I’ve worked at the intersection of code, design, and capital markets since the dial-up days. In the late ’80s, I was hand-coding websites and building multimedia experiences; by the ’90s, I’d launched one of Europe’s first e-commerce firms, complete with an R&D hub in Atlanta. Shuttling between Europe and the U.S., I delivered ERP integrations, 3-D animations, and UX prototypes for Daimler (then Debis/T-Systems) while soaking up the pace of American tech culture.

I moved permanently to the United States in 2002, earned an MS in Finance in 2004, and became a partner at Corporate Finance Partners—Central Europe’s leading M&A boutique—where I forged deep ties with U.S. investors, strategic acquirers, and founders. Over the last two decades, I’ve raised capital and closed cross-border deals worth hundreds of millions, leveraging fluency in five languages to negotiate seamlessly across continents.

Today, I head i5invest’s Silicon Valley office and speak with at least 15 founders every week—more than 500 companies a year—across domains such as AI, computer vision, robotics, the New Space Economy, voice recognition, data-economy platforms, fintech, and much more. Those front-line conversations, not conference headlines, keep me current on which technologies are breaking through and which are stalling out. I translate that real-time insight into capital strategy and M&A outcomes that help founders scale, fundraise, and secure standout exits.

I’ve always been drawn to the frontier—pushing limits and discovering what lies beyond the next challenge. In my early twenties, I started mountain climbing in the Alps, exploring everything from rock climbing to ice climbing and paragliding. Moving to Florida in 2002 meant trading mountains for something entirely different—there are no peaks here, so I decided to go down, into the abyss. That’s when I took up scuba diving, eventually becoming a tech diver using rebreathers and scooters to explore underwater caves deep inside the earth. Cave diving with rebreathers feels like being in space—a silent, isolated frontier full of discovery.

While I explore the physical frontiers in my spare time, I continue to navigate the ever-evolving technological frontiers in my professional life. Both journeys fuel my curiosity and drive, continually pushing me to discover what’s next.

If you’d like to swap ideas—or pressure-test your plan for growth, capital, or exit—let’s connect.