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
Lawyer
Skyla D'silva is a Lawyer at Yellow Jacket Ventures and is responsible for loan compliance, legal review and underwriting assistance.
Skyla graduated with an LL.M. from Pace University School of Law and a Bachelors of Law from Rizvi Law College in Mumbai. She passed the bar exam and is in the final stages of admission to the state of New York. Skyla is also currently pursuing an MBA in international business from Monroe College.
In her free time, she loves to work and study (and cook & bake when she’s hungry).
Howard Solomon
Property Manager
Howard is a Property Manager at the Firm and is responsible for the property management, maintenance and construction functions at the firm.
Howard is pusuing a B.A. in Business Administration from Medgar Evers College. Howard is a connoisseur of the finer things in life and lectures at one of the oldest fraternities in the USA when he is not indulging.
Rosanne Villanueva
Accounting Associate
Rosanne Villanueva 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.
Rosanne graduated with a B.S. in Fraud Examination and Financial Forensics from John Jay College, CUNY
Rosanne works when she's not dating and enjoys baking and (road) tripping 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.