Jack Leeney
About Jack Leeney
Independent director of Banzai International (BNZI) since December 2023, serving in Class III with a term expiring at the 2026 annual meeting . Background spans venture capital and SPAC leadership: Founding Partner at 7GC & Co Sarl, former Chairman/CEO of 7GC SPAC, and earlier technology investment banking at Morgan Stanley; B.S. from Syracuse University . The Board has determined he is independent under Nasdaq rules .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7GC & Co Sarl | Founding Partner | Sep 2016–present | Led investments in Cheddar TV, Capsule, hims & hers, Jyve, Roofstock, The Mom Project, Reliance Jio |
| 7GC (SPAC) | Chairman & CEO | Since inception (pre-2023) | Led SPAC; BNZI is the de-SPAC successor |
| Telefonica Ventures | Head of U.S. Investing | Jun 2012–Sep 2016 | Led U.S. investments |
| Hercules Capital (NYSE: HTGC) | Investor | May 2011–Jun 2012 | VC investing |
| Morgan Stanley | Tech Investment Banker | 2007 (early career) | Worked on IPOs for Tesla, LinkedIn, Pandora |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Mom Project | Director | 2020–present | Current public/private board; human capital marketplace |
| PTIC (SPAC; merged with Appreciate) | Director | Dec 2020–Nov 2022 | SPAC board; business combination completed |
| Quantenna Communications (Nasdaq: QTNA) | Director | 2011–2016 (approx.) | Public company (acquired) |
| BOKU, Inc. (AIM: BOKU) | Director | 2011–2016 (approx.) | UK-listed payments |
| Joyent (acquired by Samsung) | Director | 2011–2016 (approx.) | Tech infra, acquired |
| CinePapaya (acquired by Comcast) | Director | 2011–2016 (approx.) | Media platform, acquired |
| Eventful (acquired by CBS) | Director | 2011–2016 (approx.) | Events/marketing, acquired |
| DoAt Media; Blueliv | Director | 2011–2016 (approx.) | Private companies |
Board Governance
- Classification and tenure: Class III director, term through the 2026 annual meeting .
- Independence: Board deems Leeney independent; all standing committees comprise independent directors .
- Committee assignments: Current Audit (Schofield—Chair; Boggs; Ward), Compensation (Ward—Chair; Schofield; Boggs), and Nominating (Boggs—Chair; Schofield; Ward) membership does not include Leeney .
- Attendance: Board held 16 meetings in 2024; each director attended at least 75% of Board meetings. Audit (4), Compensation (4), Nominating (2) committees had members attend ≥75% of meetings; independent directors meet in regular executive sessions .
- Controlled company context: CEO Joseph Davy controls ~90.67% of voting power via Class B stock; BNZI qualifies for certain governance exemptions as a “controlled company” under Nasdaq rules .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount | Frequency/Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual base retainer (cash) | $100,000 | Annual | Paid as determined by Compensation Committee |
| Committee Chair retainer | Audit $10,000; Compensation $5,000; Nominating $5,000 | Annual | Applies if serving as chair (Leeney is not a current chair) |
| Committee member retainer | Audit $5,000; Compensation $2,500; Nominating $2,500 | Annual | Applies if serving as member (Leeney not on committees) |
| RSU grants to non-employee directors | $371,507 total / 30,049 shares aggregate | December 2024 | Equity granted to the 4 non-employee directors; per-director split not disclosed |
- Rule 10b5-1 trading plans permitted subject to policy; lock-ups may apply to certain holders; directors also reimbursed reasonable travel expenses .
Performance Compensation
| Metric/Feature | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Performance metrics tied to director pay | Not disclosed for directors | |
| Equity plan features | Plan permits RSUs, performance awards, options; includes change-in-control acceleration mechanics and clawback provisions |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- Sponsor/7GC linkage: Beneficial ownership footnote ties 7GC & Co. Holdings LLC (Sponsor) to entities managed by SP Global Advisors LLC (managed by Jack Leeney), indicating Leeney’s managerial connection to the SPAC sponsor that participated in de-SPAC transactions; Board nevertheless determined independence and disclosed no Item 404 related-party transactions for him personally .
- Significant shareholder interlock on BNZI Board: Director Mason Ward is CFO of Alco Investment Company, a ≥5% holder, with multiple financing transactions disclosed; governance processes require Audit Committee review of related-party transactions .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Venture capital and SPAC leadership experience; prior public-company board service across technology and marketing; early-career IPO execution at Morgan Stanley; B.S. degree from Syracuse University .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Class A Shares | % of Class A | Class B Shares | Voting Power % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Leeney | 60,747 | 2.55% | — | * (less than 1%) |
- Hedging policy: Company insider trading policy prohibits hedging/monetization transactions (e.g., puts/calls, derivatives) by directors; pledging not expressly permitted in the text provided .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent director with deep venture and public board experience; regular executive sessions; structured director pay program; formal equity plan with clawback and change-in-control mechanics .
- Watch items/RED FLAGS:
- Controlled-company status with CEO holding ~90.67% voting power may limit minority shareholder influence and board leverage .
- Sponsor affiliation: Managerial ties to 7GC sponsor that engaged in share transfers and note conversions around the de-SPAC; while independence is affirmed and no personal Item 404 transactions are disclosed, this is a potential perceived conflict requiring clear recusal practices on sponsor-related matters .
- Going concern disclosure at the company level (material risk backdrop for board oversight) .
- Engagement: Attendance ≥75%; not currently serving on key committees—limits direct oversight roles but reduces compensation-related conflicts (no chair fees) .
Overall, Leeney’s independent status and venture acumen are positives for board effectiveness. The controlled-company structure and sponsor linkage are governance risks to monitor; clear disclosure, recusals, and robust committee independence (currently intact) help mitigate these concerns .