John Ritter

John Ritter is a Senior Advisor at Avante Capital Partners.
Based in Hartford, Mr. Ritter advises the firm on strategic matters.
John joined Avante in 2019.
Mr. Ritter has over 30 years of experience providing debt and equity capital to both small and middle market businesses.
John started his career as an attorney in Connecticut, first as an Associate with a small law firm in Hartford, and then as General Counsel to an energy company with a focus on cogeneration projects.
In 1988, Mr. Ritter co-founded First New England Capital where he was a partner in several funds and later co-founded Balance Point Capital Partners in 2008.
In addition to having served on numerous portfolio company boards during his career, Mr. Ritter has also served on many non-profit boards, including the Hebrew Home and Hospital of Greater Hartford, University of Connecticut School of Law Foundation, University of Connecticut Foundation (where he served on the Investment Committee for a decade), as well as the Northeast Regional Association of Small Business Investment Companies (NERASBIC).
For 26 years, Mr. Ritter served on the board of the Connecticut Housing Investment Fund (now Capital for Change), including twice as chairman.
CHIF was founded as a non-profit organization in the early 1960s by Mr. Ritter’s parents to help African American families purchase homes in the Hartford suburbs where they were being prevented from buying homes.
Mr. Ritter is active in politics, having served as Councilman on the West Hartford, Connecticut Town Council and as State Representative in the Connecticut State Legislature.
Mr. Ritter graduated from Macalester College with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Highest Honors.
He holds a Master of Arts Degree in Religion from Yale University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut School of Law.
Mr. Ritter currently sits on the Board of Trustees of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame located in Springfield, Massachusetts.