In a world where ‘investment’ and ‘venture capital’ are trendy buzzwords for many, finding the companies and investors who are true to these principles can be harder than many companies would believe. Brink Ventures, founded by serial entrepreneur Paolo Aliatis however, does things differently and takes things back to basics; investing and driving companies and ventures to success across a multitude of industries.
Who Are Brink Ventures and What Do You Do Differently?
Brink Ventures is a company that actually does nothing, but does everything. We created Brink Ventures in the times that we had multiple businesses and unrelated businesses, and at the end we didn’t know how to approach new ventures from completely unrelated companies.
Thus, we decided what we need in a company that actually does everything but at the same time, kind of does nothing. Brink Ventures encapsulates an investment and start-up venture capital firm as well as private equity operation, which allows us to access other industries in a truly nimble way.
What Spurred You on To Actually Start The Company and Why Call it ‘Brink Ventures?’
We were very curious and sometimes the way that we approach businesses and new ventures is simply down to professional curiosity. We’re walking around the streets in London, Paris or in Marrakesh, in Miami in the USA or in the Baltics and we see something that seems interesting; it makes us think business.
We see a new concept where people are just lining up to buy the product and then we get interested and perhaps try them from Brink Ventures and ask them, do you have a distributor in the UK? Or do you truly understand your business and industry and why it may be doing well? Can we do something with them to take their business up a few levels?
The fact that Brink Ventures the name is because we realised that we were very much, most of the companies were in the borderline of normality. So, we are always close to the line and that is where we operate. We try not to cross into the red area, but because we try to figure things out in great detail, we try to think by ourselves. And sometimes when we ask ourselves what the reason for a business’ success or failure truly is and it is that which gives rise to opportunities.
What Does Brink Ventures Do Differently From Other Traditional Investors?
Everything and nothing. I don’t think anybody does the same in the investment world.
Brink Ventures does everything and nothing. I couldn’t imagine there are two companies that do exactly the same thing when it comes to investment. I guess it’s just in our DNA and the way we operate is very different from the conventional ways of investors and for me that is the Paolo Aliatis way…never doing things the same as everyone else.
But I’m sure there are a lot of great investors, VCs and ventures out there, just with different names, maybe different approaches to certain things. But just business people, they like business and are curious about investments and starting new operations and getting into new ventures.
You mentioned Morocco, Miami and a Few Other Locations – Where Can We Find You?
We’re based in London and we’re Londoners. When I say we’re Londoners, although we’re not British, or I’m not British, and most of the people around me are not, we are Londoners, meaning, we came here, we made London our home, we adopted the London mindset, we learned from many other Londoners.
The beauty of London is it gives you that multifaceted view of everything and everyone. It is a true melting pot for everything and everyone, including in business. In London you have the way the Orthodox Jews do business, the way the Asians do business, the way the Russians do business, the way the British do business, the way the Lebanese do business and of course, the Paolo Aliatis way of business too!
Because London has so many groups of people, you can kind of absorb a little bit from everybody and suddenly you become a Londoner.
Coming from countries where things are very bureaucratic and everything gets stuck immediately in some stupid paper trail can be and has been frustrating. When you come to London, at least in the old times it used to be the case that things just flow and that is what we love.
It’s Amazing You’re So Nimble – Where Next For Brink Ventures and Paolo Aliatis then?
Our new baby in terms of jurisdictions and countries is South Africa. We have a lot of energy invested in that country now and we’re trying to build our team for one of our new ventures, GlobMed in South Africa and I think it’s going well.
We have operations in Spain, in the US, we had an office in Macedonia for 12 years, which we closed during Covid, the same with Estonia, but we’re still doing business with some people there.
We still have ‘family members’ there we call them. There are people that have been close to us for so many years that they are not colleagues or employees, but become like family. In various other countries we started making investments and moves in business. In Italy, we have incorporated companies as well as in multiple other countries like Cyprus, Ireland and more.
Operating in So Many Places Must Have Its Own Set Of Challenges?
Yes, of course. In Morocco for example, we bought 54 sculptures from an artist and we struggled to get them out of the country for a year.
We got scammed twice by transport companies but finally we have them now in Spain and they really are uniquely beautiful artworks. The whole idea again, as we saw it was that these pieces of art were cool. We thought “okay these things will sell well in Europe, let’s try to get them out.”
We didn’t know why we were struggling to get them out. We didn’t know why other people didn’t do it. But now we know because you have to get something out of Morocco is a nightmare. But okay, we managed to eventually sell them all!
What Message Would You Like to Leave Readers With?
The only thing I want to share is to ask people to please think for themselves; not to fall into the ‘sheep effect’ and just repeat what other people are telling them and doing.
Just think by yourself, with your own mind and that will help us all achieve a better world, when everybody thinks we have a better world, so they don’t get manipulated and we don’t get manipulated and then, things will just flow and be fine.
Paolo Aliatis is Founder and CEO of Brink Ventures
