Fund Team
Brad Zapp, CFP®
President and Fund Manager, Connetic RIA LLC
Brad Zapp is the President and Head of Strategy and Marketing at Connetic Ventures, where he also serves as Founder and Managing Partner. A seasoned entrepreneur, Brad has a proven track record in building technology and financial service companies.
Prior to launching Connetic Ventures, Brad co-founded Legacy Financial Advisors. There, he played a pivotal role in growing the firm’s assets under management to $400 million. As the original Chief Compliance Officer, he also served as the primary liaison to the SEC during and after the firm’s RIA registration.
Brad’s knowledge extends beyond his primary roles. He currently sits on the boards of multiple venture-backed companies and serves on the Board of Regents at Northern Kentucky University, contributing his business acumen to both the private sector and higher education.
A graduate of the University of Kentucky, Brad holds a BBA in Finance and Economics. He is also a registered Certified Financial Planner, further solidifying his credentials in the financial services industry.
Chris Hjelm
Head of Investments and Fund Manager, Connetic RIA LLC
Chris Hjelm joined Connetic Ventures Inc., an affiliate of the Adviser, in 2018 as Senior Vice President and Head of Venture Investing. In this role, he has spearheaded over 65 early-stage venture capital investments. Prior to his current position, Chris founded and served as Chief Investment Officer of Mint Capital Group, LLC, a high-frequency trading fund. His professional background also includes leading data and analytics initiatives at multiple e-commerce companies.
Chris holds a BBA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Emory University and an MBA from the University of Cincinnati. He is also a licensed investment adviser representative, holding a Series 65 license.
David Ross
Venture Partner, Connetic RIA LLC
David brings extensive experience from both private and public capital markets to his role at Connetic Ventures. His career began in private markets at Alex Brown in New York City before transitioning to public markets, where he held senior positions at global financial institutions. These roles included co-head of EMEA leverage finance at Credit Suisse and Head of Leverage Finance and Capital Markets (Europe) at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Expanding his experience, David managed private equity and venture capital investments for a family office in Greenwich, Connecticut. He also served as Chief Operating Officer at a $2.5 billion global credit fund, further broadening his financial acumen.
In early 2023, David joined Connetic Ventures, bringing his wealth of experience to the firm’s investment strategies. He holds a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and a Series 65 license, underscoring his qualifications in investment management.
Currently, David resides in Stamford, Connecticut.
Brian McDermott, CPA®
Head of Valuation Committee, Connetic RIA LLC
Brian’s career in finance and accounting spans diverse industries and roles. He began in the assurance services division of an international public accounting firm, where he rose to the position of manager. His experience covered both public and private entities across manufacturing, distribution, and service sectors of various scales.
Transitioning from public accounting, Brian honed his skills in corporate finance. He served as Controller for two manufacturing companies and as Accounting Manager for a laboratory testing service business. For five years, he held the position of CFO at a manufacturing technology firm until its partial acquisition by Wendal Inc., where he was subsequently appointed CFO.
Brian’s educational background includes a bachelor’s degree in Accounting with a minor in Finance from the University of Dayton. He further enhanced his business acumen with an MBA from the same institution. Professionally, Brian is a Certified Public Accountant in Ohio and a Certified Managerial Accountant, underlining his comprehensive financial knowledge.
Mark Josefyck
Vice President, Investor Relations, Connetic RIA LLC
MJ is the Vice President of Investor Relations at Connetic Ventures , where he has served since February 2023. He also holds the positions of Managing Director at Winner Stays Consulting LLC and Chairman at Advisors Resource Co-op (ARC). MJ brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles at ARGI Financial Group, TD Ameritrade Institutional, and Schwab Advisor Services, showcasing his skills in business development, strategic partnerships, and leadership within the financial advisory sector.
MJ earned his BS in Managerial Economics from the University of California, Davis, after transferring from The Ohio State University where he studied Agricultural Managerial Economics.
JD Audena
Senior Associate, Connetic RIA LLC
JD Audena’s career trajectory showcases a diverse blend of hospitality, finance, and entrepreneurship. His professional journey began with Marriott International, where he excelled in hospitality management, driving significant business results across multiple markets.
