, North Carolina
Martin
Sumichrast
Entrepreneur, investor, and strategic business advisor. Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of American Capital Partners — with 35 years spent building, financing, and scaling companies on three continents.
The Record
NYSE · 2020–2023
Adara Acquisition Corp
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Director
- IPOFeb 2022
- Equity capital raised$115M+
- AcquisitionAlliance Ent.
- Transaction value$600M
NASDAQ: GCAP · 1993–2002
Global Capital Partners
Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
- Employees500+
- Offices worldwide27
- Assets under management$1B+
- First public company1993
NYSE: BGH · 2012–2022
Barings Global Fund
Trustee; Chairman, Nominating & Governance
- Tenure10 years
- CommitteeChairman
- Also servedBarings Funds Trust
Today: American Capital Partners
Martin Sumichrast is Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of American Capital Partners, Inc., a strategic business advisory and corporate marketing firm. He is also Managing Director of Sunshine Advisors, LLC, a private holding company.
The work is hands-on: capital structuring, business development, and corporate strategy for founders and growth-stage companies. After three decades of taking companies public, running them, and — when necessary — winding them down, the advisory practice is built on having done the thing rather than having read about it.
Hawkeye Systems (OTC: HWKE)
In April 2026, Martin Sumichrast disclosed beneficial ownership of 69.1% of Hawkeye Systems, Inc. through Hawkeye HoldCo LLC and MCIMAC, LLC — a controlling stake and his most recent active investment in a publicly traded company. It follows the same pattern as the rest of the record: identify a public company with unrealized potential, take a real position, and get operationally involved.
Writing & News
March 23, 2025
Martin Sumichrast’s “Getting Sheared” Book Announcement
An investigative account of one of the most extensive and enduring Ponzi schemes in North Carolina history — co-authored with Don Yaeger and Jason Cole.
Read →January 2025
Guilty Until Proven Innocent: Debanking in America
How banks close customer accounts on accusation alone — no explanation, no appeal, no due process. A first-hand account.
Read →January 2025
Everyone Has the Right to Their Day in Court — If They Can Afford It
cbdMD spent a million dollars on an Oracle integration. Then Oracle cancelled the contract. What happens when the other side says “sue us.”
Read →Frequently Asked Questions
Martin Sumichrast is an entrepreneur, investor, and strategic business advisor with more than 35 years of experience. He is Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of American Capital Partners, Inc., and Managing Director of Sunshine Advisors, LLC. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.
He is CEO of American Capital Partners, Inc., a strategic business advisory and corporate marketing firm he co-founded. He is also Managing Director of Sunshine Advisors, LLC, a private holding company.
He co-founded cbdMD, Inc. (NYSE: YCBD) and served as its Chairman, CEO, and President from 2015 to 2023, taking the company public in 2017. He was also co-founder and CEO of Adara Acquisition Corp, which completed a $115 million NYSE IPO in 2022 and acquired Alliance Entertainment in a $600 million transaction. Earlier, he founded Global Capital Partners, Inc. (NASDAQ: GCAP).
It is a forthcoming book co-authored with Don Yaeger and Jason Cole, investigating one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in North Carolina history — the Siskey fraud — and its aftermath.
Yes. He co-authored two books with his late father, the economist Michael Sumichrast: “Opportunities in Financial Careers” and “The New Complete Book of Home Buying,” both published by Dow Jones Irwin.
He is based in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he lives with his wife Cindy. They have four children: Isabelle, Martin II, Andrew, and Caroline.
Get in touch
For advisory enquiries, speaking requests, or media, Martin’s office is the right first stop.