This is my story. A journey from a curious kid tinkering with electronics to investment banking, private equity, and now building ventures in the UAE.

Along the way, I've learned that success isn't just about climbing the ladder—it's about finding the right ladder to climb.

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Growing up

From a very early age I was drawn to electronics and tech. I was able to put a cassette in the VHS player before I could properly walk.

As a 90s kid, I'm part of a unique generation that experienced life before the internet, yet grew up alongside it. Back then, I spent my days tinkering with computers and electronics.

I was generally curious. I wanted to understand how everything works, from how planes fly to underwater biology. At that time, there was no Youtube or Netflix, just Discovery Channel.

I loved tinkering with hardware, taking items apart and testing things. There was something about the whole process of breaking things down and rebuilding them that attracted me. I used to dig deep in computer settings trying to find what's buried in there.

All this points to me becoming an engineer, but I had bigger ambitions at the time. I didn't want to be an employee. I wanted to in charge. And I knew that going into finance is the way to get there.

Montreal, a taste of freedom

Most people fall in one of two camps. There are those who prefer comfort and like to stay close to the familiar. And then there are those who get excited and energized by exploring new things.

For me, studying in Montreal was a clear decision. At 17, I could live in a great city without my parents, free to explore anything while surrounded by people in the same situation as me.

It gave me to explore what gets me going. I started working out at the gym.

With graduation approaching, I found that investment banking was the perfect way to work with big tech companies at a strategic level.

What I gained
A degree
A lot of confidence
Lifelong friends

What I discovered
The importance of personal growth
Working out is a necessity not a choice
I love cooking, electronic music
Very cold weather makes you really appreciate the sun

Paris, opening doors

After four years in North America, I was excited about the idea of moving to Europe. Most investment banks there hire from masters programs.

London is the finance hub of Europe, it's where the big activity is happening. As I knew I would end up there, I choose to study in another country. So I decided to go to HEC Paris which is know for being one of the best business schools.

Despite its name, HEC is not in Paris. It's actually an hour away in a small village surrounded by nature.

What I gained
Another degree
A ticket to life in London
A lot more confidence
More friends

What I discovered
I love spending time in nature
I like recording the beauty in things, I got my first proper camera
You have to meet a lot of people to find those with whom you truly connect

London, the beginning

In terms of shaping one's identity, if growing up is v1, going to university is v2, then starting your career is v3.

Choosing where to start your professional life is one of the most important decision someone makes. For me, starting my career in London was the best decision I ever made.

When you're young and ambitious, living in a big city is the best gift you can offer yourself. It surrounds you with other ambitious and successful people who will inspire you and raise your game. You meet people from all over the world. The density of interesting people is unparalleled.

This is the best way to shape your identity. You meet more people, you work more, you go out more. You learn more, gain more experiences and ultimately grow faster.

London offered me a lot, but more on that later.

Investment Banking, the formation

Investment banking isn't for everyone. In fact, it's relentless. The hours are intense. We're talking very late nights, early mornings, and weekends. You're constantly under tight deadlines, juggling multiple projects at once, with no room for mistakes.

But through the grind, it shapes you. You become sharp and efficient. You work smart and fast. You end up with very high work standards.

You work with the biggest companies, shaping their strategies, dealing with VPs and CEOs.

And best of all, your deals make headlines. In fact, I was one of 4 people advising the real-life Logan Roy from Succession. Seeing this Bloomberg headline after I pushed the button to submit the offer was pretty exciting at the time.

I worked hard, but I knew how to work smarter that most. I firmly believed in leverage, I spent a bit of extra time developing shortcuts and macros. I even developed my own excel add-in to streamline tasks I repeat often.

It paid off. I was already good with numbers and analysis, but layering on top my optimizations meant that I could finish things in half the time it took others.

I've worked with exciting companies like Spotify, Fox, Supercell, Take-Two, Tencent and many more. I was top ranked. But I did not see myself doing this. I wasn't challenged enough. When I looked at the lives of those more senior than me, I wasn't impressed by what I saw.

I needed a bigger challenge, and I saw that private equity would give me that.

What I gained
Very high work standards
Confidence in my ability to get stuff done

What I discovered
Client servicing work is not as fulfilling

Private equity, learning excellence

Only 1 fund ticked all the boxes for me. Hg was the only private equity firm in London that was only focused on software. They had big ambitions, sharp people, and a top tier portfolio.

Welcome to the buyside, the "promised land" where investment banks are at your service.

You have proper ownership of your work. You're investing in good, large, growing SaaS companies. You're driving their strategy and improving their operations. The impact of your work is tangible.

Investment Banking was relatively easy. PE was a much more where I wanted to be.

To succeed in PE, you need be real good and at Hg, people are whip-smart. There is no room for error. In VC, for every 100 bets, 10-20% are expected to be successes. In PE, 100% of the investments need to return at least 2.5x. So when you evaluate a business, you go real deep.

And I got my fair share of uncommon experiences. I was debating camera tech with Marc Andreessen in Mountain View, celebrated closing a deal by flying a plane upside down topgun style and flew to a management meeting on a private jet to avoid stirring rumors.

Hg was wildly successful. We doubled AUM every 3 years.

I was operating at the top. I learned to fight hard to win at the highest level. And I saw firsthand what it takes to be the best: bringing together people with a singular focus on being number one. A valuable life lesson.

London, the transformation

Let's rewind a little bit. We've been too taken by work that we skipped over what's been happening in real life.

London gave me a lot.

