Who We Are

PAUL SPARKS

Managing Partner

Paul Sparks currently serves as Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Insignis Partners, a private equity and real estate investment firm located in Greenville, SC. Prior to forming Insignis, Paul was Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of RealOp Investments, a real estate private equity firm with over $650MM in assets under management and offices in Greenville, Charlotte, Nashville, Atlanta and Orlando. He has over 25 years of experience in the fields of banking and real estate, including commercial real estate capital markets, structured finance, enterprise risk management, mergers and acquisitions. Over his career, Paul has sourced and invested in over $2.5 Billion in commercial assets. Prior to joining alongside Kyle Putnam at RealOp Investments, Paul was the Senior Executive Vice President and Senior Credit Executive for a multi-billion-dollar commercial bank holding company based in Greenville, SC. Paul is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He attended the University of Alabama where he graduated with degrees in both Finance and Accounting. He later obtained a Graduate Degree in Banking from Louisiana State University and has completed the Leadership in Financial Organizations program at Harvard Business School.

Over the years, Paul has served the Upstate community in a variety of ways as a Board Member for both Upstate Warrior Solutions and the Children’s Museum of the Upstate and prior Board Member of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of VentureSouth Angel Network and the Urban Land Institute.

While residing in the Upstate with his wife, and their daughter, Paul enjoys spending free time golfing and traveling, watching Alabama Crimson Tide football and cheering on his daughter while she competes in her regular horse shows.

SEPH WUNDER

Managing Partner

Seph Wunder currently serves as Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Insignis Partners. He is formerly the Chief Legal Officer of RealOp Investments and its affiliated companies. Seph’s previous experience includes serving as General Counsel for Johnson Development Associates, Inc., a national real estate development company as well as a private corporate attorney for the law firm of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A. where he advised companies, developers, institutions, and governments in a variety of complex financial and corporate transactions. He has a wide array of experience in buying and selling companies, structuring and executing complex real estate and tax credit transactions, and managing operating companies. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Seph has served in a number of roles in the surrounding community, ranging from Chairperson of PULSE (an organization for young professionals), board member of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce’s board of advisors. Currently, he serves as Vice-Chair of the City of Greenville’s Board of Zoning Appeals. These impressive achievements landed him on both Greenville Magazine’s “Best and Brightest 35 and Under” and the South Carolina Lawyers Weekly “Emerging Legal Leader” list in 2011.

Seph now resides in Greenville, SC with his wife and two children, and in his free time, he enjoys outdoor experiences like bird hunting, fishing, and snow skiing.

KYLE PUTNAM

Managing Partner

Kyle Putnam currently serves as Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Insignis Partners. Over the last decade, prior to forming Insignis, Kyle was President and Co-Founder of RealOp Investments, a real estate private equity firm holding over $650MM in assets under management and with offices in Greenville, Charlotte, Nashville, Atlanta, and Orlando. Over the course of his career, Kyle has sourced and acquired over $1.5 Billion in commercial real estate assets. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina with a double major in Real Estate and Finance and also later received his Master’s in Real Estate Development from Clemson University.

Throughout his career, Kyle has prioritized giving back to his community and currently serves as a Board Member for both United Housing Connections, a non-profit working to end homelessness, and Artisphere, one of the top art festivals in the United States. Putnam has also previously volunteered with United Way Hands of Greenville and Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Upstate. Through both his career and volunteer achievements, he has received several impressive accolades, including being named one of 2013’s “Best & Brightest 35 and Under” and becoming a Certified Commercial Investment Member Designee, a designation that only 5% of Commercial Real Estate professionals obtain. Recently, Kyle was selected by a committee of business leaders across South Carolina to serve in the inaugural class of Palmetto Venture Fellows, a non-profit created by the South Carolina Department of Commerce that bridges funding gaps between investors and entrepreneurs by expanding risk-capital accessibility to early-stage startups across the State.

In his personal time, Kyle loves to travel, play golf, and ski while also being a father to two young sons.

CARLY CHAPMAN

Chief of Staff

Carly Chapman currently serves as Chief of Staff at Insignis Partners following her tenure working as an Associate at RealOp Investments. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management with a concentration in Travel and Tourism from Clemson University. While at Clemson, Carly also studied Psychology and has a deep interest in observing and understanding how different communities connect to one another and utilize their unique strengths to enhance their development.

SEBASTIAN CAPPELEN

Investment Management

Sebastian Cappelen currently works as an Investment Analyst at Insignis Partners. Originally hailing from Denmark, a successful golf career brought him stateside to the University of Arkansas, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Finance.

Sebastian’s impressive background includes a number of accomplishments as a professional golfer, including being named the 2013 SEC Individual Champion, a 4-time All-American, 3-time Palmer Cup participant (European), 2-time Korn Ferry Tour Champion, and competing for 2 seasons on the PGA Tour. In his free time, Sebastian enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter.

LAURA MOATS

Controller

Laura Moats serves as Controller at Insignis Partners and is a licensed CPA in both South Carolina and Florida. She was born and raised in Pensacola and attended the University of West Florida where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting. Laura began her career as an auditor at KPMG and went on to manage joint venture reporting for a publicly traded REIT in Jacksonville.

After relocating to South Carolina, Laura joined Paul, Seph, and Kyle at RealOp Investments where she served as Controller for five years. Laura resides in Greenville with her husband and their two daughters.

CHRISTIAN CALLOWAY

Development Manager

Christian Calloway currently works as a Development Manager for Insignis Partners. Born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina, Christian grew up playing select soccer and played at the Division 1 Level for the College of Charleston. He graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor’s degree in Management.

After college, he learned about the construction industry while working for his family’s commercial general contractor company before moving into a Development Manager position at RealtyLink. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing golf, and cheering on the Clemson Tigers.