I am the co-founder and CEO of Mangrove.
I grew up in Africa and Egypt, went to university in the US and have lived in Europe for 20 years, integrating values of ambition, humility and open-mindedness along the way.
I launched our firm in 2000 with Gerard and Hans-Jürgen on the belief that talent is everywhere and that bold entrepreneurs should make more money than we do. This philosophy is imbedded in our firm’s DNA. I think entrepreneurs are the real stars and I spend my time traveling extensively across the globe looking for the next big thing.
I am interested in weird ideas. In fact, the weirder, the better. I engage with entrepreneurs who want to disrupt the norm and change the world. I am critical, direct and impatient, yet always supportive. I currently serve on the boards of FreedomPop, Nimbuzz, and Wix and had the privilege of being involved with Skype until the company was sold to eBay.
I was named to the Forbes Midas List in 2007, 2008 and 2009 as one of the top 100 global deal makers in technology and selected in 2010 as one of the 30 most influential persons in Luxembourg.
I spent the first 10 years of my professional life at Arthur Andersen, ultimately becoming a Partner in their business consulting practice before running their European venture capital fund. Meanwhile, I invested personally into several small businesses, tasting success when my brother took his company, the Frederick Brewing Company, public in 1997.
Outside of Mangrove Capital, I sit on the boards of Galenicum, a leading European generic drug company and the Mangrove Foundation, a philanthropic organization.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Florida and speak English, French and Spanish fluently.
