I’ve had the opportunity to travel the world, learn about different cultures, and develop my passion for art and investing. I’m grateful for these opportunities and am now at a juncture where I know how to use them to make a difference in the world. 

My father was a successful investor and philanthropist who instilled in me a strong sense of civic duty and lasting commitment. As a family, we often traveled on educational tours of wildlife and cultural expeditions to national parks in the Americas. My three brothers and I joined an archaeological dig on the French Polynesian island Tahuate. I later returned to that island as an anthropology student to participate in the still-active dig site. In another instance, I took a pre-dawn walk on a beach in Tortuguero to observe green sea turtles laying their eggs in the sand. Today, I am on the Board of a sea turtle conservation group with a base of operations on that very same beach. 

I give my time and energy to philanthropic causes not just to ‘check a box’ but because these institutions are critical platforms to enact meaningful change. I work hard for platforms whose values and long-term goals align with mine. Similarly, I invest with a long horizon in companies and businesses whose management demonstrates forthright and reliable values and apply them to businesses with growth potential. 

This form of value investing is concerned with long-term success rather than short-term profits. I learned this method through working at the family office, first in 2011 and again in 2017. My father and brother did not offer direct instruction but instead handed me a book: Benjamin Graham’s The Intelligent Investor. In studying this book, I learned the foremost recommendation from value investors like Warren Buffet and Seth Klarman, advocating critical principles like the margin of safety and intrinsic value to guide all investments. It is next to impossible to know precisely what the future may bring, but forward-looking predictions about intrinsic value can yield more than satisfactory results when given a sufficient margin for error. 

I’ve spent the last 10+ years training in academic painting and drawing, a traditional art technique focused on realism, achieved through technical skill and aesthetic refinement. I have been commissioned for my work and solicited to teach at ateliers worldwide. This immersion has allowed me to live out my passion and provided a vantage point as to how this art form has deep intrinsic value yet is currently under-appreciated by today’s art market. Data shows more significant numbers of people studying academic painting, new schools opening every year, and a reemergence of interest in this work. This evidence of increasing popularity leads me to believe substantial business opportunities exist in this space. 

While growing in popularity, academic drawing and painting are currently out of vogue. It needs supporters who understand its importance and realize its prospects. For much of the twentieth century, the public and critical importance given to technical proficiency has decreased, yet its intrinsic value remains: works in museums of old masters continue to be appreciated. One metric of a successful outcome would be establishing an academic drawing and painting program at a top-tier art university. Currently, the only way to receive superior technical training is to attend an atelier. 

I have firsthand examples of the outsized effect that highly focused philanthropy can have on niche subjects. For instance, my experience with the Clay Mathematics Institute (CMI) has demonstrated the asymmetric effect capital can have in supporting talent as it matures and creates valuable dividends in the form of new thoughts and ideas. 

I aim to do the same for the art world. I want to invest my capital in galleries and schools that promote academic painting and drawing. I will create a foundation that supports the development of top-caliber artists and outreach to people who may have yet to access this type of art.