Executive Interview
Executive Interviews
An Interview with
Valery Lorenz
Swiss Gulf Investment Partners
Founder & Partner
Swiss Gulf Investment Partners supports you with qualified knowledge –
With tested expertise we combine the four most interesting and sustainable investment sectors; Real Estate, Trading, Start-/Scale Ups and Blockchain.
The company was established in early 2021, our main activities are in the MENA Region and Europe.
Publish Date:
27 October 2021
Other Countries
Location:
Tell us about your background, and how you came to found your company?
I was born and raised in Zurich, Switzerland, and as is commonly known, the environment known as "banking country" also had an influence on me. The financial world and markets had always fascinated me, as I believe it has one of the biggest influences on our society. So I did my education and training in business and finance, as well as wealth management. Later I got into private equity, where I was able to support start ups in fundraising, which then became my passion.
Nevertheless, I think it's no secret that you shouldn't put all your cards on one horse, so of course with a healthy portfolio - diversification is king.
Since I commute a lot between Dubai and Zurich for business, I had the idea at the end of 2020 on the beach of Dubai, why not combine the most popular investment sectors to serve an investor ideally - so I founded with 3 longtime business partners and luminaries in their respective fields, Swiss Gulf Investment Partners. So we cover the private sector, real estate, blockchain and trading businesses.
My personal expertise is the private sector and since mid 2021 I am also International Partner for the UAE of the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) and the Global Start Up Committee.
What is most important to you and your organization – mission, vision, or core values? Why?
Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to change and improve the world, but could never really decide in which sector, there are so many incredible possibilities and opportunities in our world.
Through my activities in private equity I got to know many young, incredibly innovative companies, which then inspired me a lot and I found the key to my vision. I think there is nothing more efficient to take a team of experts who have a good product or service and then help them grow through capital and business network.
Accordingly, I also choose my startups; they should have a long-term, positive impact on society and the environment and have a measurable value for a better future. Accordingly, my portfolio is composed of companies operating in the sustainability, biotech/medtech, fintech and artificial intelligence space.
On the other side, of course, is the investor, who usually doesn't have a lot of time to deal with the whole due diligence process himself. Here, too, we work with professionals from private banks who put the young companies through their paces in advance and every activity can be documented. Good intentions are ok, but in the end the monetary result is just as important for all involved - only then can a long and successful partnership be developed, which is very important to myself and the whole company.
Can you explain briefly how your service(s)/product(s) works?
I will briefly explain the individual sectors of Swiss Gulf Investment Partners:
In the Private Sector, we have a portfolio of young companies, either pre-IPO or already listed, in which an interested investor can participate. These are mainly in the areas of sustainability, biotech/medtech, fintech and artificial intelligence. We also have access to interesting tech funds. There is something for almost every risk and interest profile.
For those interested in real estate, we have a broad portfolio of private and commercial properties, mainly in Switzerland and Dubai.
In the area of blockchain and crypto, we offer transactions of large Bitcoin and Ethereum blocks (starting from USD 1M) and we have a team with many years of experience in the area of smart contracts, as well as IoT.
How has the industry been changing in recent years?
That's a very profound question that I'm trying to answer on the surface. Especially in the private sector, a big change has taken place. Impact investing and ESG criteria are probably the terms of the day. And next to Covid19, sustainability is definitely the biggest topic of all. Investors, of course, still care a lot about what they get out of an investment, but many also want their money to be invested wisely and have a positive impact on the environment. Millenial investors in particular are very keen on this message - which I personally also very much support and find sensible. This rethinking should have taken place much earlier. I think our main focus should be on how we can take care of our planet Earth and not who and how Mars can be colonized the fastest.
Also the whole digital transformation and digital assets are growing rapidly, which has an impact on all areas. But to go into detail here would go beyond the scope.
What makes you different from what’s currently available in the market?
I think there is no company like us that can cover all the mentioned investment needs of an investor in the MENA and Europe region.
It is extremely important for us to work and communicate closely and transparently with investors and companies. We can respond very individually to the needs of our clients and bring a lot of expertise to the table.
Our team works worldwide with a network of respected and educated people, so we always get first-hand information on how certain trends are developing and we can participate in them. In addition, we combine traditional values with new methods - the aim is to create a win-win situation for all parties involved.
What does the future hold for your company?
We are currently involved in some projects to set up our own funds, specifically in the UAE. But what is new is that it will be a mix of European companies and companies from the MENA region, which I am looking forward to and I think can be very successful. Especially the UAE region is experiencing a real boom and the biotech/medtech company from Switzerland that we are working with has become a part of Vision 2030 and will provide the planned smart cities with their equipment and know-how, which we are very proud of.