Michael Norton

Director | Business Development

Michael Norton is a Director of Business Development for Houlihan Capital. Mr. Norton has been with Houlihan Capital since 2014 and is responsible for building and maintaining the Firm’s relationships with clients and referral sources alike. Balancing persistence and patience, Mr. Norton thrives on learning about challenges facing his contacts while awaiting an opportunity to work with their firms. His ultimate goal is to become a trusted partner and advisor providing value-added solutions and perspectives.

Mr. Norton’s international client base includes private and public companies as well as a wide array of alternative investment vehicles, including, but not limited to, Private Equity Funds, SBICs, Hedge Funds, Venture Capital Funds, BDCs, ’40 Act Funds, etc. Moreover, while most of Mr. Norton’s fund clients invest in traditional alternative investment strategies, a growing number invest in more esoteric assets, including cannabis and digital assets.

Mr. Norton has been integral in developing and cultivating Houlihan Capital’s growing cannabis practice. His cannabis client base ranges from emerging companies to many of the largest companies, both public and private, in the sector.

Mr. Norton is also a licensed attorney, and prior to joining Houlihan Capital, he was an associate in the Chicago office of Jackson Lewis, P.C.

Mr. Norton began his career as a Corps Member with Teach for America's Miami-Dade Corps. In that role, Mr. Norton was privileged to teach, coach, and mentor the students of Miami Norland Senior High School. Mr. Norton remains involved in education reform as a volunteer and supporter of a number of education-focused charities including Teach for America, the Big Shoulders Fund, and the Noble Street Network of Charter Schools.

Mr. Norton is also very involved with the greater M&A Community. He is on the Board of the Chicago Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG) and is involved with the organization nationally. He is also a member of the Small Business Investor Alliance (SBIA), the MBBI, and the American Bar Association, namely its Business Law Section. He is well-known through those and other communities as a dynamic master connector. Additionally, he was a founding member of the Chicago Leadership Alliance and formerly served as the Chicago Ambassador for the University of Minnesota Law School Alumni Association.

Mr. Norton holds a B.S. in Marketing and International Business from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School.