Ian SOSSO, Executive Board Member

Ian founded Monte Carlo Capital in 2009 as an angel investor to invest his own capital. Monte Carlo Capital now invests globally and looks for businesses with a clear edge, strong intellectual property or looking to disrupt an industry, and has built a portfolio of exceptional companies in sectors ranging from biotech and medical devices to artificial intelligence, robotics, fintech, robotics and consumer products.

Ian is regularly the lead investor and is involved in each step of the investment, from deal sourcing, to due diligence, deal structuring, and often joins the board or the advisory board.  Over the years Monte Carlo Capital attracted a group of sophisticated individuals who co-invest with Ian. Once invested, Monte Carlo Capital brings in a global network of co-investors and advisors who help portfolio companies accessing clients, partners and expertise globally.

Ian is also a managing partner of the Start Up Nursery fund, a fund dedicated to financing the creation of deep tech US university spin offs.

Before founding Monte Carlo Capital, Ian was, until 2009, the regional managing director and head of capital markets in Asia for Commerzbank where he was managing all capital markets activities in Asia, including equity derivatives, credit, precious metals, foreign exchange, debt capital markets, as well as the treasuries of HK, Singapore and Shanghai.

Ian started his career in 1993 and previously worked in Paris, London, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong with HSBC, UBS and JPMorgan, holding positions in trading, sales and financial engineering. Over the years, Ian has been a keynote speaker in numerous conferences in Monaco, throughout Europe, the US, Dubai, Russia, and throughout Asia. Recently, Ian was a speaker at ICT’s European Commission in Helsinki, and chairman of Capital Creation private equity conference in Monaco. In October 2019, Ian is was a keynote speaker in Dubai at GITEX, one of the world’s largest tech conferences.

Ian currently lectures venture capital and entrepreneurial finance to MBA and finance MSc students at the International University of Monaco

Ian joined the European Business Angels Network (EBAN) in 2016 and in 2017 won the best performing new member award of EBAN. Ian was elected to the board of EBAN in June 2018 and in June 2019 won the “best European early stage investor award, EBAN’s most prestigious award EBAN is the pan-European trade association for the early stage investor community, representing Europe’s 30,000 business angels, and gathers member organisations in 59 countries. He is also a board member of the Monaco Venture Capital Association.

Ian is a Monégasque and holds a MSc in Finance from the London School of Economics (LSE). Ian is a citizen of Monaco.