#MeetLFDE - Rolando Grandi
Tell us about your career path.
I was born in Bolivia in 1990, the year Sir Timothy Berners-Lee started working on the World Wide Web, which would give birth to one of the greatest technological and economic revolutions on this planet. Technology has inspired me since I was very small – when computers were bigger than me!
After 14 years in the French school in La Paz, diploma in hand, I left my country – one of the poorest in Latin America – so I could have access to better higher education. In 2009 I landed in Lyon, where I pursued a degree in Management Studies and then a Master’s in Corporate Finance at IAE [Lyon School of Management]. At the same time, I took an interest in market finance. First, in the quantitative aspects – I spent hours studying differential equations – then in Warren Buffet-style investing. After reading the books that inspired him, I knew I had to capitalise on my passions, new trends in technology and corporate investment, around the world.
I began my career in 2013 at Roche-Brune AM, the asset-management subsidiary of Groupe Primonial. In 2015, I helped launch its first international equity fund, in intangible assets and innovation. The opportunity to join La Financière de l’Echiquier (LFDE) in 2017 was a turning point in my life. I had dreamed of joining that company since participating in the Summer University in 2015, which is probably the finest event we hold. At the time, the company was led by its charismatic founder and stock-picker, Didier Le Menestrel.
After that, I worked on developing LFDE’s thematic range through funds like Echiquier Artificial Intelligence, Echiquier World Next Leaders, and the very latest, Echiquier Space[1], which is positioning LFDE as a European pioneer in this multi-generational theme.
What are your favourite investment themes?
My goal every day is to think about the world of tomorrow. By imagining the future, we can already identify what will make it possible. Technology is my main investment theme, but not limited to one sector – that’s an old-fashioned notion! Today everything is tech: practically no economic activity can forego adopting and using it.
I’m especially interested in the new ways of producing, such as 3D printers, quantum computers based on light, or based on architectures other than Von Neumann’s. The new frontiers – particularly space –, healthcare, with the hope of extending life expectancy, and very sci-fi subjects like the singularity or the manipulation of space-time are also fascinating! Who knows, maybe our next thematic fund is on that list! 😉
What are you passionate about?
I’m a geek, a gamer, and a millennial. I really love playing video games like Fortnite and Assassin’s Creed. I’m a fan of Netflix series and I like to read. I read two books at once, one in the morning and one at night before bed. And that list of passions wouldn’t be complete without cooking!