Jay Davis grew up in Nashville and married another Nashville native, Susan McGugin Davis. After graduating high school from Montgomery Bell Academy, he attended Vanderbilt University, where he graduated Phi Kappa Beta and majored in Economics. After working as a consultant in the healthcare industry for four years after graduating from Vanderbilt, Jay returned to school to obtain an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Upon graduating from Harvard, Jay founded Nashton Partners, an investment firm focused on acquiring a privately held business from a retiring business owner. In 2010, Nashton Partners acquired Vector Disease Control International (VDCI), a mosquito control company that helps cities and counties control vector borne diseases. Jay currently serves as the company’s CEO. Since acquiring the company in 2010, VDCI has grown from approximately 35 employees to over 110. The company has grown both organically and through acquisition, having consummated 5 ‘tuck-in’ acquisitions during this timeframe. As of the fourth year anniversary of the VDCI acquisition, all equity capital originally invested in the deal had been returned to investors while the profitability of the business grew at a CAGR of 27%.