Andy Hagans is an author and entrepreneur whose career spans payments, real estate, and finance. He has spent over a decade in the payments industry, including as a leader at SoarPay and co-author of High Risk Merchant Accounts 101. Outside of payments, he is the founder of Mastiff Equity Partners, a private equity real estate firm in West Michigan, and a partner at OpportunityZones.com. He lives in Holland, Michigan with his wife and five children.
Career
Andy’s career began in the early 2000s in online marketing and content publishing. He was an early contributor to publications including A List Apart and Search Engine Roundtable, and he spoke at Pubcon, SXSW, and other conferences during that era.
From that foundation, he co-founded and grew a series of digital media businesses — including ETF Database (ETFdb.com), which became the largest independent media property covering exchange-traded funds in the United States before being acquired by VettaFi, now part of TSX Group.
Current Work
Payments Andy is an equity partner and growth lead at SoarPay, a high-risk merchant account provider serving regulated and hard-to-place businesses, and at TacticalPay, a payments brand focused on the firearms and FFL dealer market. His book High Risk Merchant Accounts 101, co-authored with Adam Carlson, was published in 2026.
Opportunity Zones Andy is a partner at OpportunityZones.com, the leading platform covering the federal Opportunity Zones program. He co-hosts OZ Newshour with Jimmy Atkinson, a monthly show covering policy, trends, and market developments. In October 2023, Andy and Jimmy spoke on Opportunity Zones and alternative investments at the Fitzgerald Institute for Real Estate at the University of Notre Dame. Andy also edited The Opportunity Zones Playbook (2026) by Jimmy Atkinson, featuring a foreword by U.S. Senator Tim Scott.
Commercial Real Estate Andy founded Mastiff Equity Partners, a real estate investment firm specializing in commercial properties across Southwest Michigan. Rooted in deep local knowledge and long-term relationships, the firm takes a strategic, community-minded approach to identifying, acquiring, and managing properties across the region.
Published BOOKS
- High Risk Merchant Accounts 101 — Authors: Adam Carlson & Andy Hagans
- The Opportunity Zones Playbook — Author: Jimmy Atkinson | Editor: Andy Hagans
Find Andy Online
Email me: andy@mastiffequity.com