James Altucher
About James Altucher
James Altucher (age 57) was appointed to Nuvve Holding Corp.’s Board on May 12, 2025 as a Class B director. He is a managing director of Z-List Media, Inc. (since 2020) and managing partner at JD Advisors (since 2007), with prior roles spanning hedge funds, financial media, and technology entrepreneurship. He holds a B.A. in Computer Science from Cornell University and attended graduate school in Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| JD Advisors | Managing Partner | 2007–present | Investment advisory; private/PIPE transactions |
| Z-List Media, Inc. | Managing Director and beneficial owner (with Robyn Altucher) | 2020–present | Technology venture/media; owns warrants issued by NVVE |
| Choose Yourself Media (sold to Agora Financial) | Founder; continued writer post-sale | 2015–2017; writer 2017–2025 | Financial research service; 185,000 paying subscribers |
| Formula Capital | General Partner (fund of hedge funds) | 2004–2010 | Portfolio management |
| Stockpickr, Inc. (sold to TheStreet.com) | Founder | 2006–2007 | Social investing platform |
| 212 Ventures | General Partner | 1999–2001 | Venture investing |
| Reset, Inc. (sold to Xceed, Inc.) | Founder | 1995–1998 | Software/web design for Fortune 100 |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| None disclosed in company filings | — | — | No other current public company directorships disclosed |
Board Governance
- Classification: Class B director (term expiring 2026) .
- Committee assignments: None at appointment; Altucher was “not yet appointed to any committees.” As of the July 2025 proxy, committees were: Audit (H. David Sherman—chair; Jon Montgomery; Brian Johnson), Compensation (H. David Sherman—interim chair; Jon Montgomery; Laura Huang), Nominating & Corporate Governance (Jon Montgomery—chair; H. David Sherman; Laura Huang). Altucher is not listed on these committees .
- Independence: Filings explicitly identify certain directors as independent (Montgomery, Sherman) and state the Board is a majority independent; Altucher’s independence determination is not specifically disclosed. Notably, his affiliated entity Z-List Media received company warrants prior to and contemporaneous with his appointment, which raises independence concerns .
- Attendance/engagement: Board met 19 times in 2024; all directors then in office attended ≥75% of meetings. Altucher joined in May 2025—no attendance data disclosed for him yet .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | Amount (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (non-employee directors) | $40,000 | Standard director fee |
| Chair of the Board additional cash retainer | $70,000 | If applicable |
| Audit Committee chair | $20,000 | |
| Compensation Committee chair | $15,000 | |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee chair | $10,000 | |
| Audit Committee member | $10,000 | |
| Compensation Committee member | $7,500 | |
| Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee member | $5,000 |
- Altucher will be “eligible to be compensated as a director … pursuant to the Company’s director compensation policy” .
Performance Compensation
| Instrument/Term | Shares | Strike/Exercise Price | Vesting/Expiration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z-List Media Warrant A | 500,000 | $1.05 | Not disclosed | Issued May 7, 2025 to Z-List Media, owned by James and Robyn Altucher |
| Z-List Media Warrant B | 500,000 | $1.25 | Not disclosed | Issued May 7, 2025 |
| Z-List Media Warrant C | 500,000 | $1.50 | Not disclosed | Issued May 7, 2025 |
| Equity Plan limit (non-employee director awards) | ≤400,000 shares or $400,000 (grant-date value) | — | Annual cap | Limit under Amended & Restated 2020 Equity Incentive Plan |
- No director-specific RSU/PSU awards or performance metrics (TSR, EBITDA, etc.) are disclosed for Altucher; 2024 director stock awards show none granted to other directors, indicating cash-heavy director pay that year .
- Company-wide clawback policy is adopted, compliant with Nasdaq rules (applies broadly to compensation subject to recovery) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
- No other current public company boards disclosed for Altucher .
- Interlock/Related-party tie: Z-List Media, owned by James and Robyn Altucher, entered a consulting arrangement on May 7, 2025, receiving warrants to purchase up to 1,500,000 NVVE shares; Altucher joined the Board on May 12, 2025. This creates a governance interlock and potential conflict of interest .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Hedge fund and venture investing experience (Formula Capital, 212 Ventures); fintech/media entrepreneurship (Stockpickr, Choose Yourself Media); cryptocurrency strategy; extensive publishing and media presence (books, podcast). Education includes Cornell (B.A. CompSci) and graduate studies at Carnegie Mellon .
Equity Ownership
| Date (Record) | Beneficial Ownership (Shares) | % Outstanding | Composition/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| June 25, 2025 | 74,850 | <1% | Up to 74,850 shares issuable via warrants held by Altucher; excludes additional Z-List Media warrants due to beneficial ownership limits |
| September 4, 2025 | 1,010,590 | 4.99% | Includes 100,000 shares held directly and 1,500,000 warrant shares held by Z-List Media; capped at 4.99% due to warrant ownership limitations |
- Beneficial ownership limitations: Company notes 4.99%/9.99% caps embedded in certain securities, constraining conversions/exercises and reported beneficial stakes .
Governance Assessment
- RED FLAGS:
- Related-party exposure: Z-List Media (owned by Altucher and spouse) received large warrant grants days before Altucher’s Board appointment; independence status not explicitly affirmed. This is a material conflict-of-interest risk and could impair perceived board independence .
- Ownership/warrant caps: Beneficial ownership limits (4.99%/9.99%) govern Altucher-affiliated holdings, but cumulative potential exposure via warrants is significant, creating alignment but also dilution/influence optics if caps are modified .
- Positive signals:
- Not assigned to Audit or Compensation Committees, which mitigates direct influence over financial reporting or executive pay amid related-party links .
- Board structure includes regular executive sessions of independent directors; majority independent board noted, though Altucher’s independence not specified .
Implications: Investors should monitor disclosures of related-party transactions, committee assignment changes, and any revisions to warrant terms or ownership limits. Clarification of Altucher’s independence determination and recusal practices on matters involving Z-List Media would improve governance confidence .