A strategist, not a salesman.
John Vachon, OZ Strategist, is the founder of Covalent OZ — an education and strategy practice for investors, business owners, family offices, developers, and advisors navigating Opportunity Zones and investment strategies.
The name is deliberate. A covalent bond is what holds a diamond together — the strongest bond in chemistry, formed by atoms sharing electrons. Covalent OZ is built on the same principle: entities sharing OZ resources, networks, and knowledge, where every relationship is mutually beneficial. As the son of a chemist and an artist, John brings a rare blend of the analytical and the creative to the work.
The Opportunity Zone ecosystem is small — fewer than 100 experts in the country work in the space at real depth, and John is quickly emerging as a strategist who shows people how to actually do OZs — not just understand them. He co-hosts the Home Field Advantage podcast on place-based capital, advises state and local economic-development organizations on OZ 2.0 designation strategy, and works directly with a tight network of vetted operators across fund setup, tax planning, and compliance. Two decades of leading redevelopment projects, urban revitalization, adaptive reuse, and capital-relationship building means he doesn't just teach OZs — he's in them every day.
His mission here is simple: make OZs approachable. Take the complex and make it simple, take the boring and make it interesting, and show that you don't have to be perfect to start. Remember — every diamond starts as coal.
