The Z2 Team
The team of professionals has over 50 years of combined private investment experience and have made over 150 investments representing billions of transaction value across numerous economic cycles and industries.
Scott is responsible for overall firm leadership, investment decisions, portfolio construction, investor relations and team culture. Prior to Z2, Scott was the Managing Director and head of Private Direct Lending at Arena Investors from 2015 to 2022, where he built an investment team and investment portfolio. At Arena, Scott held numerous board positions at portfolio companies and led several restructurings.
Scott was a founding member of the direct lending strategy at Alcentra Capital, a subsidiary of BNY Mellon. Over a 10-year period at Alcentra and its predecessor funds, he was responsible for sourcing, underwriting, and monitoring of portfolio companies. Scott served as a member of the investment committee and on the board of directors of several portfolio companies. Previously, Scott served in operational and financial roles at a high-speed wireless telecommunications provider, and worked for a family office with a focus on lower-middle-market private equity.
Scott holds an MBA from Fordham University and a BS in Finance from NYU.
Scott is an avid skier, sports enthusiast and in his spare time can be found on his boat on the Long Island Sound.
Mr. Sussman is responsible for new investment sourcing, leading investment underwriting and closings, portfolio monitoring and investor relations. Prior to Z2, Jake was a Director of Private Direct Lending at Arena Investors, where he was responsible for sourcing, structuring, and leading due diligence on new investments. Jake worked alongside Scott Gold to build the originations and investment teams from 2018 to 2022. At Arena, Jake held board positions at multiple portfolio companies and helped successfully launch two fully owned FinCos (Johnson & Starr and Mountain Ridge Capital).
Jake served as a Vice President at ArrowMark Partners, a multi-strategy credit and equity fund based in Denver, Colorado. At ArrowMark, Jake was responsible for sourcing, structuring, underwriting, and monitoring portfolio company investments. Previously, Jake held multiple roles with Golub Capital, UBS Investment Bank and Chanin Capital Partners.
In 2021, Jake was recognized by M&A Advisor as an Emerging Leader in the 40 under 40 category.
Jake holds a BA in Political Science from Lehigh University.
Jake is an avid cyclist, skier, scuba diver and lover of the outdoors.
Max has a passion and affinity for building, developing & maintaining high level relationships and helping business grow. Prior to Z2, 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. Prior to the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, Max served as a Director of Strategic Partnerships for CBS New York, where he focused on Fortune 500 clients, C Level Executives and top media agencies to grow local, regional and national partner revenue share.
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.
