"The programme provided me with the skills I needed to work in private equity and become a venture capitalist."
Programme: MSc Investment Management, 2010
Current role and company: Partner, Antler, New York
What motivated you to study the MSc Investment Management?
Prior to joining the MSc Investment Management, I worked in equity research for two years. I was looking to shift my career from equity research to the buy side. I chose the programme at the Business School (formerly Cass) for a number of reasons: I liked the curriculum with its focus on venture capital and private equity and I wanted to opportunity to do a deep dive research dissertation. Living and studying in the heart of London also appealed to me.
Tell us about your experience at the Business School?
The ability to do a master’s research dissertation is a huge selling point—I would encourage all students to take advantage of it. I did my research on evaluation techniques on pre-IPO internet companies. The knowledge I gained from my dissertation remains invaluable to me today and taught me the quantitative foundation of shifting from a public to private market investments.
The programme provided me with the skills I needed to work in private equity and become a venture capitalist. The Business School is an excellent place to network while you study and provided me with a global network. After graduating and returning to New York, I attended many alumni events hosted in New York and on the east coast.
You are a three-time entrepreneur and venture capitalist. Tell us about your career since graduating?
Over the last 15 years, I have invested $17B in market capital in over 20 of the world’s leading global technology companies and have founded three companies that have had successful exits.
I founded my first company during my master’s degree at the Business School with a classmate. After raising outside capital, the company was acquired by publicly listed Global Gaming Network and more recently I started HelloFresh in the United States, which went through a global IPO in 2017.
After being a founder, I shifted to become a venture capitalist and helped launched B Capital Group, a global growth equity fund partnered with BCG and Facebook’s Co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
Tell us about your current role?
Currently, I am a Partner at Antler, an early-stage venture capital fund. It’s incredibly rewarding to work with talented entrepreneurs across the globe, investing in companies and helping them scale.
What advice would you give to MSc Investment Management students?
Take advantage of the research dissertation! This will help you make a career out of what you’re most interested in. The global reach of the School’s student and alumni network is huge.
