Why I became a corporate catalyst.

Many can walk all sorts of avenues in life. And I tried different paths over the years. Some were just never a good fit, whilst others were rollercoaster rides that left me nothing but a decent ass-kicking and headaches from San Fransisco to Tokyo. Ever since I started, I always wanted to be a VC guy. Or THAT VC guy.

Sights.

Venture capitalism was something to admire. An engine that fuels start-ups to keep em running. Owning that piece of power and responsibility. When I was living in San Fransisco, when tech and social media were booming in 2005 I’ve set my mind on Wall Street, VC, and hedge funds. And that was always the goal. Being on every side of the table, absorbing multiple perspectives from sleepless founders, angry hedge fund individuals, and rockstar VC partners, there was no ideal bracket to place me in this financial landscape.

Merit.

15 years later, I truly knew what I want to represent, who I want to be, and what values I place on the top of my list. And I came to the conclusion, I want to be THE corporate catalyst. An individual that might bend rules, that can shift grounds and take all the heat that others can’t. Found my heart in supporting the micro-economy. Because they need people like me the most. They need a backbone as they are a true pillar in our economy and financial landscape.

Yet, one thing never changed in finance: They’re all seeking innovation, progression, and shoot for 6 to 10 ratios in funding. But they never re-invented their own model. They scream modern, yet they stay traditional. So there was only one way to disrupt the whole landscape and either stick it to either side or become a hybrid version of all merits, leaving the downsides out. Who says Private Equity, VC, and M&A can’t be mixed? 

Battle.

I battled against lawyers, picked fights with bankers, defended young entrepreneurs that were bulldozed by people with more experience, raised millions of capital for other ventures, acquired vintage wine collections for anonymous buyers or I was labeled a corporate fixer for all sorts of shit that can’t be defined as legal or illegal. Getting your ass kicked every day or knock them out of a ballpark, day in day out. That’s what I live for. But that’s only solving so much in a day.

Moving now permanently to Taiwan, with some ‘leftovers’ in London, UK, I decided to build a different type of firm. A hybrid investment firm that closes bridges between people, corporations, and finance with me behind the steering wheel.

I have been running a private fund for ages, I have a growing business in the USA with a solid business partner and my wife’s e-commerce will place its mark this year. E-commerce that only supports independent brands across the world. And that will be backed by my own venture, creating a synergy of limitless opportunities.

Catalyst.

There isn’t much more I can ask for except when puzzling it all together it’s a catalyst on its own for every corner of the world. Soon launching LUMI V into orbit that truly represents me, what I stand for and how I strongly believe that fuck tons of money goes with undervalued talent, unheard start-ups, and ventures left in the cold by VC’s or PE funds.

I am going to battle again, be that badass or the individual walking lines others are afraid to do. But this time, it’s solving a much bigger purpose. Because I am scaling my position as a corporate catalyst into an infrastructure that can grow.