Zavanna

What Zavanna does

Zavanna Energy, LLC is a privately held oil and gas exploration and production company headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with field operations centered in the Williston Basin of North Dakota. Founded in 1994, Zavanna operates approximately 60,800 acres in Williams and McKenzie Counties, with average net production of roughly 19,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (BOEPD) and a peak gross production of 25,000 BOEPD. The company is among the top ten largest private oil and gas producers in North Dakota, serving landowners and mineral/royalty interest owners across the basin and producing crude oil, natural gas, and NGLs sold at prevailing market prices under offtake and pipeline arrangements.

The company's principal proprietary technology is The ExplorationStation, a 16-year-developed computer-based platform that integrates geological, geophysical, engineering, and production databases and applies statistical analysis to evaluate up to 30,000 wells per study area, enabling unbiased, exhaustive quantitative analysis of large producing areas. Zavanna has built a vertically integrated operating model around this technology: it co-owns the 1804 LTD gas processing joint venture with Flatiron's Midstream (a refrigeration gas plant expanded from 45 to ~60 MMCFD), helped establish Liberty Oilfield Services and River Bend Oil & Gas, and partners with ARM Energy for oil and gas marketing. The 1804 LTD infrastructure supports the company's pioneered gas lift artificial lift technique, reducing reliance on rod-pump methods and lowering per-BOE operating costs.

Zavanna monetizes hydrocarbon production through commodity sales at market-based pricing (WTI-linked crude, Henry Hub-linked gas), with no public pricing tiers or SaaS-style contracts. Royalty and mineral interest payments to landowners are calculated as a percentage of production revenue per individual lease. The company is 100% privately owned, has been recapitalized with Carnelian Energy Capital as of July 2024, and in March 2026 sold approximately 35,000 net leasehold acres, 175 operated wells, and 100+ drilling locations (~14,000 BOEPD) to Kraken Resources in a transaction funded by $400 million of 7.125% senior notes due 2031 and a $200 million equity contribution from Kayne Anderson affiliates and management.

Name

Zavanna

Legal name

Zavanna Energy, LLC

Website

https://zavenergy.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Zavanna Energy is a private oil and gas exploration and production company operating ~60,800 acres in North Dakota's Williston Basin at ~19,000 BOEPD. It serves landowners and royalty owners, uses proprietary ExplorationStation analytics, and is vertically integrated through the 1804 LTD midstream joint venture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oil and Gas Exploration and Production

NAICS

Oil and Gas Extraction (211), Natural Gas Extraction (21113)

SIC

Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas (1311)

akta.pro primary industry

Conventional Natural Gas Exploration & Production (Dry Gas) (EUAAAAAA)

Keywords

• Oil and gas exploration
• Upstream production
• Williston basin operations
• Mineral rights leasing
• Natural gas processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Oil and Gas Production Revenue: Zavanna generates revenue primarily through the sale of crude oil and natural gas produced from its Williston Basin assets. Production volumes average approximately 19,000 BOEPD. Revenue is commodity-price sensitive and derived from long-term leasehold positions in Williams and McKenzie Counties, North Dakota.
2. Midstream Processing Revenue (1804 LTD): Through its 1804 LTD joint venture with Flatiron's Midstream, Zavanna participates in natural gas gathering and processing. The plant processes ~60 MMCFD of natural gas from Zavanna and third-party producers, generating midstream revenue and reducing operating costs by enabling gas lift artificial lift.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zavanna Energy is a privately held oil and gas exploration and production company that acquires mineral rights and leases from landowners and develops oil and gas production in the Williston Basin of North Dakota. It operates over 60,800 acres across Williams and McKenzie Counties, producing approximately 19,000 BOEPD, and is vertically integrated through its 1804 LTD midstream joint venture for natural gas processing.

Product overview

Zavanna Energy is a privately held oil and gas exploration and production company operating in the Williston Basin of North Dakota. The company offers a single unified product centered on E&P operations, with proprietary exploration technology (The ExplorationStation) and vertical integration through its 1804 LTD gas processing partnership. The company has aggregated over 150 Bakken and Three Forks drilling locations and operates approximately 60,800 acres with average production of 19,000 BOEPD.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oil and Gas Exploration and Production (Zavanna Energy Operations)

Quantifiable outcome

• Gas capture efficiency nearly half the North Dakota Industrial Commission mandated limit in 2020
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Flatiron's MidstreamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZavanna partnered with Flatiron's Midstream to form 1804 LTD, LLC in 2012, establishing a 45 MMCFD (expanded to ~60 MMCFD) gas processing plant in Williams County, ND. Flatiron's Midstream provided midstream infrastructure expertise; the partnership enabled Zavanna to control its natural gas offtake and implement gas lift artificial lift, reducing operating costs.
• ARM EnergymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZavanna partnered with ARM Energy, a leading oil and gas marketing group, to competitively market oil, natural gas, and related products from both Zavanna Energy and the 1804 LTD midstream facility in the Williston Basin.
• Liberty Oilfield ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBetween 2011 and 2014, Zavanna helped start Liberty Oilfield Services as part of its vertically integrated operating model, contributing to the ecosystem of services supporting its Williston Basin operations.
• River Bend Oil & GasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBetween 2011 and 2014, Zavanna helped start River Bend Oil & Gas as part of its vertically integrated operating model, contributing to its diversified energy investments.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Continental Resources: Largest operator in the Bakken play and a foundational North Dakota producer. Compares to Zavanna on play focus (Bakken/Three Forks) but is far larger, public, and broadly diversified across multiple basins.
• Hess Corporation: Major Bakken operator with multi-decade North Dakota footprint, alongside global upstream assets. Overlaps directly with Zavanna on Bakken drilling inventory and operating model, at meaningfully larger scale.
• EOG Resources: Large independent with multi-basin exposure including significant Bakken operations. Overlaps on Bakken play economics and advanced completion techniques; vastly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• Kraken Resources: Houston-based PE-backed E&P formed to consolidate Williston Basin assets; completed acquisition of Zavanna Energy Operating, LLC in March 2026 with $400M senior notes and Kayne Anderson equity. Same basin, same play, similar operator model.
• Oasis Petroleum: Bakken-focused operator that emerged from Chapter 11 in 2020 and merged with Whiting in 2023. Compares directly on Williston Basin asset base, completion design, and operating philosophy.
• Northern Oil and Gas: Public E&P specializing in non-operated working interests and mineral rights in the Williston Basin. Closely comparable to Zavanna's basin focus and basin exposure though it pursues a non-operated model versus Zavanna's operator model.
• Whiting Petroleum: Bakken-focused E&P that merged with Oasis Petroleum in 2023 to form a large private Bakken operator. Directly comparable on play focus, scale (~300,000+ BOEPD), and Williston Basin asset base.

Others

• Liberty Oilfield Services: Hydraulic fracturing services company co-founded by Zavanna between 2011 and 2014 as part of its vertically integrated model. Closely tied ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor.
• Flatiron's Midstream: Midstream partner and joint-venture counterparty in 1804 LTD, which operates the 45–60 MMCFD gas processing plant supporting Zavanna's production. Adjacent/ecosystem player rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• RimRock Oil & Gas: Private Bakken-focused E&P pursuing acquisitions and development in the Williston Basin. Similar operator playbook, vertical-integration mindset, and scale ambition to Zavanna.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zavanna-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zavanna