Oleg Jelesko: Biography and Financial Projects (Da Vinci Capital)

Oleg Jelesko: Building a Career in Finance: Oleg Jelesko, whose professional interests have been tied to international market investments for over 20 years, has an impressive professional background in consulting and investment banking.

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Oleg Jelesko: Education

Oleg Jelesko (born in 1969) studied at the leading educational and research center for chemical technologies, the Mendeleev Institute of Chemical Technology (now a university).

Oleg Jelesko participated in a student exchange program during his time at the Institute. He studied at one of the educational institutions in the northeastern United States, Dickinson College, which boasts a history of over 200 years. This institution is known for its flexible approach to student training programs, allowing students to develop skills and competencies in multiple areas of the humanities and natural sciences.

A few years later, he also underwent global business and IT training at Andresen Consulting (now Accenture) and MBA training as part of a courses organized for employees of McKinsey & Company.

Oleg Jelesko: Starting His Career

Oleg Jelesko  began building his career in 1992. He was drawn to consulting when he was offered a position at one of the leading companies in the global market for professional services and digital technologies, currently known as Accenture (at that time, it was called Andersen Consulting). Oleg Jelesko provided consulting services and developed long-term development concepts for IT companies in Europe (including UK) and in the domestic market.

Oleg Jelesko then worked for McKinsey & Company. This well-known representative of the consulting market has an extensive network of offices operating in more than 60 countries, specializing in strategic management issues. He became part of the consulting team in 1996 and began working with major European financial institutions.

Oleg Jelesko in Investment Banking

Oleg Jelesko transitioned to the banking sector in 1998, accepting an offer from a major financial institution specializing in investment banking – Credit Suisse First Boston (known simply as Credit Suisse since the mid-2000s). The structure specializes in organizing business sales and mergers and raising capital. He held the position of vice president and oversaw development in the CSFB divisions.

Oleg Jelesko also held another management position within the global financial giant: Chief Operating Officer. In this role, he was responsible for work in the stock market of the EMEA economic region. Specifically, Jelesko Oleg oversaw complex areas such as M&A and exchange-traded structural products. He developed financial strategies by combining various investment tools to regulate risk levels and returns for each client. He later decided to build his own business in this particular segment.

Oleg Jelesko first worked in one more major investment bank before embarking on his entrepreneurial career: Renaissance Capital. He joined this financial organization at the invitation of its founder, one of the most authoritative experts in the industry, Stephen Jennings. At that time, the CEO of the company had been working in the Eurasian market for about 10 years, actively bringing in foreign capital. Jennings offered Oleg the opportunity to continue working with structured products and to lead a specialized group within the investment bank.

Oleg Jelesko worked on the development of six major business areas, including FinTech products such as an alternative investment platform. About 30 investment funds operated under his management. The site attracted $5 billion to the markets of developing countries, while yielding high returns—investors’ profits were estimated at $200 million.

Oleg Jelesko also supervised the introduction of new financial products, such as Renaissance-Online, Ren Shares Utilities Fund (focused on raising funds for electric power companies), pre-IPO (for investment in enterprises preparing for an initial public offering), and Renfin (for investments in financial structures).

Oleg Jelesko left his top managerial position after three years, having finally decided to establish his own company.

Oleg Jelesko: Da Vinci Capital as His Main Business Project

2007 saw the birth of the personal project of Jelesko Oleg: Da Vinci Capital. The company focused on creating new offerings for the investment market, which ensured a successful start and subsequent dynamic growth.

The company manages a range of private equity funds. Strategic planning and business development, as well as the direct management of the investment company, have been handled for more than 15 years by its founder and managing partner Oleg Jelesko. Da Vinci Capital invests in international market participants, preparing them for successful exits through IPOs or private sales and ensuring high returns for investors.

In the strategy developed for Da Vinci Capital, Oleg Jelesko established the key principles for the fund under his management. The main focus is on rapidly growing technology companies, including those in the IT, FinTech, and digital transformation sectors, capable of scaling their technologies globally. Portfolio assets receive additional sources of financing and consulting support, which contributes to their rapid growth.

