VERY NEAR THE beginning of our first interview for this story, 29-year-old Haley Patricia Zapolski told VNC that during 2019-2023 she had a lot to prove to herself and others as she navigated a succession of salaried jobs with Nashville Entrepreneur Center, Nashville Software School, Jumpstart Foundry and others.

Over those years, Zapolski said she celebrated her successes, but felt "pretty silly" and-or dismayed whenever falling short of both her personal goals and-or the expectations of others -- feelings most entrepreneurs recognize.

She said she's pretty sure some observers of her January 2024 launch of The Lighthouse workspace and startup-focused community event facility saw her Lighthouse move as "pretty audacious," adding that she suspects some doubters are "starting to take me seriously."

Some Nashville jaws must've dropped following news that Zapolski will soon stage the first Lightspeed Startup Hackathon at The Lighthouse.

Local AI consultant John Berryman has teamed with Zapolski to execute the event, which they describe as 'Unlike other hackathons [in that] the goal here is to launch, not just pitch. That means building a working MVP, validating it with users, and presenting it to judges and the community during two hours of live pitches.' FAQ - Registration.

Deliberately, the Lightspeed event comes just before Launch Tennessee's 3686 Festival convenes at Cannery Hall downtown. 

What's more, LaunchTN staff confirmed today that Zapolski will be a judge for the 3686 Pitch Competition, application for which VNC reported here.

Zapolski is prone to keeping score: She says that since January 2024 her efforts have directly helped local startups raise $9MM, noting that those startups have now raised much more than that through other means.

She believes her $9MM figure could hit $20MM by the end of this year. Some of her related postings are here and here.

Meanwhile, during the past 18 months, she has worked with at least 33 startups, placed 33 local hires, brought six co-founder pairs together, and helped three startups get their crucial first customers.

Among other performance metrics, she said she projects having helped 25 local startups to reach Series A ranks with three years. Within her first 5 years, that cumulative Series A total is projected to reach 50.

Then, by dawn 2035, she aims to have assisted 150 local companies reach Series A.

ENABLING SPVs

Forbes captured the appeal of SPVs earlier this summer, when an article proclaimed, "Enter the SPV. Rather than waiting to close a fund, managers are now going deal-by-deal. SPVs allow them to showcase judgment, generate returns, and build relationships with LPs who prefer optionality over long-term lockups. It is not just a stopgap. It is a proving ground."

An undisclosed portion of the abovementioned $9MM raised thus far is a result of relying on access to special purpose vehicles (SPVs) for herself and other like-minded individual accredited investors.

She's branded those SPVs that she helps sets into motion "Thunderstruck".

When Zapolski invests alongside other Angels in Thunderstruck SPVs, they rely on the Sydecar platform.

In March, for example, a Sydecar exec filed with the SEC on this Thunderstruck offering involving 14 investors.

Tim Connors

The lead investor is PivotNorth Capital, founded in Nashville by Tim Connors.

Currently, the Thunderstruck SPVs are smallish: totaling $125K-$250K each, with investors sharing interest in opportunities from "idea stage" to Series A.

Zapolski said she has personally invested in 19 startups thus far, usually with $5K checks. She said she's only marked-down one portfolio company to zero.

She explains that rather than relying entirely on her own diligence in vetting startups, she operates as an individual accredited Angel investor who is prepared to consider a personal investment in a given company, provided there's sufficient consensus among independent investors in her personal network -- and provided that the target's lead venture capital investor is receptive to allowing a new SPV an allocation of interest.

MONEY

Zapolski -- widely known by the sobriquet "Zap" -- operates all her business activity through Zap Investments LLC (Tennessee), which she registered in 2021. She is the only member of the LLC.

Asked whether she plans to recruit outside capital for a Zap Investments holding or align Lighthouse as a studio or accelerator associated with one or more venture-capital source, she told VNC it's "conceivable," but only if it advances the mission of helping founders.

She said she relishes the idea that, for now, that she has embraced a mission that could last a lifetime, serving founders and communities, and which could expand organically, as warranted.

Corporate sponsors of The Lighthouse's current programs include Citizens Bank, Wefunder, Riverfront Advisors, and Frost Brown Todd.

Asked about any current income sources beyond the Lighthouse, per se, Zapolski said she is paid to scout pipeline candidates for Atlanta-based VC Overline LLC (represented in Nashville by Brad Holliday); and, she helps recruit customers for tech-engineer provider Alvorada Dev, which based on Brazil's Atlantic Coast.

Her more recent consulting gig as "Capital Expert in Residence" for Nashville Entrepreneur Center ended last week.

Zapolski also told VNC, as she has her social-media following, that she and Lighthouse have made it this far by her being "cheap." For example:

• Parking her car and using city buses or her electric bicycle for transportation.
• Trading-out her pricey fitness membership in favor of using a lower-cost gym.
• Shopping lower-cost grocers and farmers' markets.
• Avoiding expensive restaurants, etc.

Zapolski resides in Nashville's Hillsboro Village and owns a rental property in Davidson County.

BACKSTORY

Zapolski was born in Thousand Oaks, Calif., but spent most of her youth in Davenport-Bettendorf, Iowa, graduating high school in 2014.

Her parents reside within an 8-hour drive of Nashville: Michael Zapolski is director of athletics at Augustana College; and, mother Stacey Hand Zapolski is head swim coach at Pleasant Valley High School.

Her siblings, Luke Zapolski, 27, and Noah Zapolski, 24, live in New York City and Nashville, respectively. They're not involved in pursuit of the mission adopted by their self-proclaimed "chronic older sister."

Zapolski earned an undergraduate economics degree, with minor in urban studies, at the University of Michigan (2018).

She has long been keenly interested in urban planning and community development, a fact she attributes in large measure to having witnessed the decline of local economies and communities in some rural midwestern regions.

Standing at the 6-foot mark today, Zapolski is a bit taller than when she endured eight straight years of high school and university rowing, and ran cross-country and track in high school.

She told VNC that, while she often served in the most competitive rowing teams in high school, she never rowed in a Michigan 1V top boat. Even so, she never abandoned the competition.

NOTES

The Lighthouse's operations are based at 207 24th Avenue N. (37203). The main building on the property was built 100 years ago, in 1925, and was once owned by Country singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn, who died three years ago.

It is currently owned by Dyersburg, Tenn.-based LORLYN LLC, which acquired 1Q 2015. LORLYN also owns 209 24th Ave. The properties combined 2025 appraisal value is about $3.2MM.

Given that real-estate development in the Centennial Park-Elliston Place area is hot and targeted for some redevelopment, VNC inquired of the owners regarding any plans for the property. A representative politely responded there would be no comment, "right now."

The Lighthouse site on 24th is roughly an 8-minute walk to the site recently announced for the new Vanderbilt Innovation District, VNC coverage here. VNC

 .last edited 1630 4 August 2025