Mission

I discovered blockchain somewhat by accident.

The very first time that I heard about blockchain was actually at university over a decade ago. I was talking to a professor in his office, and there was this book on the table titled something like 'Blockchain in Business’. He took the book from the table, and said, ‘this is the next revolution of humanity’. From that moment, I was captivated.

I think blockchain is about freedom.

When I graduated from university, I had an opportunity to start as a Partner in a law firm working with blockchain companies in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Around the same time, and like so many other blockchain enthusiasts, I discovered the white paper of Bitcoin by Satoshi. Before even mentioning the technology, Satoshi had identified a use case in blockchain for banking, for finance, for society. For me, Blockchain harks back to the ideals of Athenian democracy. It’s about enabling everyone to participate and work together towards achieving common goals.

‍The financial system needs to evolve.

Around the globe, people are waking up to the myriad of problems within the current financial system, and blockchain technology offers solutions. Society, technology, and even nature are constantly evolving to become more efficient, so the acceleration of blockchain is almost inevitable. We are only in the infancy of adopting the technology and we have lots to do and build in the future, not only in terms of cryptocurrency but also in terms of using this technology wisely.

Caina is a very important part of my life.

Together, we are creating something very exciting. We are very proud of what we are delivering to the market, and we are very proud of the extraordinary community that has helped us along the way. Life moves very quickly, and I want to ensure that we’re making a difference. I’m really excited to bring Colb to the world; to show it to people, discuss it with people, make it better, and advance.

Colb’s story began in Brazil.

I moved to Sao Paulo at the end of 2016 and began working as a partner in an asset management firm at the beginning of 2017. I wasn’t really happy there, so I started looking for a more challenging and inclusive working environment. I ended up joining a cryptocurrency company.

Things finally started to look up when…

I met Yulgan during a Blockchain event. Since then, we’ve never left each other. We quickly decided to be, work and live together; and finally create a company on our terms. In 2020, we travelled to Switzerland to visit my family, and in a matter of weeks, Covid-19 changed everything. Shortly after the lockdown, the Swiss government introduced the new Distributed Ledger Technology law. We seized the opportunity to redirect Colb’s initial business model, permanently relocate and establish the company in Geneva.  

The goal of becoming a successful entrepreneur it’s to have the chance to give back.

I hope we will contribute positively to society and the environment as we grow. Currently, Colb is geared toward professional investors, mainly in Switzerland. As every person in every country deserves to have the chance to access investment opportunities, my goal is to extend our reach to all types of investors and markets.

I thrive on challenges and I’ve been driven to push myself further than I ever thought possible.

Recently, I have become a proud mother. My commitment to work remains as strong as ever, but as an entrepreneur, I have been able to adjust my hours and balance my responsibilities as a mother with my professional pursuits. I often describe Colb and my little boy as my two ‘babies’. Despite the many demands on my time, I have never been happier.

My relationship with Colb is very collaborative.

My relationship with Colb is interesting because I get to answer lots of questions for them. Whatever the problem, we always resolve it together. Colb is truly visionary and I’m excited to work with them as they continue to grow.

Blockchain presents challenges and opportunities.

I have extensive experience in traditional finance, but made the pivot into FinTech two years ago. I think the biggest challenge is to make accounting work with the specifics of the blockchain and cryptocurrency as the regulatory environment develops. It’s all very new, but it’s heading in an exciting direction.

I’m very active outside of work.

During the winters, I like to venture off the beaten track and ski. It really helps me to switch off. In the summer, I love exploring France and Switzerland on my mountain bike.

I’m the new kid on the block.

It’s all very exciting. One minute I was working in compliance on the corporate side, and now I’m going into investment with blockchain and FinTech. I’m looking forward to immersing myself in this world.

I take any opportunity to develop my skills.

I started years ago in the legal environment, and I never expected to pivot into finance. An opportunity arose and I seized it. I worked my way from being an assistant, all the way to a role as a senior trust manager. I then completed another diploma and pivoted again into risk and compliance. I love the process of always learning and achieving new things. I’m extremely proud of where I have got to today.

I like helping others maximise their opportunities too.

Outside of the office job, I work as a life coach. I’m a very empathetic person and love working with people. I believe in the power of individuals, and I want to help others to push themselves further.

There was a gap between incumbent players’ approach and where the world was heading.

I was often disappointed that traditional banking services were slow at adopting FinTech and portfolios omitted the arrival of digital assets. Thanks to blockchain technology, we can work efficiently outside legacy systems, in environments where the  mindset is “let’s try” instead of “that’s not relevant to us”, you can start afresh and boundlessly scale. Now we’re seeing a surge in adoption by institutions - this isn’t a form of competition, it’s validation of what we’re doing and a slow adaptation rather than innovation.

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It’s great to be able to bring my startups’ experience and traditional finance together

It’s great to be able to bring my unique blend of startup experience where there’s a high sense of cost of opportunity on any decisions (a driver for focusing on what’s highest added-value) and both mindset & toolset are forward-looking, with the methodology  and processes of traditional financial services, notably for compliance and asset allocation.