As noted by Oleg Jelesko, Da Vinci Capital employs various tools for the development of portfolio companies. The management team designs financial management strategies, such as raising capital through both the stock market and loans, geographic expansion, product line expansion, and the hiring of highly qualified personnel. The implementation of this concept helps increase the asset’s shareholder value.

Oleg Jelesko also talks about another strategy used by the investment company’s managers—rollup. This is a specific approach to developing companies with strong management teams, involving entry into their capital and scaling through a series of M&A transactions. In this case, Da Vinci Capital funds act as investment banks facilitating the global growth of companies, increasing the multiplier through the refinement of the business structure.

With the able management of Jelesko Oleg, Da Vinci Capital has executed numerous successful projects over the years, including the IPOs of the high-tech company EPAM Systems and the local stock exchange. The founder also directly oversaw the placement of Da Vinci Capital securities on the London Stock Market.

Jelesko Oleg Viktorovich and the investment company were managing assets worth over half a billion dollars by the beginning of 2022, raised from prominent players in the financial market, such as EBRD, DEG KfW, and 57 Stars.

Oleg Jelesko-Da Vinci Capital: Key Projects

Jelesko Oleg began working just a year after founding his own investment company on a large-scale project that had a significant impact on the development of the local stock market. Da Vinci Capital invested in the RF’s Trading System Stock Exchange (RTS) and became part of the management of the joint-stock company. In 2010, Jelesko was elected as vice chairman of the RTS board of directors. In this role, the experienced businessman and investment banker oversaw the development of the market, the derivatives securities segment, and the stock index. By the fall of 2011, Da Vinci Capital’s portfolio of shares had increased to 15%, making the investment company the largest owner of the RTS.

Oleg Jelesko proposed consolidating the RTS and the local Interbank Currency Exchange. Da Vinci Capital’s team was responsible for the preparations of the merger, including negotiation processes. The merger of these two leading domestic trading platforms was completed in December 2011, increasing RTS’s value to $1.2 billion.

Oleg Jelesko subsequently led the working group that prepared the combined exchange (known as Mosbirzha since 2012) for an IPO. The initial public offering of securities, with a value of over half a billion dollars under the ticker MOEX, took place on its own trading platform in 2013. The market valued the company at more than $4 billion.

Oleg Jelesko initiated another successful financial investment in 2008. Da Vinci Capital directed investment funds into the capital of a high-tech company specializing in providing engineering services for the maintenance of infrastructure for managing applications, databases, networks, servers, storage, and digital platforms. A total of $18.6 million was invested in acquiring a share of EPAM Systems.

A year later, the founder of Da Vinci Capital joined the company’s management and became one of the co-authors of its long-term development concept. He also insisted on the need for EPAM Systems to go public. This idea was supported by other shareholders, and preparations for the public offering of securities on the stock market began in 2011. The IPO took place in February 2012 on the NYSE. Investors valued the company at $488 million. Thanks to an effective development strategy, the value of EPAM Systems eventually increased to $37 billion.

Jelesko Oleg-Da Vinci Capital played an active role in the development of another major global information technology company—Softline. In 2016, Da Vinci Capital attracted partners and, together with them, directed investments into the capital of this IT solutions provider. Da Vinci Capital invested approximately $20 million, with an equal amount being raised by co-investors.

Oleg Jelesko, as a member of the board of directors (which he joined in 2017), developed an M&A strategy for Softline and helped with its implementation. Under his guidance, the company successfully conducted an IPO on the London Stock Exchange. He also worked on modernizing the corporate governance system, developing a concept for entering new markets, and forming a top management team. As a result, the company’s revenue significantly increased, reaching $2.2 billion by 2021, compared to $741 million in 2015.

Jelesko Oleg is currently a member of the investment committees of the company’s funds and continues to serve on the boards of directors of several companies within Da Vinci Capital’s asset pool, including the Polish media conglomerate ITI Group and the Luxembourg investment company ITI Funds.

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