Operating partners assist Nexa Equity with its operational due diligence, provide transactional support for prospective and consummated transactions and assist with Nexa Equity’s post-closing operating and other initiatives for portfolio companies. Operating partners are not employees of Nexa Equity, but are third-party consultants compensated separately.
Vlad Besprozvany
Founder and Managing Partner
Vlad is the Founder and Managing Partner of Nexa Equity. Vlad is Chairman of the Board of AutoReturn, Choice and Leap and sits on the board of Hometown Ticketing
Prior to founding Nexa Equity, Vlad was a Managing Director at Greater Sum Ventures. Before that, Vlad was a software and fintech investor at Insight Partners and Thoma Bravo. Vlad started his career as an investment banker at JP Morgan and Citigroup.
Vlad lives in Marin County outside San Francisco with his wife, son, and dog and is an avid snowboarder.
Todd is a Principal at Nexa Equity. Todd focuses on vertical-specific application software and healthcare and is responsible for executing transactions and portfolio management post-close. Todd sits on the board of Choice and Hometown Ticketing
Prior to joining Nexa Equity, Todd was Vice President of Strategy at Ubiquiti, Inc. Before that, Todd was an investor at Insight Partners and management consultant at McKinsey & Company.
Todd and his fiancée split their time between San Francisco and Philadelphia, although Todd’s sports loyalties continue to lie solely with Philly-based sports teams.
Joey is a Principal at Nexa Equity. Joey focuses on application software and fintech and is responsible for executing transactions and portfolio management post-close. Joey sits on the board of AutoReturn and Leap.
Prior to joining Nexa Equity, Joey was a Vice President at Luminate Capital Partners where he focused on growth buyouts in application software companies. Before that, Joey was a technology investment banker at Arbor Advisors and a management consultant at Waterstone Management Group.
Joey lives in San Francisco and enjoys skiing and traveling with his family and friends.
Harry is a Senior Associate at Nexa Equity. Harry focuses on vertical-specific application software and is responsible for sourcing and executing transactions.
Prior to joining Nexa Equity, Harry was an investor at Genstar Capital, a middle market private equity firm based in San Francisco, California. Prior to Genstar, Harry was an investment banking analyst at JP Morgan in New York
Harry lives in San Francisco where he enjoys finding the best sushi spots and is an avid Colorado sports fan.
Katie is an Investment Associate at Nexa Equity. Katie focuses on vertical-specific application software and fintech and is responsible for sourcing and executing transactions.
Prior to joining Nexa Equity, Katie was a consultant at AlphaSights, a global leader in knowledge on-demand services.
Katie lives in San Francisco but can be found in Tahoe most weekends during ski season.
Doug is an Investment Associate at Nexa Equity. Doug focuses on vertical-specific application software and fintech and is responsible for sourcing and executing transactions.
Prior to joining Nexa Equity, Doug was a Project Manager at Guidepoint, a leading primary market research firm for institutional investors.
Doug lives in San Francisco but is an avid supporter of his hometown New York sports teams.
Ryu Wongso
Analyst
Ryu is an analyst at Nexa Equity. Ryu focuses on vertical-specific application software and is responsible for building out investment theses and sourcing new deals
Prior to joining Nexa Equity, Ryu was an Economic Policy Intern at the Central Bank of Indonesia
Ryu lives in San Francisco and enjoys watching esports and cheering for his favorite team from the SEA region, Paper Rex.
Shelley is a Growth Partner at Nexa Equity. Shelley specializes in scaling small and medium-sized companies and sits on the board of AutoReturn and Leap.
Shelley currently holds seven independent board and advisory seats. Previously, she was an Operating Partner at Insight Partners and also held CEO, CTO, and other executive roles at Bynder, NTT, HP, and TicketMaster.
Shelley lives in San Francisco and loves to travel to Colorado where she can often be found skiing or hiking in the mountains.
John Thomson
Operating Partner
John is an Operating Partner at Nexa Equity and sits on the board of AutoReturn. John specializes in helping companies in the government sector scale their go-to-market teams.
In addition to his role at Nexa Equity, John is the Founder & CEO of PayIt, the leading SaaS provider of digital government services and payments. PayIt simplifies doing business with government agencies by consolidating hundreds of services and payments into one connected experience.
John lives in Kansas City with his family and is an avid golfer.
Rick Gustafson
Operating Partner
Rick is an Operating Partner at Nexa Equity and sits on the board of Leap. Rick specializes in helping companies operationalize processes to scale and build out go-to-market efforts.
Rick currently holds 6 independent board and advisory seats with application software companies. Previously, he was the CFO of ServiceMax and held other CFO positions prior.
Rick lives in San Francisco and loves to travel with his family.