James Zenni

James Zenni is the Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of ZCG, a leading, privately held global firm with integrated capabilities across private markets asset management, business consulting services, and technology development and solutions. In his role, Mr. Zenni is responsible for the firm’s overall strategic direction, investment philosophy, global operations, and platform development, with a focus on value creation and delivering outstanding returns across all strategies for individual and institutional investors.

Founded approximately 20 years ago, ZCG has grown into a global private markets firm with integrated capabilities across private equity, credit, and direct lending, supported by business consulting services (ZCG Consulting) and technology development and solutions (Haptiq Technologies & Solutions). ZCG and its affiliates employ more than 400 professionals globally.

With more than three decades of experience across private equity, credit markets, and direct lending, Mr. Zenni founded ZCG with the vision of building a scalable and differentiated business model that integrates investment management with operational consulting and proprietary technology. Under his leadership, ZCG has evolved into a multi-disciplinary platform designed to drive value creation and support strong, risk-adjusted performance across all fund offerings and market cycles.

Mr. Zenni is also a technology innovator and has played a central role in the development of ZCG’s technology capabilities, including the firm’s technology affiliate and proprietary platforms designed to enhance operational execution, data-driven decision-making, and transparency across portfolio companies and investment stakeholders. He is the inventor and patent holder of Olympus Fintech, an advanced unified data platform for private equity and credit reporting and the flagship product of Haptiq Technologies & Solutions.

Prior to founding ZCG, Mr. Zenni founded an alternative asset management firm and began his career in the capital markets at Kidder, Peabody & Co., Inc., where he served as a Managing Director and senior member of the Capital Markets Department. His experience in global capital markets continues to inform ZCG’s disciplined investment approach and focus on long-term performance.

Mr. Zenni is also an avid philanthropist and has served on numerous nonprofit and advisory boards supporting initiatives focused on education, community development, and social impact. Through his family office, Pearl Street Equity LLC, he oversees strategic capital deployment across public and private markets, alongside select philanthropic initiatives.

Mr. Zenni holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and attended the MBA program at Xavier University, where he received the Department of Economics Award. He also attended the University of Vienna (Austria) School of Economics and Business Administration.