Seeking to broaden his experience, JD pursued studies in finance, computer science, and business analytics at the University of Kentucky as a distinguished Pelissier Scholar. This academic foundation paved the way for his role at JP Morgan Private Bank in New York City, where he focused on investment strategy and comprehensive wealth management for Ultra High Net Worth clients.
JD’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to develop a consumer-focused event management platform and design a marketplace connecting local businesses with hotel guests. These ventures fueled his passion for supporting founders, prompting him to assist entrepreneurs across various stages and industries.
Currently at Connetic Ventures, JD harnesses his multifaceted background to democratize venture capital. He is committed to making it more accessible to both founders and everyday investors, leveraging Connetic’s innovative, technologically advanced, and data-driven approach.
Wendal
Analyst
Wendal, an AI-powered analytical tool, was co-developed by the adviser and honed over six years to predict startup outcomes. Acting as our primary analyst, Wendal conducts quantitative due diligence on potential investment opportunities. Its machine learning model is continuously trained on real-life outcomes from our proprietary database, allowing it to evolve and improve in real-time.
With capabilities equivalent to over 100 human VC analysts, Wendal empowers our lean team to efficiently evaluate a vast number of investment prospects. This cutting-edge technology can enable us to maintain a competitive edge in the fast-paced venture capital landscape while operating with a streamlined workforce.
Board of Trustees
Connetic Venture Capital Access Fund Trustees
Tony Schweier, CPA
Chair
Tony Schweier specializes in corporate and individual taxation and has been designated by Clark Schaefer Hackett as the primary S Corporation tax resource. Additional areas of experience include projection and forecasting of financial statements, business mergers and acquisitions as well as strategic planning. Owners of privately-held businesses appreciate that Tony is experienced in the challenges faced by family-owned companies. From start-up to the eventual generational transition or sale, Tony has guided a long list of clients, positioning their organizations to protect owner wealth and maintain company strength.
Tony was recognized as the 2015 recipient of the “Keith Baldwin Volunteer of the Year” award by the University of Cincinnati’s Goering Center for Family & Private Business, and was a facilitator for the USA Regional Chamber’s Strategic 8 process. He serves as a frequent advisor and expert witness for various law firms.
Tony holds a BSBA in Accounting from Miami University.
Todd Foley
Todd Foley is responsible for the corporate accounting team at The Kroger Co., which oversees all accounting services and external financial reporting for the company. These teams are primarily located at the Company’s headquarters in Cincinnati, the Kroger Accounting Services Center in Hutchinson, Kansas, and the Regional Accounting Service Center in Nashville, Tennessee. Todd is also responsible for Corporate Tax, Corporate Insurance and Claims, the Pension Investment Team and the Accounting Modernization Team.
Before joining Kroger, Todd worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers most recently at a Senior Manager of Assurance Services, serving several public company clients. He came to Kroger in 2001 as an audit manager in the Internal Audit department. He was then promoted to Controller of the Cincinnati/Dayton Division in 2003, before being named Assistant Corporate Controller at General Office in 2006. He was promoted to Vice President and Treasurer in 2013 and promoted to the role of Controller in 2017. In February 2024, Todd was named the interim CFO at Kroger.
Todd earned a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Notre Dame.
David Hyland, PhD, CPA
David C. Hyland is a Professor at Xavier University, with an educational background in economics, finance, accounting, and telecommunications. He is well published in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, real estate economics, insider trading, stocks and bonds, and corporate diversification. He has been distinguished for his excellence and experience in these fields with many prestigious awards, including O’Connor Fellow, Dean’s Teaching Award, Williams College of Business Teacher of the Year, and College of Business Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher of the Year.
He also passed the CPA exam in the state of Ohio. His teaching specialties include investments, derivatives, financial modeling and corporate finance. He received numerous teaching awards while teaching at Purdue, Ohio State, and the University of Texas – Arlington. His research has been published in journals such as Financial Management and Financial Analyst Journal. His current projects focus on real estate investment trusts, mutual funds and corporate finance. Dr. Hyland has industry experience as a sales representative with Sterling Drug and as an accountant at Owens Corning Fiberglass.
David received a Ph.D. from the Ohio State University, M.S.M. from Purdue University and B.A. from Indiana University.
