Adrian Alexander of New York, born in 1946 in Bucharest, Romania, and holding both U.S. and Italian citizenship, moved to the United States in 1964 after completing his high school education. Shortly after his arrival, he faced a significant challenge when his father passed away, leaving him responsible for supporting himself and his mother. He pursued higher education at NYU Engineering School, earning a Master’s in Electrical Engineering in 1970 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1972.
Despite the hardships, he excelled academically and provided for his mother during these formative years, showing remarkable resilience and determination. These experiences forged his strong character and laid the groundwork for his successful career.
His professional journey began in the competitive world of investment banking. After graduating from Harvard, he was recruited by Morgan Stanley & Co., where he worked for three years. He then transitioned to Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb as VP of Mergers and Acquisitions. In 1978, he moved to Milan, Italy, to work for executive search firm Egon Zehnder, where he spent five years recruiting executives for multinational corporations.
He returned to the U.S. in 1983 and embarked on a series of entrepreneurial ventures. His notable business achievements began with acquiring and revitalizing Minneapolis Sport, a struggling sporting goods franchise he successfully restructured and sold to over 50 franchisees.
From 1987 to 1990, he was a key figure at Polly Peck International, Plc, as Vice President of Acquisitions. He significantly expanded the company’s U.S. presence by acquiring the Del Monte Fresh Fruit Company and implementing a strategic plan for Eastern Europe.
His advisory skills were further utilized from 1991 to 1994 when he helped transform regional corporate stationery into a $2 billion multinational office products distributor. He then led a boutique investment bank specializing in financing emerging healthcare companies and securing crucial venture capital investments.
1996, he founded the Phoenix Real Estate Fund, acquiring and managing over 200 properties in New York City before its successful sale in 1999. He continued his investment ventures by forming Technology Seed Capital in 2000, focusing on supporting early-stage technology companies.
