Meet The Team

President
William Silverbird
William Silverbird founded Polara Group in mid 2020. Mr. Silverbird is originally from the Oakland, California area. He grew up with family in the investing industry and learned some basics from them. He also has a background in genetic engineering, and pharmaceutical science.

Vice President
Harvey Stygian
Harvey Stygian is an essential part of the Polara team. Prior to becoming Chief Financial Officer with Polara, Harvey served as a partner in a global accounting and consulting firm for 14 years. He received his MBA from the University of Virginia.

Private Secretary
Sabrina Harrier
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Director of communications
Michael Byrde
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General Counsel
Nancy Gunn
Nancy has worked as General Counsel for over two decades. She graduated from Harvard Law School in 2000.

Associate General Counsel
Irena Belyaev
Irena has worked as General Counsel for over a decade, she is originally from Santa Monica, California, and she graduated from Yale Law School in 2010. Prior to joining Polara Group, she practiced law on Wall Street in New York City. She stepped back to General Counsel in 2025 in order to have more time with her family.

Human Resources
Mara Silverthorne
Mara was welcomed to the Polara Group faculty in winter of 2020, and has been a delight to work with ever since. Before she started her journey at Polara Group, she was a teacher.

Investment Manager
Cynthia Lowenstein
Prior to joining Polara Group, Cynthia has worked for three different hedge funds as an investment manager, and has handled over 500M in assets under management. She brings extensive experience and breadth to the Polara Group's investment team.

Lead Accountant
Valerie Barbala
Valerie joined Polara Group in 2024.
