About 2PZ Ventures
Founder & Managing Member
Aakash Shah
Family-business operator, investor, and adjunct lecturer in the John L. Ward Center for Family Enterprises.
Aakash spent more than two decades leading the family-owned specialty-chemicals company that became Vivify Specialty Ingredients.
During that period, the business grew into a supplier of organic colorants, functional ingredients, and additives serving consumer and industrial specialties markets. The family ultimately partnered with private equity to scale and exit the business before beginning the next family-office chapter.
Today, Aakash runs 2PZ and brings the family-enterprise experience into investing, graduate classrooms, executive education, and mentorship. He holds an MBA from Kellogg and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Northwestern University.
Teaching and Speaking
Aakash brings first-hand experience from building, scaling, and selling a multi-generational family enterprise into classrooms at Kellogg and Columbia Business School. His teaching connects those decisions to private-market investing, family-office design, and preparing the next generation to lead with purpose.
Board service across family enterprise.
Aakash currently serves on the board of Gibson's Restaurant Group, where he applies his operating and family-enterprise experience in a distinct industry. The role reflects his broader interest in helping family-owned businesses navigate growth, governance, and generational transition, and he welcomes opportunities to contribute in similar board and advisory capacities.
Visit Gibson's Restaurant Group ↗
From Textiles to Multi-generational Wealth: The Shah Family Enterprise
A classroom case on building the Shah family business, evolving ownership, partnering with outside investors, and balancing monetization with legacy.
Read the case study ↗