Mario Ancic: Investing is like sports – you fight for your success

Mario Ancic was a professional tennis player who participated in Wimbledon and even won the famous Davis Cup in 2005, playing for Croatia’s national team. His success on the court matches his accomplishments off the court, as Mario went from Wimbledon to Wallstreet, where he now works as a Vice President of One Equity Partners.

In the third episode of ScaleUp & Up podcast, our guest shared his story of how a professional athlete transitioned into the business world and made a name for himself in the world of private equity.

Mario talked about his childhood in Croatia, how his family supported him in his sports and academic achievements, what being a professional athlete taught him, and how those lessons later applied in finance. He talked about his time at Columbia University and the beginning of his career in finance, as well as the work he currently does at One Equity Partners.

Our hosts, IBB and Mia, discovered how Mario and his team supported Infobip with its first-ever investment and how Croatia is slowly emerging as this “unicorn breeding” country in Southeastern Europe. Ancic shared his views on how a strong technical background can be crucial for creating new businesses and why more and more young people are turning to entrepreneurship.

Mario also touched on how a relationship between investors and founders should look like, how invested both parties should be in creating value, and why investing is still a people’s business that requires a personal touch and an in-person meeting.

Interested in the whole talk? Click the video below or find us on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or Pocket Casts!