Scott is responsible for overall firm leadership, investment decisions, investor relations, and team culture. He was the Managing Director and head of Corporate Private Credit at Arena Investors from 2015 to 2022.

Scott was a founding and investment committee member of Alcentra Capital, a subsidiary of BNY Mellon. He began his investing career at Bank of NY as an Analyst and 17 years later he was Managing Director and Investment Committee Member. Scott received his

MBA (summa cum laude) from Fordham University in finance and a B.S. from New York University with a dual major in finance and international business.

Scott is an avid skier and sports enthusiast.

Jake is responsible for sourcing, underwriting, executing, monitoring, exiting investments, and investor relations. Prior to Z2, Jake worked with Scott at Arena Investors as a Director in the Corporate Private Credit team, where he was responsible for sourcing and overseeing the underwriting team.

Jake served as a VP at ArrowMark Partners, a multi-strategy credit and equity fund based in Denver, Colorado, where he was responsible for sourcing, underwriting and monitoring private credit investments.

Jake has held roles with Golub Capital, UBS Investment Bank and Chanin Capital Partners. In 2021, he was recognized by M&A Advisor as an Emerging Leader in the 40 under 40 category.

Mr. Sussman graduated from Lehigh University in 2008 with a B.A. in Political Science.

Jake is an avid cyclist, skier, scuba diver and lover of the outdoors.

Andy is responsible for underwriting with a focus on operational and financial diligence, deal execution, portfolio and overall fund risk management and portfolio monitoring. Since 2023, Andy has served as a Z2 Operating Partner consulting for numerous portfolio companies.

In 2021, Andy co-founded Johnson & Starr, a Texas based specialty finance firm. He served as Chief Operating Officer of Hunter Kelsey, a Texas based tax lien lender, and was responsible for all aspects of the company’s operations. Andy was Head of Risk Management for ArrowMark Partners and managed risk across a multi-billion dollar investment portfolio including market risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, currency risk, business risk, inflation risk, concentration risk, reinvestment risk, convexity, and issuer risk.

Andy graduated from Dartmouth College in 2001 with an A.B. in Biology and Government.

Andy is a lifelong outdoorsman with a passion for world travel, often in remote and exotic locations.

Max leads Z2 origination efforts, responsible for sourcing, structuring and closing. He has a passion for building, developing & maintaining high level relationships and helping business grow. Prior to 2022, Max served as the Head of Growth for the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, where he oversaw the entire revenue stream and customer acquisition pipeline. Before that Max served as a Director of Strategic Partnerships for CBS Radio.

Max holds a BA in Communication from the University of Maryland.

Max is an endurance athlete. He is a 6x Ironman, including 2x Ironman Kona World Championship. In his free time, you can find him skiing down or running up big mountains.

Matt is responsible for sourcing, underwriting and closing new investments, portfolio monitoring and SBIC reporting.

Prior to Z2, Matt was a Senior Associate on the SBIC investment team at Quilvest Capital Partners, an alternative investment manager with over $8 billion of AUM, responsible for sourcing, structuring, and leading due diligence for new investments.

Matt began his career at Gabelli Asset Management as an Assistant Vice President responsible for sourcing & evaluating investment opportunities.

Matt holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BS in Finance & Economics from Roger Williams University.

Matt is a competitive sailor who enjoys skiing, tennis, and walking his doggie.

Ali is responsible for evaluating and executing new investment opportunities and supporting ongoing portfolio company initiatives. Prior to Z2, Ali worked as an Associate at Tresvista, a financial services and consulting firm based out of Mumbai, India. During his 5-year tenure, he managed and oversaw a portfolio 10+ private equity, asset management, and private credit clients across North America, Europe and Asia.

Ali holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Mumbai University.

Ali is an avid hiker, gamer, and sports enthusiast, who spends his spare time exploring new places and trail running large mountains.

Ryan is currently an Associate at Z2 responsible for screening new transactions, performing due diligence and portfolio monitoring.

Prior to joining Z2, he was an Associate at New 2nd Capital, a $2.4 billion private equity fund investing in middle market companies primarily through secondary transactions. Before that, he served as an Analyst at Everside Capital Principals, a $1.9 billion fund making fund commitments, secondaries, and making direct private credit and equity co-investments. Ryan began his career in the Corporate Banking division at HSBC, where he assessed credit risk for new transactions and managed a portfolio of existing loans.

Ryan holds a B.B.A. in Finance from Hofstra University.

Ryan enjoys golf, snowboarding, and playing lacrosse.

Akanksha joined Z2 in 2023 and has over 8 years of experience in research and data enrichment.

Prior to Z2, Akanksha worked as an Associate at TresVista, a financial services and consulting firm based in Pune, India. During her 5-year tenure, she managed work for a range of PE and VC firms across North America and assisted them with various middle and back office activities.

Akanksha holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Mumbai University.

Akanksha is an avid gamer, traveler and movie buff.

Ryan is a behavioral health executive and serial entrepreneur with over 16 years of experience founding, scaling, and exiting healthcare services companies. In 2009, he founded and was CEO of Steps to Recovery, leading the organization over a decade of sustained growth and profitability, culminating in a successful private equity-backed exit. Since then, he has launched multiple ventures across outpatient and residential treatment, with a continued focus on operational excellence, clinical innovation, and multi-site expansion.

Ryan’s expertise spans strategic planning, M&A, healthcare operations, and business development. He has served on multiple boards within the behavioral health industry and remains actively involved as an investor and advisor to emerging platforms with scalable, mission-driven models.

Outside of work, Ryan enjoys golf, fishing, and spending time with his friends and family.