I’m really eager to get back into the startup world, especially one that has already achieved great milestones and where I still have a massive opportunity to contribute.

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If you set yourself the toughest constraints, you can build something that is truly scalable. 

That means crafting meticulous processes and robust frameworks right from the inception, coupled with a willingness to confront and learn from setbacks, all within the framework of sound governance structures. This builds credibility that both clients and partners recognise and hold in high regard.

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We're in startups, and we're young parents, as nuts as that may sound.

I love being a dad and draw a lot of positivity from family life. I recharge my intellectual battery through physical activity - triathlons, skiing, trailing and even a semi-ironman. I also support TechBikers, a UK-based organisation that aims to enhance children's education through fundraising efforts by a group of tech founder & investor cyclists. If you can, I believe it’s important to dedicate both time and resources to uplift others, with no expectation of a financial reward for oneself.

I have enjoyed the transition into the FinTech space.

I am an economist by trade and have been in ‘traditional finance' for almost 17 years. I started working with Colb as an advisor, and grew to love the blockchain environment. Because Colb aims to connect the traditional financial world with blockchain and the FinTech environment, it felt like a natural progression, and I have since become a firm believer in the technology's revolutionary power.

We are changing the world using technology.

Blockchain technology has an incredible power to connect the worlds of economics, finance, technology and society. We are reducing costs, reducing intermediaries, reducing problems in financial markets. On the flip side, we are creating a solution that will bring more people to investment opportunities that were originally reserved just for high net worth individuals.

I am excited by assets that are shaping our future.

Colb is not an asset manager, but there are certain asset groups that particularly excite us. I am future-facing and am always looking for sectors that will dominate the conversation over the next five, ten, or fifty years; tech, commodities, real estate, ESG and energy.

I have as much experience playing instruments as I do in finance.

I love music and am learning a whole host of instruments; guitar, piano, saxophone and the ukulele. I also read a lot about philosophy. Great thinkers like Aristotle played such an important role in shaping society. You can learn a lot from them.

Colb is bursting with passion.

When I first visited Geneva and heard Yulgan outline his vision for Colb, it reminded me of Steve Jobs announcing the first iPhone in 2007. They both had that same fire in their eye and it was infectious. When you see someone so fired up, you can’t help but push yourself further to support them in any way you can. 

I’m motivated by a great idea. 

As I’ve matured as a developer, I’ve definitely got a clearer sense of my purpose. It’s important for me to know that the projects I contribute to are innovative, impactful and will have useful applications. I can work with pretty much any technology or framework. In my mind, they’re just the tools you need to bring an incredible idea to life.

Blockchain is mindset altering.

It stands in stark contrast to earlier web technologies, where so much was private and secretive. Working with blockchain technology, everything is open, everything is transparent and people trust each other. As a developer, I’m excited to experiment with new application programming interfaces (APIs). For me, it’s like unlocking another way of communicating with the world.

I found my tribe through fitness. 

Until recently, I was taking part in Ironman triathlons, and performing pretty well. Then I got injured and I’ve been unable to train. In spite of everything, I made some amazing friends along the way and now I’m trying to support them in any way I can. We’re a community!

Our platform is inclusive and user-friendly.

I am an investor in decentralised finance, but I've been frustrated by the lack of attention that is paid to the user experience - it’s not friendly to people who lack a prior understanding of Blockchain technology. At Colb, we’re dedicating lots of resources to developing our user interface. I really want to empower anyone to participate in the Blockchain revolution, irrespective of their background.

We’re optimistic about regulation.

We’ve always known that regulation will be a challenge to blockchain companies, but we welcome steps to improve security and protect users. It’s exciting to see Switzerland leading the way, closely followed by the UK and US. Overall, regulation will be good for financial markets and good for blockchain.

When I’m not working, I settle down with a good book.

Alongside classical literature, I’ve developed a real interest in psychoanalysis and love reading around this topic. It gives you a unique insight into society and relationships.

I’m ambitious and hungry to learn. 

Whilst studying at the University of Geneva, I reached out to a host of venture capital firms in Zurich, specialising in crypto. Nobody answered for weeks, so I just put a suit on and began knocking on people’s doors. I’ve started to really grasp what’s going on in the markets and now, I make my own investments and participate on blockchain testnets.

I believe decentralisation will be transformative. 

I grew up in Lebanon, which has massive problems with centralised power and corruption. I’m on a mission to accumulate knowledge, so that I can apply the benefits of blockchain and digital currencies in my own country and hopefully tackle some of the systemic problems we currently face.

I thrive in the startup environment. 

I met Yulgan and Caina at a Web3 event in Zurich. They’re both such nice people, and make a real effort to bring you into their family. Colb is an amazing mix of ethnicities, backgrounds and culture. Most of all, we’re a team, who all want to succeed. More broadly, I love the blockchain ecosystem that’s developed in Switzerland. It’s inclusive and full of people who want to make a difference. There’s something very beautiful about that.

My interests are limitless.

I’m passionate about innovation and technology, and have been fascinated by developments in AI and energy. I love cars, travel and skiing. I’m also a diehard fan of Arsenal Football Club and would travel to London every weekend to watch Premier League games if I could.