OUR TEAM

Vinoda Basnayake:

Vinoda Basnayake is the founder and CEO of Versus Equity, an award winning multi-vertical lifestyle brand with best-in-class hospitality venues, a cutting-edge marketing agency and an innovative venture arm. Basnayake was previously President and Senior Advisor on Global Partnerships of Aspiration, a multi-billion dollar leading financial and sustainability services Public Benefit Corporation. Prior to joining Aspiration, Basnayake was a partner at the international law firm Nelson Mullins LLP where he was the Chairman of the Sovereign Practice and the DC Government Relations Practice and prior to that at Patton Boggs LLP. He has previously represented the governments of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, India and Sri Lanka, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and numerous other sovereigns, funds, and international corporations.

Mr. Basnayake is ranked in the Legal 500, has been recognized as The Hill’s Top Lobbyists for the past several years, was ranked as Top 40 under 40 by the Washington Business Journal and was honored as Top Lobbyist of 2020 by the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics. He has also been named Most Influential Under 40 for the past seven years by Washington Life Magazine. Mr. Basnayake and his business ventures have also been profiled in Washingtonian, Complex, Vanity Fair, GQ, Washington Post and numerous other international publications.

Mr. Basnayake has been nominated and confirmed for numerous political appointments. In 2020, Mr. Basnayake was appointed to be the first Chairman of Nightlife and Culture of Washington DC by Mayor Muriel Bowser. He was previously appointed Commissioner of the Small and Local Business Opportunity Commission for DC by former Mayor Adrian Fenty. He also served on Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Transition Team for Economic Development and was named to the ReOpen DC Advisory Committee for safe reopening during the pandemic.

He has spoken in panels across the globe on the topic of finance including the Milken Institute’s Middle East and Africa Summit in Dubai, Abu Dhabi Finance Week and the US Department of Commerce’s Sustainable Technology Forum in Egypt.

He also sits on numerous nonprofit and political boards. Mr. Basnayake was formerly the Chairman of the Board of DC Vote and sits on the boards of the Washington Institute, the Asian American Pacific Islander Victory Fund, Planet Reimagined, Soho House (Washington DC Committee), Ned’s Club (Washington DC) and the National Children’s Museum.

Mr. Basnayake is an honors graduate from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business where he was a double major and double minor. He received the Dean’s Citation for Outstanding Contribution to the Campus, received the Outstanding Student Leader Award and was selected student graduation speaker by his class. He received a joint degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the Wharton School of Business. Basnayake was a Global Justice Fellow at UPenn and Senior Editor of the Journal of International Law.

Mr. Basnayake is an avid art collector whose collection includes original pieces by modern artist Justin Bua, portraitist Shawn Michael Warren, street artist Mr. Brainwash, muralist MuckRuck and pop icon Kanye West. He was also the executive producer of the movie Sprinter with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Jared Nozick:

Jared Nozick is one of the most sought-after digital marketing and social media minds in the United States. He is a versatile marketing leader with a unique entrepreneurial drive and expertise in new media.

He started his career at Live Nation Entertainment (LNE), the largest entertainment conglomerate in the world. Mr. Nozick eventually became the youngest Director of Marketing for LNE’s electronic dance music subsidiary Glow. Nozick oversaw a portfolio of influencer outreach, social media marketing, and digital marketing through both paid and organic campaigns.

Armed with the expertise he developed from his experiences at LNE, in 2020 Mr. Nozick founded VSPR, his own digital marketing and social media agency. Within months of its launch, VSPR had amassed a diverse client base, including A-list celebrities, Fortune 500 companies, global food and beverage brands, multinational liquor companies, and other notable companies. VSPR led numerous successful campaigns including the sold-out launch of celebrity chefs Tom Colicchio and Spike Mendelsohn’s NFT, viral celebrity collaborations for fast casual phenomenon Ggiata, and marketing campaigns for international popstar Jay Sean’s liquor brand. Just two years after its launch, VSPR was acquired by the Washington DC-based conglomerate, VERSUS Equity.

After the acquisition, Mr. Nozick took the reins as VERSUS Equity’s Chief Marketing Officer, where he masterfully infuses data-driven strategies into both the company’s innovative venture arm and the traditional hospitality business. His oversight encompasses brand strategy, growth, management and revenue generation across the company’s hospitality portfolio, activations, marketing agency, and venture arm. One of Mr. Nozick’s most notable achievements is the development and successful launch of the Hangover Hugg, a headache relief cap that became one of the most viral products in the US. In its first month, the Hangover Hugg amassed over 25 million media impressions and was spotlighted at the 30th birthday party of Alex Cooper, the world’s most successful female podcaster. Benefiting from the ‘Alix Earle effect,’ the product was heavily promoted across various digital platforms, leading to its designation as one of 2024’s best products by Forbes. This surge in popularity helped secure national retail deals with TJX, HomeGoods, Urban Outfitters, and other major retailers. Since joining VERSUS Equity, Mr. Nozick has generated countless viral campaigns, garnering over 100,000,000+ media impressions, as well as $10,000,000+ in direct advertisement sales on paid advertising platforms.

Mr. Nozick completed his marketing degree at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business in 2018. Last year he was invited to serve as the youngest member of the Board of the prestigious University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, where he is the chair of the Philanthropy Committee. In his personal life, Mr. Nozick enjoys cooking, is a state champion athlete, and is a pianist armed with semi-perfect pitch. His passion for music, food and creativity intertwines seamlessly with his professional endeavors, illustrating the holistic approach he brings to every facet of his life.

