John R. Exley III

CEO

John Exley is the Founder and CEO of Acorn Management Partners, a firm he built after more than two decades on Wall Street as a broker, fund manager, and OSJ owner. He started Acorn to close the gap he repeatedly saw between strong public companies and the brokers who ultimately influence market attention and capital flow.

His mission is to help companies under the roughly 10 - 12 billion market cap range overcome what he calls the “Neglect Effect” that space where good businesses are often overlooked by Wall Street. A teacher at heart, John believes many issuers are unintentionally following Wall Street’s playbook, which was written for financial firms, not operating companies, and measure success on the wrong metrics. At Acorn, he focuses on helping management teams shift from a purely financial playbook to an operator’s playbook, so their story, strategy, and execution are communicated in a way that truly reflects how they build revenue and long-term value.

Grounded in education and faith-based principles, John and his team work alongside licensed professionals to strengthen communication pipelines and, when needed, provide full in-house investor relations support so each client’s story is told clearly, consistently, and with conviction. What drives John most isn’t just markets, it’s people. Whether he’s coaching youth football, mentoring someone new to the business, or watching an employee or young athlete achieve something they didn’t think was possible, he defines leadership as guiding by actions, not just words. A proud Christian, Georgia Bulldogs fan, golfer, and firm believer that hard work and integrity speak louder than titles, John wakes up every day grateful for the opportunity to build markets by building people.