RISE Podcast

O.D. Kobo is an accomplished alternative asset manager and global investment strategist with nearly three decades of experience in the finance and technology sectors.

Kobo specializes in partnering with state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and state-owned investment funds (SOIFs), including sovereign wealth funds (SWFs), to manage and structure large-scale capital initiatives. He has developed a significant network of relationships through collaborations with financial institutions, family offices, and capital market participants across Asia, Europe, Africa, Russia, and the Gulf.

Kobo has helped facilitate joint ventures with governments and public-private entities, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and capital raising for high-value projects with an aggregate value exceeding $10 billion dollars.

Recognized for his expertise in capital structuring, debt financing, equity formation, and cross-border deal management, he maintains close associations with institutions such as Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), Alibaba, Asia Pacific Royalties LP Fund (APAC), Bank of China, Belt & Road EPC LPF (BRF), Chelsfield Partners, China Investment Corporation (CIC), China Mobile, CITIC Group, Focus Media, Haitong Securities, Olayan Group, Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Qatar Investment Authority (QIA).

He has also partnered directly with prominent figures, including HH Al Thani (former Prime Minister of Qatar, Chairman of the QIA), Roman Abramovich (Millhouse Capital), Richard Caring (Caprice Holding), Ding Lei (Netease), Teddy Sagi (Labtech, Playtech), among others.

In 2018, he led strategic investments in BTC and Ethereum, positioning PIR Equities as one of the UK’s early institutional investors in digital assets.

Earlier in his career, Kobo built and sold companies to firms including QIA, MetLife, Lenovo, American Movil, Tencent, Yahoo, and NetEase.

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to O.D Kobo
00:38 The Stress of High-Stakes Dealmaking
01:28 Meeting Odi Kobo: A Personal Story
05:48 O.Ds Early Life in Hong Kong
06:42 Navigating Cultural Identity
10:45 Educational Journey: From Hong Kong to London
26:02 First Business Ventures: Lottery.com
32:02 Domain Squatting Success
40:33 Living the High Life in London
46:21 Building an Investment Network
48:27 Young Millionaire in Late 90s London
49:22 Moving to Hong Kong and Starting Sinoshin
50:44 Structuring Deals and Investor Relations
53:27 Life in Hong Kong and Early Investments
01:00:15 Massive Returns and Managing Investor Expectations
01:16:31 Transition to Beijing and Starting 360
01:32:11 The Quest for a Hundred Million
01:32:42 Meeting Rahman Abdul Alassir
01:35:18 The Deal Makers
01:37:16 Structuring the Big Deal
01:40:38 Scaling the Internet Company
01:41:50 The Geneva Meetings
01:47:13 The Doha Presentation
01:58:14 A New Chapter in London
01:58:56 Taking a Year Off
02:13:08 Back to Business in Hong Kong
02:17:17 The Challenges of High-Stakes Real Estate Deals
02:17:52 Building Relationships in China
02:18:22 Living in Beijing: The Good and the Bad
02:18:43 Understanding the Belt and Road Initiative
02:19:42 China's Role in Global Infrastructure
02:26:00 The Future of Data Centers
02:34:05 The Stress of Moving Large Sums of Money
02:37:06 Reflections on Career and Life Choices
02:43:55 The Impact of Global Events on Personal Life
02:48:24 Concluding Thoughts and Future Outlook

Gary Lipovetsky: https://www.instagram.com/garylipovetsky
O.D Kobo: https://www.instagram.com/odkobo