• Travel, photography, drones
• Music
• Frieze art fair was a tradition
• Experimented with health and wellness. Vegan, Paleo
• Burning man, going to the US

I'm very grateful but I also recognized that I've also worked very hard for it.

The details are for another time. Here are the highlights.

I had to choose the single thing that changed my life the most, it's meeting Aneta.

What I gained
The best life partner I could have ever hoped for
A lot of stamps in my passport from exotic countries, timeless travel memories
A better understanding of what I want my life to look like
Even more like-minded friends
A deep interest and greater understanding of health and wellness
Invaluable life lessons

What I discovered
Taste is subjective, but man do most people have very bad taste
I really dislike touristy places and standardized luxury
Drones are an amazing way to get a different perspective

Something is missing

From the outside, everything seemed perfect - a high-paying prestigious job, a loving and achieved wife, personal growth, and plenty of travel. But something was missing. I felt like I was stagnating, both professionally and in terms of personal achievements.

I was really good at what I did. I was in my zone of excellence. But I saw that my colleagues had a genuine passion for it that I didn't share. They were living and breathing private equity. For me, it was intellectually stimulating but not truly fulfilling. Even closing billion-dollar deals didn't give me the same rush. I was climbing the wrong hill.

I felt like I had to build something I could be proud of. Most people would kill to be in my position in private equity, but I decided to "burn the boats" and leave.

On top of that, no matter where you are, staying 8 years in the same place makes you think of the "what if". A new place, a new environment. A sort of reset. Somewhere else in Europe would be too familiar.

So, despite never having been there, my wife and I took a leap and moved to the UAE.

Finding the big thing

Finding your true calling is not easy. It's not as simple as following your passion. It's about discovering the sweet spot where you can flow and do your best work - the zone of genius. It's finding that thing that you're good at and enjoy doing, then fully committing to it.

The best way to find what I was looking for through movement. It's learning things, doing things and meeting people to increase my luck surface area.

There were a few skills I realized I had to level up: building and selling. And so, I decided to run my own MBA program.

My aim: to piece together the experiences, knowledge and connections I needed to find it.

Dubai, a new page

When people think of Dubai, the first things that often come to mind are superficiality, materialism, and a strict culture. But there's so much more to this city than meets the eye.

Of course, it has its drawbacks. But you can make what you want out of Dubai. It's a place of ambition, always looking forward. With the right mindset and a good crew of like-minded people, it can be a great place to be based in.

Further, a foot in the door

Entering a new environment meant pushing hard and digging up opportunities. I knew that building a strong network was crucial to finding the right ones. I went to conferences, meetups, events. And started developing relationships across the region.

One of these connections was the head of a newly established venture studio that was backed by one of the largest Sovereign Wealth Funds in Abu Dhabi. After a series of discussions, it became clear that there was a good fit. So I joined Further as a founding member of a blockchain infrastructure startup. I was appointed interim lead for the launch of the MVP.

As I began working on the project, I quickly realized that I'm well equipped to do this type of work. I knew what to prioritize and pushed for results. I had high standards. And while I had to adapt to new types of responsibilities, it was rewarding. I was managing a team of eight people and oversaw overall strategy, go-to-market, product development, and regulatory matters.

But it also had its challenges. Although the UAE was looking to establish itself as a hub for blockchain, it was uncharted territory. It was a complex landscape that I had to navigate, balancing market needs, banking requirements, and regulatory oversight.

Ultimately, we paved the way for what is now Fuze.

WeScaleVentures, filling a gap

At that time, I kept on engaging with founders in the region. Through conversations, a clear pattern emerged: many tech companies were struggling with their go-to-market.

Around then, I had met John, a young and hungry guy who had recently moved back to the UAE. We saw a way to fill that gap. I had expertise with sales ops from my time at Hg and he had been doing hands-on software sales in Silicon Valley. It was a good opportunity for me to work on my sales skills.

So we founded WeScaleVentures.

Founders often get so caught up in the day-to-day grind of running their business that if they don't make space for it, they miss the big picture. That's where third-party advice from the right people can make a big difference.

I've been on both sides of the fence. In banking, I've had to polish up companies to make them attractive, but I've also been the one cutting through the fluff and finding the real gaps as a buyer. Having gone through this process many times with many different companies, I'm well positioned to provide meaningful guidance and an actionable plan.

Building something of your own is a rewarding experience. There's a special satisfaction that comes from seeing the real change you can make with clients you had to convince yourself. It's a testament to your skills and expertise when you can help a struggling company turn things around and achieve success.

However, as fulfilling as it is, there's a limit to how much this type of venture can scale. While WeScaleVentures is going well for now, I know that it's not the end game for me.

What's next

I've recently set my mind to create more than I consume. And to do so more publicly.

Creating is hard. It takes time. It takes practice. True knowledge doesn't come from reading or watching. It comes from doing and from creating.

Here's what I've been doing:

• I've been sharpening my coding skills. I've always been wired to think in this way, having tinkered with it since a young age, but now I'm applying it to more interesting applications. AI is giving me a lot more power to create and solve problems effectively.
• I used to occasionally write for my own benefit and saw great value over time when revisiting my old writing. Now, I've decided to do it more publicly. It holds me accountable to write frequently and forces me to articulate my thoughts more clearly.
• When my wife and I travel, we always aim to find the lesser-known places. I had taken so many pictures and footage from interesting travels but never shared them publicly. Towards the end of last year, we decided to release our archives from years of traveling. We got a lot of great feedback from it. People really appreciated it

So now, I'll be doing more creating and sharing going forward. And in the meantime, I'm keeping my eyes open for the next challenge. The next big thing. The project that I will be excited to pursue for a long time.