Investing Family Capital in
People and Partnerships

Who we are

Skydeck, based in Chicago, is a private investment firm investing capital on behalf of the Polsky family. Skydeck targets direct investments in lower-middle market companies in majority or minority equity positions. Additionally, Skydeck invests in opportunistic and income producing real property with experienced operators. Because of our proprietary capital base, Skydeck is not bound by any pre-defined time horizons or investment hurdles, and can be very opportunistic.

The foundation of Skydeck is the experience and entrepreneurial spirit of its founder, Michael Polsky, who founded Indeck Energy Services, Skygen Energy and his latest venture, Invenergy. The name Skydeck pays homage to the successful exits of Skygen and Indeck. These three successful businesses were built from the ground up into multi-billion dollar enterprises. Today, Invenergy is North America’s largest independent, privately held renewable energy provider and is leading the industry and country to a clean energy future. Since 2001, Invenergy has invested over $33 billion in wind, solar, storage and natural gas power generation facilities.

We understand the needs of business owners and executives. We have been in your shoes.
We have flexibility on structure, time horizon and risk management.
We use debt sparingly. We manage risk and do not have IRR hurdles to satisfy.
We act fast. Our decision-making process is nimble, and our diligence is efficient.
We let managers operate autonomously. We engage in board level discussions and are a non-intrusive partner to executives.

Investment criteria

Private Equity

Majority or minority equity investments in operating companies
$3-10 million in EBITDA for majority investments, flexible on minority
Sectors we like: services, manufacturing, consumer, healthcare
Business characteristics we like: consistent cash flows, attractive return on capital, recurring demand, low customer concentration, potential for growth
Management team and sponsors to have a material financial investment in the company

Real Estate

Collaborating with like-minded sponsors/operators willing to invest along side Skydeck in a material way
$3-10 million equity investments with control over major decisions
Preference for non-institutional, income oriented investments with high quality cash flow including sale-lease back opportunities with strong credits
Long-term hold periods, resilient assets able to perform through multiple market cycles

Meet our team

The Skydeck team works efficiently and effectively in a true partnership form.

Jon Taiber

Founder and Director, Skydeck
312-582-1402 / jtaiber@polskyholdings.com /

Jon Taiber has nearly two decades of experience in the finance, accounting and family office industries. Taiber has led and managed 50+ direct investments in private equity, early stage companies and real estate. In 2013, Taiber co-founded Skydeck.

In 2001, Taiber was recruited to run Polsky Holdings. While at Polsky Holdings, Taiber was responsible for all wealth management functions including the allocation of capital across traditional and alternative asset classes as well as direct investments. Additionally, he is a member of the founding group at Invenergy, which has grown to be the largest privately held renewable energy company in North America.

He has served on the boards of the Structurlam Mass Timber Corporation, LJP Waste Solutions, United Oilfield Services, Buzz Referrals, Conservatorio S.A. and Polsky Foundation as well as a member of Adams LaSalle Institutional Apartments LLC.

An Iowa native, Taiber earned a BBA, with distinction, from the University of Iowa and holds a CPA certification.

Tim Parker

Director, Skydeck and Polsky Holdings
312-582-1254 / tparker@polskyholdings.com /

Tim Parker has significant accounting and tax experience serving clients during his stint in public accounting. Additionally, Parker managed the tax and financial reporting process for a private equity backed international manufacturer working closely with management on mergers, acquisitions and strategic divestitures.

In 2015, Parker was recruited to run Polsky Holdings, the family office for the Polsky family. He is responsible for overseeing all financial functions including oversight and reporting on investments, treasury, asset management, tax planning and compliance.

A Chicago native and Certified Public Accountant, Parker attended DePaul University College of Commerce earning his Bachelor of Science in accounting. He is married with one child.

Evan Wood

Financial Analyst
312-582-1423 / ewood@polskyholdings.com /

Evan Wood brings a strong finance background in both family office and institutional operations, specializing in private equity and alternative funds. Wood has significant experience in the financial reporting process and valuations, while overseeing audit and tax preparation.

In 2017, Wood was recruited to join Polsky Holdings and Skydeck, where he is responsible for executing the investment functions of the group, portfolio asset management, and performing diligence on acquisition opportunities.

An Iowa native, Wood holds an MBA, with distinction, from DePaul University, earned a BBA, with honors, from Drake University, and holds a CPA certification. He is a dedicated runner.

Lior Shachaf

Financial Analyst
312-582-1769 / LShachaf@PolskyHoldings.com

Lior Shachaf has extensive investing experience across asset classes including public and private equity, real estate and venture. Prior to joining Skydeck, Lior worked as an investment professional at a family office and as an accountant at Ernst & Young. Additionally, he served in a special forces unit of the Israel Defense Forces.

Lior joined Skydeck in 2019 and is responsible for sourcing, evaluating and executing investments, as well as supporting existing portfolio companies.

Born in Israel, Lior received his MBA, with honors, from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, earned a BA, Magna Cum Laude, from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya and holds a CPA (Israel) certification. Lior is an avid hiker.

Michael Polsky

Founder, President & CEO, Invenergy

Michael Polsky is an energy industry entrepreneur and founder, president and CEO of Invenergy, North America’s largest independent renewable power generation company. Polsky founded and scaled three power generation companies. In 1985, he co-founded and was President of Indeck Energy Services where he led the development and financing of one of the first independent power generation portfolios growing to $300 million in value. In 1991, Polsky founded SkyGen Energy building the company into North America’s largest privately-held cogeneration portfolio before being acquired by Calpine Corporation in 2001 for $650 million. In 2001, Polsky founded Invenergy in what is now the largest privately held renewable energy company in North America.

Polsky chairs the Chicago-Booth Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, and is a member of the University of Chicago Board of Trustees where the family has provided significant financial support to the establishing the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. He is also the co-founder and co-chair of the Clean Energy Trust, a nonprofit providing technical training and seed funding to start-up companies. Additionally, Polsky also serves on the boards of the Argonne National Laboratory and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Foundation.

He holds an MSME Degree from Kiev Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Portfolio Companies

Skydeck maintains a diverse portfolio of private equity and real estate investments in addition to several opportunistic investments in venture and public companies. While Skydeck was founded in 2013, Polsky has been making successful direct investments in private equity, venture and real estate for over two decades.