Nikki Braden:

Nikki is the Vice President at Versus and youngest member on the squad. She grew up in South Orange, New Jersey and attended the University of Maryland and graduated with a B.S. in Marketing and Information Systems. An entrepreneur by heart Nikki has had the fastest ascent at the company. She joined the VERSUS team as a Marketing Intern in February 2021, became Marketing Manager in June 2021, then quickly went on to manage all of the marketing for the VERSUS venues as Marketing Director in October 2021. Now as VP of Hospitality she is responsible for guest experience, restaurant systems and technology, decor, and marketing and events execution.

Sagar Leva

Sagar graduated from Auburn University with high honor degrees in Finance and Accounting. That led him to a career in consulting at a Big 4 firm. Soon after, Sagar went to Northwestern Law where he earned his J.D. with a focus on real estate law. Sagar practiced at a large firm in Atlanta specializing in hospitality law. He represented developers, lenders, owners, and franchises. At Versus, Sagar is the COO and leads operations across all hospitality assets.

Andrew Fehretdinov

Andrew Fehretdinov has over 15 years of financial management and accounting experience. Prior to Versus, Andrew was a Director of Finance at SystemsNet, Inc., where he spearheaded M&A due diligence efforts as part of a private equity-backed portfolio company. Andrew started his career at J.P. Morgan as an investment banking analyst in the Equity Capital Markets Group in Hong Kong, followed by an investment banking role at Bear, Stearns & Co., Inc., in New York, and a subsequent analyst role at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in Washington, DC. Andrew obtained a BSBA degree in Finance/Accounting from Georgetown University and an MBA from the University of Florida.

Piero Spada:

With over 40 years of operational experience in Hospitality, Piero Spada is a veteran in all different aspects of food & beverage and entertainment. Dual Citizenship Italian from the Calabria region, Piero grew up in Pennsylvania and spent most of his summers in Europe. He spent a lot of time in New York, Philadelphia, Miami, and Las Vegas. He has a dual degree from Albright College in Psychology and Biology. Piero also is a Veteran of the United States Marine Corps and brings his military knowledge to Versus, especially when it comes to security policies and procedures. Piero grew up working in his parent’s Italian restaurant at the age of ten and basically has worked every job imaginable in operations. He’s a bit of an adrenaline junkie especially when it comes to adventure. He enjoys skydiving, scuba diving, soccer, lacrosse, martial arts as well as motorcycles. After graduating from college, Piero found himself in the modeling and acting career working in NY, NJ and Philadelphia. A renaissance man, Piero moved to DC in 2001 and has made it his home there among the who’s who of DC while entertaining celebrities, politicians and diplomats. Piero is comfortable and professional in all different social circles. He’s learned a lot from some of DC’s best from which he was mentored, especially when it comes to all aspects of night life, operations and hospitality. Piero is passionate and energetic to say the least. He has in-depth knowledge of all avenues of operations, while constantly evolving, learning and open to new methods. His constant thirst for learning and pushing the throttle drives him to achieve any task at hand. He enjoys concept development and design, project execution as well as being even a construction manager on many projects. As a multi-use tool, Piero is of great use to Versus in multiple facets.

Ashleigh Payne:

A native Washingtonian, Ashleigh has over twenty years of experience in restaurant hospitality and event planning in both Washington D.C and Los Angeles. After building an event staffing and event planning company in DC, she moved to Los Angeles to obtain a degree in fashion design and pursue a career in design and buying, while working at prominent L.A. bars. She now has two beautiful children and enjoys entertaining with a good martini.

Hank Bowers:

Hank Bowers is a seasoned restaurant industry professional with over two decades of experience in various roles, from line cook, bartender, manager and most recently beverage director. He’s renowned for his menu creations at iconic D.C. restaurants like Dlena, Fiola Mare, and Mintwood.

In September 2021, Hank joined Versus Equity, where he contributed to the successful launch of three new locations, focusing on crafting exceptional cocktail menus and wine lists. His inventive approach combines advanced mixology techniques with seasonal ingredients.

Notably, Hank played a pivotal role in transforming Ciel Social Club into a two-time award-winning rooftop hotspot. His creativity and dedication continue to make a significant impact in the culinary and beverage industry.

Alden Newman:

Alden joined VERSUS as a Marketing Intern right after graduating from University of Maryland in December 2020. Since then, he has risen to Vice President, where he leads our creative marketing agency and also works closely with our venture arm to support the launch and development of new products.

Jimmy Murrill:

Jimmy Murrill is a proud graduate of the University of Maryland GC, where he graduated with a BA in Communications. Jimmy’s most significant achievement came through his rapid rise to internet fame on the app Vine. With over 1 million followers and an astonishing 1 billion views, he left an indelible mark on the platform and the social media industry. He has worked with dozens of major brands like LG, K-Mart, Spotify, Apple, Music Choice, Beatbox Beverages, and many more. After Vine, he has worked behind the scenes in the world of digital marketing and social media. He has launched 2 clothing lines and numerous successful products. His stint as an influencer and his entrepreneurial experience equips him with invaluable insights that he applies to his position as the Creative Director of Venture at Versus.

David Sargsyan:

Born in Yerevan, Armenia; David has lived in Eastern Europe and USA. David graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Finance from the University of Maryland, College Park. He has experience with CFO Advisory, FP&A and Corporate Finance, Pre- and Post- M&A transaction advisory. He loves traveling, meeting new people and trying new food.