Personal Trajectory

Background

From 16 to 19, I lived under France's welfare system. At 19, I started working and moved from job to job, without goal or pressure. It was a phase of inertia and normality — no ambition, just freedom. At 23 I was studying English at Paris-Nanterre University while taking an introductory Dutch course.

At 25 while living in Vichy I met a German woman on an intensive French course who invited me for a brief holiday; the visit stretched to about eight months, during which I mainly worked on a construction site and also taught French. In Mannheim I felt no hostile or curious looks — only the freedom of being an ordinary person.

From that time I realized that living abroad would become part of my journey. It revealed new opportunities, and returning home became merely a brief pause before I set off again to explore fresh perspectives. This mobility taught me to spot patterns across different systems and cultures.

How I Think About Investment

At 32, after the 2008 crisis, I began questioning how systems actually work versus how they claim to work. I spent years decoding political and economic structures until I understood how consent gets manufactured and where the real decision-making happens. This same pattern recognition now applies to business analysis.

At 37, I flew to Hong Kong with €50 in cash, no plan, no booking. Stayed 8 months testing what might unfold with minimal resources. First attempt at entering business from nothing — taught me how to operate with constraints while maintaining strategic clarity.

I moved to Ireland in 2019 — the Silicon Valley of EU tech support. It was a natural relaunch zone after Asia, with hundreds of roles in top-tier call centers. I got multiple interviews at FAANG — but failed to convert.

Too senior, too independent, I didn’t fit the mold. Instead, I focused on fundamentals: web development, low-level C, and basic algorithms. By 2021, as Covid restrictions were lifted, I was ready to move.

In 2021, after 3 years in Ireland, I booked a one-way flight to Norway to escape, but was denied entry after one week in custody — likely due to Covid status and lack of clear purpose. Authorities paid my return to Nice.

In 2022, I moved to Sweden and worked 14 months in Stockholm restaurant operations, analyzing organizational patterns from inside high-volume kitchens while earning up to 28,000 SEK monthly."

The logic is simple: official documents lie, financial statements lie, org charts lie — but operational behavior patterns always tell the truth. I map actual power structures, identify where resources flow inefficiently, and find leverage points where small changes create disproportionate results.

Business Evolution

I never liked the word "startup." What fascinated me was venture creation logic — building something new with full creative freedom in uncertainty and high asymmetry. I wanted leverage without permission, a way to test ideas, own the upside, and stay free. It wasn't about innovation — it was about wealth creation through controlled chaos.

From 40 onward, I became radically intentional about everything — location, relationships, projects. I select for compatibility with my direction and elimination of friction. Tech allows remote work, low entry barriers, and upward optionality — perfect for maintaining autonomy while building leverage.

Now I'm shifting from building companies to buying them. Better to analyze existing operations, identify structural problems, and apply targeted fixes than start from zero. Most acquisition opportunities fail because buyers focus on growth projections instead of fixing what's obviously broken.

Current Investment Focus

I'm shifting from building companies to buying them. Better to analyze existing operations, identify structural problems, and apply targeted fixes than start from zero. Most acquisition opportunities fail because buyers focus on growth projections instead of fixing what's obviously broken.

My investment thesis: small companies with authority dysfunction create massive arbitrage opportunities. Clear up decision-making, eliminate operational bottlenecks, fix cash flow timing — often worth more than the asking price. Traditional buyers miss this because they're looking at spreadsheets instead of watching actual behavior patterns.

Each analysis gets documented and feeds back into methodology refinement. I'm building pattern libraries for rapid assessment — recognizing recurring dysfunction types across industries and knowing which interventions actually work. This isn't academic research — it's pattern recognition for practical value creation.

Why This Platform Exists

This site documents my investment research methodology through real case analysis. It's both a case study repository and a methodology development lab. Everything here demonstrates how I actually think about companies when considering acquisition or operational improvement opportunities.

I share this because pattern recognition improves with transparency. Other people spot things I miss, challenge assumptions, or point out blind spots. The goal isn't to be right about everything — it's to build increasingly accurate models for value creation identification in real business contexts.