The VC/PE Interviews Blog

Jim Rogers is an author, word traveler and successful international investor. He has been frequently featured in Time, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, and most publications dealing with the economy or finance. After attending Yale and Oxford University, Rogers co-founded the Quantum Fund, a global-investment partnership. During the next 10 years, the portfolio gained 4200%, while the S&P rose less than 50%. Rogers then decided to retire - at age 37.

In 1990-1992, Rogers fulfilled his lifelong dream: motorcycling 100,000 miles across six continents, a feat that landed him in the Guinness Book of World Records. As a private investor, he constantly analyzed the countries through which he traveled for investment ideas. He chronicled his journey in his bestseller book: Investment Biker. In 1999 - 2002 Jim also embarked on a Millennium Adventure. He traveled for 1101 days on his round-the-world, Guinness World Record journey. Passing through 116 countries which he recounted in his bestseller book Adventure Capitalist. His most recent book, Hot Commodities was published in 2004

Yaron Bazaz: Hi Jim, 5 years had passed since you and your wife Paige had completed the “Millennium Adventure’” and set a new Guinness record for the longest continues car journey around the world. At 2007, do you feel a new urge to hit the road?

Jim Rogers: “We are moving to Singapore so that plus our 4 year-old daughter is enough adventure for the moment.”

Y.B: As it reflects in your bestsellers books Investment Biker and Adventure Capitalist,
that cover the motorcycle round the world trip and the ‘Millennium Adventures’ story (respectively), it’s seems that you had a bigger mission then setting new Guinness records. You actually tried to understand the global economy and you took that mission to the extreme: you literally crossed almost each country on the planet during your journeys, analyzed the economical situation in each visited country, conducted forecasts, and looked for investment opportunities. Is it an experience that any real investor should have in some degree?     Read more »»

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Ziad K. Abdelnour is a leading Wall Street dealmaker, trader and financier with 20+ years experience in merchant banking, private equity, alternative investments and physical commodities trading. Throughout his career, Mr. Abdelnour worked on more than 125 transactions representing approximately $30 billion in value and ranging in size from $5 million - $5 billion while raising in the process in excess of $3.5 billion in privately placed debt and equity financing for more than 100 companies.
Mr. Abdelnour is currently President & CEO of Blackhawk Partners, Inc., a New York based venture capital “family office” that focuses on originating, structuring and acting as equity investor in management-led buyouts, strategic minority equity investments, equity private placements, consolidations and buildups, and growth capital financings mainly in the global energy and technology sectors.

Ziad’s Full Bio     Ziad’s Linkedin Profile    Blackhawk Partners

Yaron Bazaz: Hi Ziad, how did you find yourself involved with investment banking and private equity activities?

Ziad K. Abdelnour: “You don’t find yourself involved with such activities. You either want to do it real bad, as I did, and aggressively go for it or you don’t. Both the private equity and the investment banking businesses are very time intensive. If you cannot allocate a significant amount of hours to either; especially in the early years, don’t do it. Lots of sacrifice involved to build a real business. You are building a career not just finding a job.”

Y.B: What distinguish Blackhawk Partners from other PEs and Investment Banks in the New York area?

Ziad K. Abdelnour: “We are not really an investment bank though we undertake such activities through Terra Nova Capital Partners; our investment banking affiliate. We are a private “family office” that basically focuses on originating, structuring and acting as equity investor in management-led buyouts, strategic minority equity investments, equity private placements, consolidations and buildups, and growth capital financings mainly in the global energy and technology sectors.     Read more »»

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Hi all.

Today, August 20, 2007, I’m launching the VC/PE Interviews Blog!

The VC/PE Interviews Blog aims to present an inside look into the Venture Capital & Private Equity industry. That thru Interviews with leading private investors, VCFs & PE firms partners, investment bankers, entrepreneurs, enterprises executives and other leaders at the global technology arena. It’s a non-formal blog and my intention is to present the men and women who stand behind the suits and titles. The interviewees, many of them are my personal friends and acquaintances, talk about their business and leisure time activities; share their ideas about contemporary and future trends and tell us how they can support and be supported by the VC/PE community.

It’s all about high risk investments, smart decisions, cutting edge technologies, capital raising, leadership and courage. You are welcome to register and become an active participant!

Entrepreneur – Investor – Corporate financier – Have an interesting story to tell? Drop me a line at Blog@WesternHQ.com

About myself - Yaron Bazaz ,MBA

I serve as the president and CEO of Western Headquarters Ltd – a Corporate Finance firm which specializes in Capital Raising and M&A transactions for technology companies. I have extensive experience in capital raising, corporate financing & due diligence Consultancy, business development, strategic planning, marketing and sales of technology solutions. Prior to the founding of Western Headquarters, I served as business development, sales and marketing executive in several leading international Hi-Tech companies. I hold an MBA with honors from the Edinburgh Business School,Heriot Watt University and a Bachelor’s degree with honors in Psychology from the Ben-Gurion University in Israel.

I’m living in beautiful Vancouver BC Canada with my wife and our two kids (great vintages of 2001 and 2005). Love travels, outdoor activities, sport (mainly snowboarding, soccer and long distance running), books, movies, high risk investments, networking, technology and hard work.      Read more »»

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