Brad Zepecki, the former chief executive officer of software development and management consulting firm SafeNet Consulting, has founded a new startup focused on technology recruiting, data science consulting and technology strategy services.
Brookfield-based Octavian Technology Group has launched with a four-person team, which includes Zepecki and three former Northwestern Mutual employees. They are: Dave Pahl, former vice president of analytics and data science for Northwestern Mutual; Carolyn Olsen, former lead data scientist at Northwestern Mutual; and Chris Turner, former senior project manager at Northwestern Mutual.
“Octavian’s mission is to help our clients succeed, and help Milwaukee’s technology ecosystem grow, through strong technology leadership and helping companies understand and leverage the power of data science,” Zepecki said. “I’m passionate about helping clients manage the ever-changing technology landscape, creating a greater level of awareness of the power of data and building a team whose members thrive on finding new ways to solve problems and are encouraged to innovate on behalf of our clients, our company and our community.”
Zepecki led SafeNet Consulting for six years before leaving in September 2018 to form Octavian.
He grew SafeNet’s Milwaukee division from six consultants to 62, leading it to a 12-fold revenue increase during his tenure, according to a news release.
In addition to its work with clients, Octavian will actively support Code The Way, a nonprofit that Zepecki founded. The organization teaches technology to area high school students by helping them develop software for nonprofits.
“As southeast Wisconsin continues to make strides toward building a strong technology presence, it’s critical to our future that all high school students are given opportunities to develop a passion for software development and encouraged to contribute to our community’s tech future,” he said.
