A Harvard Business School graduate and a hedge fund maverick in his own right, Lars Kroijer has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the world of finance. The money man started his professional life as an analyst at Lazard Freres & Co. way back in 1994. As of now, Kroijer is a sought-after hedge fund consultant, as proven by him being named on the advisory boards of hedge funds across the globe, in places as diverse as Mumbai and Copenhagen. He is also on the board of ShipServ since 2010.
Early Years and Education
Kroijer was born on 4th February, 1972. A Danish national, he has called London home for the past decade and a half. He lives in London with his wife and twin daughters.
He studied Economics at the Harvard University, from 1990 to 1994, graduating Magna cum Laude, and thereafter at the Harvard Business School from 1996 to 1998, where he completed his MBA, solidifying his credentials and gaining a foothold in professional investment and financial management. He worked as an intern during his student days at Permira Advisors and McKinsey & Co.
Early Career (1994 to 2002)
As mentioned above, Lars worked as an analyst at the beginning of his career, working for three different companies. From 1994 to 1996, he was employed at Lazard Freres & Co. in their investment banking division. After this, he worked at SC Fundamental, a New York based hedge fund, from 1998 to 1999. He moved to London after joining HBK Investments, a US-based company but with an office in London, and has been living there since. He worked at HBK for a year, before he decided to take a leap and start his own business.
Holte Capital: 2002 till Present
In April 2002, Kroijer set up Holte Capital. He served as the Managing Director and CIO of the company till it returned external capital and ceased operations in 2008. Since then, Kroijer has divided his time between writing, consulting and running his new venture, AlliedCrowds.net. From 2008 to 2012, he was a board member of KIT Digital, Inc.
From June 2008 till present, Kroijer has been on the Board of Directors for a number of hedge funds based in Hong Kong, Mumbai and London. These include:
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2010 to Present
- : Steadview Capital (Mumbai and Hong Kong)
2008 to 2012: Merian Capital
2012 to Present: Northlight Capital (London)
2010 to 2014: OVS Capital (London)
2012 to Present: Linden Grove Capital (London)
2012 to 2014: Maj SinAI (Copenhagen)
In June last year, Kroijer set up a crowdfunding platform, AlliedCrowds.com, with a view to funding projects in developing countries which have a low income level. The website allows interested investors to check current and future projects and sort them by location and type of investment required. There is also an option to donate to the projects or become an investor through the portal. Kroijer serves as the Managing Director of AlliedCrowds.com.
Writing Career
After having to wrap up Holte Capital in 2008, Lars decided to share his experience of setting up and running a hedge fund and all the ups and downs and obstacles he faced on the way. He started writing a book which saw the light of day in July 2010, titled Money Mavericks: Confessions of a Hedge Fund Manager. A second edition of the book was released in 2012, a testament to its popularity. Readers have commented how insightful his book has proven and the way he narrates the story of starting his business is inspirational.
What has also been noted is his sense of humor, as he managed to cover the trying times for his business, when it was nearing its end, with wit and funniness. The success of his book convinced Lars to give writing another shot and in August 2013, he released his second book, Investing Demystified: How to Invest without Speculation and Sleepless Nights. In Investing Demystified, he continues where he left off in Money Mavericks, providing tips and advice budding investors can use to start off on the right foot.
Given the success of his second book, it wont be a surprise if Lars Kroijer comes up with a third book in the near future. He is one of the brightest minds in the hedge fund industry today and his advice can help aspirants chart their way to success.
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