Meet CurioInvest CEO Rey Fernando Verboonen and find out how Wikipedia helps him fall asleep

11.11.2020 07:01, Isabelle Mitchell

Venture Leader Fintech Rey Fernando Verboonen co-founded CurioInvest, an online investment platform that enables everyone to invest in and profit from collectible cars through a crowdfunded, community-based investment model that opens up the collectible-car market to millions of new investors. Learn more about Rey’s expectations for the Venture Leader Fintech experience and discover how achieving balance and acing time management lay the foundation for his entrepreneurial success.

The Venture Leaders Fintech 2020 will accelerate their international expansion and build a business network through meetings with top-notch investors and industry leaders. From November 2 to 6, the Swiss National Startup team represented Switzerland's innovative fintech force at the first-ever virtual edition of the Hong Kong Fintech Week 2020. To introduce you to the members of the Swiss National Startup Team, we asked each entrepreneur to complete a short profile and choose five questions from a questionnaire about their personal and professional life.

Name: Rey Fernando Verboonen
Job title: CEO of CurioInvest
Location: Zug
Nationality: Swiss
Graduated from: ETH Zurich
Number of employees: 5
First touchpoint with Venturelab: In 2013. I started my career at kooaba, an ETH spin-off and Venturelab alumni. kooaba went on to be acquired by Qualcomm and seeded my interest in scaling young ventures.

“CurioInvest is a Swiss fintech tokenization platform that allows anyone to invest in rare collectible cars and other fine collectibles at the click of a button.”

How and where did you come up with the idea for your startup?
The idea started out of a class at Oxford, focusing on blockchain strategy. Through a case study, I was exposed to the world of collectibles, including fine art and rare cars, and learned that asset tokenization has the potential to unlock their value.   
 
What do you expect from the Venture Leaders program, and how will it help you achieve your vision? 
Asset tokenization has sparked interest globally, driven mainly by Asia. We confirmed this in 2019, when CurioInvest was a global top-three finalist at the blockchain competition Blockbattle in South Korea. SBI Investments, one of the organizers and sponsors of the show, provided an LOI to invest up to USD 10 million for the top 10 blockchain startups. Going forward, I see the Venture Leaders program as an opportunity to bridge the markets, enabling our firm to think and conduct business globally.
 
What is your favorite productivity hack?  
Time management is key; therefore, taking a moment in the morning to prioritize my daily tasks before doing anything else has significantly contributed to increasing my productivity. 
  
How and where do you clear your mind?  
Balance is both healthy and contributes toward my productivity; hence I have discovered that the better I plan my tasks and complete my daily to-do’s, the stronger the balance I find between my professional and private life.
  
What is the best advice you have ever received and from whom?  
As a founder, one is always pitching to everyone across a wide number of stakeholders—from team members to investors. This also means that one is continuously being challenged, even rejected until finding a solution. This also highlights the fact that we already have “a no” to begin with; it’s up to us to get “a yes” as an answer. This advice was given by a mentor and advisor at our firm. 
  
What is your favorite podcast?  
Einschlafen mit Wikipedia [Falling asleep with Wikipedia]. The best way to learn something new right before falling asleep! 
 
What is always in your fridge?
Coconut milk—I love a quick muesli breakfast with fruit to kickstart the day! 

Last but not least, could you show us your workspace? 



This year’s Venture Leaders Fintech is organized in collaboration with swissnex China and supported by EPF Lausanne, ETH Zurich, Immomig, PostFinance, TX Group, Walder Wyss, and the Canton of Zurich.

For more information and updates on CurioInvest and the Venture Leaders Fintech, follow the Venture Leaders Fintech 2020 team with #VleadersFintech on social media or subscribe to our newsletter.