A wizard in the world of Start-ups
Valery Lorenz’s uncanny ability to judge a Start-up and foresee its fate has made her indispensable in the world of entrepreneurs. With a decade of experience in project brokerage and investor relations, and her team of professionals in Switzerland and Dubai, Valery has been able to connect innovative project sponsors and profitable start-ups, successfully all over the world.
The obvious question that follows is – Why Switzerland and Dubai? “Switzerland as well as Dubai are known for their stability, security and very high standards in various sectors,” answers Valery.
Valery herself was born and raised in Switzerland, where she completed her education and training in human resource management, marketing and finance. She then dabbled in finance, investor relations, and consultancy for more than 10 years. Her key competences include the identification of high potential startups in the fields of tech, sustainability, BioTech, AI and commodities, as well as professional communication and promotion of her clients.
Speaking about how she reached her final goal, Valery reveals, “I’ve always wanted to change the world, but could never really decide in which area, our present time offers simply too many possibilities. That’s how the idea for ‘Swiss Gulf Investment Partners’ came about. I think there is nothing more efficient than taking an existing team that is incredibly competent in what they do and then bringing them together with the right investors and business partners – this is how true success stories are created and good things can be accomplished.”
Valery is the Founder of Swiss Gulf Investment Partners, as well as an International Partner for the UAE at World Business Angels Investment Forum. The SGIP provides you with a high quality advisory and investment opportunities in geographically attractive areas, and are ultra-flexible. With qualified knowledge and tested expertise, they combine the four most interesting and sustainable investment sectors – Real Estate, Trading, Start-ups and Blockchain.
“If I can help a young company and its team grow, I find that unique. It is also important to me that the company has a positive impact on the environment and society. Together we can achieve great things and make a difference. Once people start thinking collectively and working together on a vision, it’s incredible what’s possible. I hope each and every one of our companies will leave some kind of footprint on this world, that would make me very proud,” says Valery of her passion.
“At this point, I would like to focus not on myself with designations such as ‘year’s best’ or ‘exceptional performance for female executives’, or on IPOs and trade sales that we have had the privilege of assisting, but on what we have been able to accomplish with our collaborations and what we are working on,” she adds.
Valery has a life sciences company that has projects on Alzheimer’s early detection, antibody screening, etc. The health of many people could be influenced significantly. Another company is working on the CO2 problem to achieve the NetZero emissions goal. Yet another company gives the population access to holistic wealth management advice. These projects are all very close to Valery’s heart and it is great to see how many people have already benefited from them.
She also has a vision to start private schools for children. “I’m not a big fan of our current education system; financial intelligence, leadership, and social skills come far too short. And exactly these things are elementary important,” states Valery.
No matter how much she accomplishes, it is never enough for Valery personally. “Basically, I am an extremely self-critical person. But what means a lot to me is when I can support other people in some way,” she says. This is especially true in case of investments, where money and trust are both involved. “The interest of an investor is to manage a diversified portfolio and thus to split his risk. Our philosophy is to give an investor in the sectors – real estate, digital assets, commodities as well as company participations – equally interesting and tested investment opportunities. In this way, he can work with a team that he already knows and that in turn knows his exact wishes. This is the foundation for a successful and long-term partnership,” explains Valery.
No journey is complete without its share of obstacles and bumps. How did Valery cross the entrepreneurship hurdles? “As an entrepreneur, you face challenges every day, sometimes bigger, sometimes easier. The difference here is that most people would call these challenges problems – entrepreneurs see them as opportunities to grow and learn new things. I’ve been in so many situations where others would have liked to bury themselves alive, but most of the time the best options have come out of those challenges. The more successful you are, the bigger the challenges become. It also pushes you to achieve things that you would probably never achieve otherwise. I’m convinced that behind every career there’s a lot of work at the beginning, and every now and then a lucky situation has a positive effect as an additional push,” says Valery.
She would know, for this woman is almost an oracle when it comes to the fate of a company. A fact not gone unnoticed by many who have honoured her over the years. She won an award for ‘Best of the Year Management & Finance’ in 2014; ‘Best Female degree Investment Advisor’ in 2018; was honoured as ‘Top 5 innovative female entrepreneur 2020’; and was the International Partner for the UAE at the World Business Angels Investment Forum (WBAF) for the Global Start- Up Committee in 2021.
As a women’s leader in her field, Valery leads with the intention that her team learns as much as possible, from her, to become even better than her: “Provided the individuals want that of course – not everyone wants to be in leadership and that’s fine. Because that’s where we come to the next point – a team should complement each other as much as possible. Everyone should be good in a certain area, so you can complement each other well and the weaknesses of the others do not stand out at all. I’m not a fan of trying to make up for weaknesses, but to promote the individual talents all the more.”
Valery is a true paragon of change. And she leaves us with an important message: “Something I see so often with people and it breaks my heart is how they don’t use their talent and potential. So many wait for a ‘motivator’ and have no self-drive. Believe me, life is tough as nails and the biggest challenge is you vs you every day. You can’t influence all external situations yourself, but you can always decide how to react to circumstances. It’s okay to have weak moments. The important thing is to keep them as short as possible and learn from past situations. Our present time offers so many chances and opportunities as never before, you just have to be brave and grab them.”