Sam S. Jain

Managing Partner

Sam S. Jain is the Founder & Executive Chairman of Fareportal and the Managing Partner at SPK Advisors. After beginning his career in travel, Jain quickly noticed the inefficiencies inherent in the offline processes of the wholesale travel industry. Recognizing the opportunity, he began work to automate and digitize travel ticket purchases. Jain’s first company, Farebuzz, was part of the early travel boom. In 2003, Jain used his own finances and bootstrapped the launch of Fareportal, a tech company focused on the travel space. Sam then purchased Travelong, a 50-year old travel company which provided Fareportal and other groups with enhanced ticket fulfillment and back-end processes and support, and expanded Fareportal’s relationship with a long list of airlines. Jain then moved to acquire One Travel, which provided a platform for product and market diversification.

In 2005, when CheapOair was launched as Fareportal’s first consumer online portal, Jain built and conceived the first OTA to incorporate the hybrid approach. This customer-centric focus emphasizes what Sam calls “the human touch” by combining the ease of online purchase with the support of live agents. Jain still believes in that promise, and as a result, Fareportal now employs thousands of customer care agents in locations worldwide. CheapOair is recognized as a leading OTA and appears regularly in the top 10 on the annual Travel Weekly Power List.

As Sam’s role has evolved over the last several years, he spends his time managing the board of directors and vision of Fareportal as well as directing SPK’s approach to investment management. He also works closely on giving back to the community with organizations such as NYU Langone Winthrop University Hospital, ISKCON, Doctors without Borders, Unicef, and the North Shore Animal League, among others.

Taylor Kiviat

Vice President

Taylor joined SPK at its inception in 2013. Previously, he was an Investment Analyst at the Smithsonian Institution's Office of Investment, where he helped manage the $1.1 Billion endowment portfolio. Prior to Smithsonian, he worked as a financial consultant to Nestle, Nintendo, and a Single Family Office in Manhattan.

Taylor received both his MBA and BBA from George Washington University, where he was a Global Leaders Fellow.