OUR TEAM
Akiva J. Kurland
Founder & CEO
Akiva J. Kurland, CPA is the founder and CEO of Yellow Jacket Ventures and is responsible for the management, investment and property development functions at YJV.
Before founding YJV in 2012 as the formalization of 10 years of real estate investing, Akiva was the CFO of KG Funds Management, an event driven/special situations hedge fund. Akiva also was a manager at Blackstone in their credit group and was the CFO at Palladium Capital Advisors, a boutique investment bank. Akiva began his career as a CPA in Ernst & Young’s asset management practice.
Akiva graduated with honors with a B.S. in accounting from Brooklyn College, CUNY, is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of New York and is a member of the AICPA. He holds a Series 7, Series 27 and Series 63 license with FINRA and is a licensed real estate broker with the state of NY.
Akiva enjoys traveling, closing deals, cycling and skiing when he is not closing deals.
Craig J. Hyman
Controller
Craig J. Hyman, CPA is the Controller at Yellow Jacket Ventures and is responsible for the management of the accounting, tax and finance functions at the firm.
Craig brings three decades of experience to his position with an extensive background in accounting, real estate, mortgage banking, underwriting, compliance and property management.
Craig earned a B.B.A. in accounting from Emory University and received his Certified Public Accountant license in the state of New York.
Craig ensures that we all get paid so we have to be nice to him. He loves live music, sports and is a lifelong NY Giants fan.
Skyla D'silva
Assistant Vice President
Skyla D'silva, Esq is an Assistant Vice President at Yellow Jacket Ventures and is responsible for the legal and compliance functions and provides underwriting assistance at the firm.
Skyla graduated with an LL.M. from Pace University School of Law and a Bachelors of Law from Rizvi Law College in Mumbai. She is admitted to the state of New York as an Attorney. Skyla is also currently pursuing an MBA in international business and finance from Monroe College.
In her free time, she loves to work and study (and cook & bake when she’s hungry).
Alex Espinosa
Property Manager
Alex is a Property Manager at the Firm and is responsible for the property management, maintenance and construction functions at the firm.
Alex earned a B.B.A. in Business Administration from PUCMM in addition to an Associate of Science from People Business School in Santo Domingo, DR.
Alex travels back to the DR to watch baseball because that's better than getting caught in traffic driving to the Bronx.
Joycelyn Noralez
Accounting Associate
Joycelyn Noralez is an Accounting Associate at Yellow Jacket Ventures and assists with the accounting, finance and operations of the Firm's real estate portfolio and lending fund.
Joycelyn graduated with a B.S. in accounting from Brooklyn College, CUNY.
Joycelyn works when she's not debating politics and enjoys cultivating her love for music during her spare time.
Frances Hercules
Associate
Frances Hercules is an Associate at Yellow Jacket Ventures and is responsible to do just about everything in our office since no one else really does much.
Frances graduated with a B.A. in Marketing and Business Management from Long Island University. Frances loves bimmers and hydrates on moscato.
Sparrow St. Aime
Maintenance Engineer
Sparrow is a Maintenance Engineer at the Firm and is responsible for maintenance and upkeep at the firms real estate properties.
Sparrow loves shoveling snow during his free time, especially on weekends.