The firm

New York discipline,
California trained,
Florida run.

We bring order to AI work for firms that cannot afford to get it wrong. The first project earns back what it cost, and we stay on as your partner for every one that follows.

The name

Why Silver Buttonwood.

In 1792, after a market panic, two dozen New York brokers signed an agreement under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street. The New York Stock Exchange counts that signing as its founding. That agreement existed to bring order and trust to a market that had neither. The silver buttonwood is a different tree, a Florida native with silver leaves that grows along the coast. Two trees share a name and nothing else, which is the point: New York discipline, Florida base. Companies hire Silver Buttonwood for the same reason those brokers signed. They want order in a field that is new and unsettled.

Behind the vision

The Leadership Team.

Angelica Garcia, Managing Partner, Enterprise Sales

Angelica Garcia

Managing Partner, Enterprise Sales

Angelica Garcia is Managing Partner, Enterprise Sales at Silver Buttonwood, where she leads client relationships and new business.

She built her career at the top of the Miami market, selling luxury new development to investors and end buyers in deals that involve developers, lenders, advisors and brand partners at once. Earlier, in mortgage finance and contract administration, she learned how a transaction is structured, underwritten and closed before she sold her first unit. She still reads the financing and the contract as closely as the floor plan.

Two of Miami’s most closely watched residential projects are on her record. At Five Park Miami Beach, she played a key role in sales through the building’s completion and occupancy. She is now on the sales team for Villa Miami, the Edgewater waterfront development from Major Food Group, Terra Group and One Thousand Group.

At Silver Buttonwood, she runs the commercial side of every engagement. She knows how a large purchase gets decided, who has to approve it, and what a buyer needs to see before committing, and she brings that to firms deciding where AI money goes first.

Michael Vallen, Managing Partner, AI Operations

Michael Vallen

Managing Partner, AI Operations

Michael Vallen is Managing Partner, AI Operations at Silver Buttonwood. He has advised large enterprises on bringing AI into their organizations and on improving their operations so their AI investment pays off, both in financial results and in human capital.

Michael is also co-founder and CTO of DirectWay Health, an AI-native startup building products in three regulated industries: healthcare, health insurance and payments. As a founder, he has taken two companies to successful exits. His career runs through Silicon Valley and Southern California, with years in biotech and the automotive industry. He holds a degree in computer science from the University of São Paulo, a master’s degree in marketing from FAAP and an MBA from Stanford University.

Outside work, Michael follows Formula 1 closely, Max Verstappen above all. To him, an F1 team is the clearest model of a high-performing team. The driver’s result depends on engineers, strategists and a pit crew who each know their role and act on data in seconds. He builds and runs his own teams on that model.

A cyclist and triathlete, Michael trains and races IRONMANs. The result on race day comes from months of steady training, and that discipline keeps him performing at his best, personally and professionally.

How we work

With you at every step.

You do not need a plan before the first conversation. Writing one is our work. We start with the project that will pay back soonest, then stay with you through every one that follows.

AI, in order.

Want to work together?

One conversation tells you whether to start with an assessment or go straight to a roadmap.