About Us
Founded in 2018, Defiance is at the forefront of ETF innovation. Defiance is a leading ETF issuer specializing in thematic, income, and leveraged ETFs.
Our first-mover leveraged single-stock ETFs empower investors to take amplified positions in high-growth companies, providing precise leverage exposure without the need to open a margin account.
Matthew Bielski
Chief Executive Officer
Matthew Bielski is the Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of Defiance Group Holdings, where he leads the firm’s overall strategy and vision. He also serves as Chief Executive Officer of Defiance ETFs and Executive Chairman of Defiance Analytics, overseeing growth and innovation. Matthew began his career as a Portfolio Analyst at ProShares, then served as an Investment Management Associate at BlackRock. He later became a Senior Vice President at Direxion ETFs before founding Defiance. In addition to his work in finance, Matthew is a dedicated volunteer firefighter.
Jacob Ingram
President
Jacob Ingram serves as President of Defiance ETFs, where he oversees product development, operations, and marketing. With a background in digital strategy and data science, Jacob brings a unique perspective to ETF management—bridging the gap between traditional finance and next-generation marketing technology. Before joining Defiance ETFs, Jacob was the Founder and CEO of Defiance Analytics, a firm specializing in AI-driven marketing and data automation for financial institutions. His experience leading Defiance Analytics has been instrumental in integrating advanced analytics, digital distribution, and automation into Defiance’s ETF platform.
Sylvia Jablonski
Chief Investment Officer
Sylvia Jablonski is the Chief Investment Officer of Defiance ETFs. Sylvia is a pioneer in the ETF industry and a top expert recognized for her market expertise on television and radio, including CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox, WSJ, Barron’s, Yahoo and Forbes to name a few. Sylvia manages Defiance‘s investment outlook, capital markets, and product development. Prior to joining Defiance Sylvia was Managing Director at Direxion.
David Hanono
Chief Financial Officer
David is the Chief Financial Officer of Defiance ETFs. He leads the firm’s financial strategy, capital planning, and fund economics, playing a key role in Defiance’s growth and operational execution. He holds Series 7, 24, and 63 licenses.
Jesse Bornstein
Chief Operating Officer
Jesse brings nearly two decades of experience building and scaling businesses across asset management, banking, fintech, and digital assets. As COO of Defiance ETFs, he oversees firmwide operations and strategic initiatives driving innovation across Defiance’s products. Previously, Jesse led Defiance’s digital assets and private markets initiatives, guiding the firm’s expansion into crypto and alternative product structures. Before joining Defiance, Jesse served as Chief Commercial Officer at SonarX, a leading blockchain data infrastructure company. Earlier in his career, Jesse helped launch the Trade Finance Desk within Nomura Securities’ Global Markets franchise. Jesse was a co-founder of LiquidX, a fintech platform that scaled to over $25 billion in traded volume. He began his career at CIT Group, as part of its management rotational program.
Brendan Cavanaugh
Chief Strategy Officer
Brendan serves as Chief Strategy Officer for Defiance ETFs, where he oversees distribution strategy, national accounts, and product strategy. Prior to joining Defiance, Brendan served as Head of Strategic Development for ETF Solutions at Nasdaq, where he built a comprehensive platform of services for ETF issuers. He brings over a decade of experience in distribution and product strategy roles at leading ETF issuers, including Direxion, ProShares, and Allianz Investment Management. Brendan began his career in the Securities Division Analyst Program at Goldman Sachs and is a CFA charterholder.
Gabriella Zahn
General Counsel
Gabriella Zahn is the General Counsel of Defiance ETFs, providing strategic legal leadership across the firm’s product development, regulatory affairs, and commercial partnerships. She oversees fund launches, index and licensing arrangements, operational frameworks, governance, and complex negotiations that support Defiance’s thematic and options-based ETF lineup. Prior to Defiance, Gabriella practiced corporate law at Covington & Burling LLP, where she represented global financial and corporate institutions in high-stakes restructuring, finance, and M&A engagements. She began her legal career as law clerk to the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals.
Brian MacKenzie
Chief Compliance Officer
Brian MacKenzie serves as Chief Compliance Officer for Defiance ETFs, where he oversees the firm’s compliance program and ensures adherence to regulatory requirements across its ETF lineup. He brings nearly two decades of experience in investment compliance, having previously led portfolio surveillance and reporting at Janus Henderson Investors, managing regulatory filings, trade surveillance, and compliance for more than sixty global product launches, including ETFs and mutual funds. Earlier in his career, Brian was Vice President and Head of Portfolio Compliance at Brown Brothers Harriman. In addition to his work with Defiance, Brian also leads the Adviser Compliance practice at PINE Advisor Solutions, where he supports a wide range of investment managers in building and enhancing their compliance programs.
Ari Gutman
Vice President of Marketing Strategy
Ari is Vice President of Marketing Strategy at Defiance Investments, where he leads the development and execution of a strategic content plan to educate and engage investors. He oversees content creation across multiple platforms, ensuring alignment with Defiance ETFs’ brand while resonating with target audiences. Ari excels at crafting investor-centric content tailored to platform trends, driving engagement and effectively promoting Defiance’s products and value propositions. Prior to joining Defiance, Ari served as an Asset Manager at Rose Associates, overseeing real estate operations, and later served as the Head of Marketing at TipRanks, a financial research company. He brings extensive expertise in digital marketing, investor communications, and content strategy.
