15 Years Down, 35 Years (And More) to Go
June 2010: Discerene Value Advisors LLC launches with $62 million in capital commitments and a team of 3 people: Soo Chuen Tan, Jonathan Bloom, and Tim Cox.
George Chryssikos, CEO of Grivalia Properties.
George Chryssikos, CEO of Grivalia Properties.
July 2010: Discerene first becomes a shareholder of Grivalia Properties, starting an 8+ year partnership with George Chryssikos and the Grivalia management team. George later becomes the first CEO Discerene inducts into its CEO Hall of Fame.
Jeremy.
Jeremy.
August 2010: Jeremy Standrod joins the team as Discerene's first COO.
Oprah Winfrey in Australia.
Oprah Winfrey in Australia.
December 2010: The team makes its first research trip, to Australia, coinciding with Oprah Winfrey's visit.
April 2011: Discerene first becomes a shareholder of a handful of Japanese companies during the Tohoku earthquake, some of which it still owns today.
May 2011: First annual team pilgrimage to Omaha for the Berkshire Hathaway Annual General Meeting.
December 2011: Discerene visits South Korea on a research trip the same day that King Jong Il passes away.
December 2011: Discerene visits South Korea on a research trip the same day that King Jong Il passes away.
December 2011: Discerene visits South Korea on a research trip the same day that King Jong Il passes away.
December 2011: Discerene visits South Korea on a research trip the same day that King Jong Il passes away.
December 2011: Discerene visits South Korea on a research trip the same day that King Jong Il passes away.
December 2011: Discerene visits South Korea on a research trip the same day that King Jong Il passes away.
Greece trip.
Greece trip.
August 2012: Apostolos Apostolopoulos joins the team. Discerene makes its first research trip to Greece in the depth of the Greek crisis, joined by Dan Ward.
Japan trip.
Japan trip.
Japan trip.
October 2012: Japan trip.
December 2012: John Apostolopoulos visits New York and Connecticut.
December 2012: John Apostolopoulos visits New York and Connecticut.
April 2013: Harvard Business School investment conference.
April 2013: Harvard Business School investment conference.
May 2013: Soo Chuen’s birthday at the Tan residence.
May 2013: Soo Chuen’s birthday at the Tan residence.
June 2013: Ann Mackey's birthday.
June 2013: Ann Mackey's birthday.
August 2013: Warren and Ashley Cox at the Tan residence after Warren's arrival.
August 2013: Warren and Ashley Cox at the Tan residence after Warren's arrival.
August 2013: Discerene hits $100 million in Firmwide funded net assets.
September 2013: Justin Patterson and Anna Burke wedding in Palisades, New York.
September 2013: Justin Patterson and Anna Burke wedding in Palisades, New York.
November 2013: Wharton investment conference.
November 2013: Wharton investment conference.
January 2014: Soo Chuen in the office.
January 2014: Soo Chuen in the office.
January 2014: Ann in the office.
January 2014: Apostolos in the office.
January 2014: Jonathan in the office.
May 2014: ICSC conference in Las Vegas.
May 2014: ICSC conference in Las Vegas.
June 2014: Apostolos’ birthday.
June 2014: Apostolos’ birthday.
Montreal trip.
Montreal trip.
July 2014: Montreal trip.
Jonathan.
Jonathan.
October 2014: The Firm changes its name from Discerene Value Advisors LLC to Discerene Group LP and becomes a partnership. Jonathan becomes Discerene's first Partner besides Soo Chuen.
November 2014: Jonathan Bloom and Kristyn Williams wedding in Miami, Florida.
November 2014: Jonathan Bloom and Kristyn Williams wedding in Miami, Florida.
November 2014: Jonathan Bloom and Kristyn Williams wedding in Miami, Florida.
January 2015: Discerene alum Charlie Stone co-founds Alfreton Capital in London, England.
January 2015: Discerene alum Charlie Stone co-founds Alfreton Capital in London, England.
Korea trip.
Korea trip.
March 2015: Korea trip.
Texas trip.
Texas trip.
July 2015: Texas trip.
Ricardo Gontijo Jr., CEO of Direcional Engenharia.
Ricardo Gontijo Jr., CEO of Direcional Engenharia.
August 2015: In the aftermath of the Brazil crisis, Discerene first becomes shareholder of Direcional Engenharia, starting a 7+ year partnership with Ricardo Gontijo Jr. and the Direcional management team. Ricardo later becomes the second CEO Discerene inducts into its CEO Hall of Fame.
Hong Kong trip.
Hong Kong trip.
August 2016: Hong Kong trip.
January 2017: Jeremy Standrod and Jordan Wernecke wedding in Maui, Hawaii.
January 2017: Jeremy Standrod and Jordan Wernecke wedding in Maui, Hawaii.
January 2017: Jeremy Standrod and Jordan Wernecke wedding in Maui, Hawaii.
January 2018: Discerene returns capital to investors and launches the Diakrisis Fund LP, its flagship drawdown long-only commingled fund.
James.
James.
February 2018: James Rump joins the team.
Apostolos.
Apostolos.
March 2018: Apostolos becomes a Discerene Partner.
April 2018: Discerene returns capital to investors and launches the Sagacia Fund LP, its flagship drawdown long/short commingled fund.
June 2018: Discerene alum Dan Averbukh founds Clerkenwell Asset Management in New York City.
June 2018: Discerene alum Dan Averbukh founds Clerkenwell Asset Management in New York City.
June 2018: Glenair visit.
Burak Busarir, then CEO of Coca-Cola Icecek.
Burak Busarir, then CEO of Coca-Cola Icecek.
August 2018: Dan, Anne, and Elliot welcome baby Iris Averbukh.
August 2018: During the time of dislocation in Turkey, Discerene first becomes a shareholder of Coca-Cola Icecek, starting a 6+ year partnership with Burak Busarir, and the CCI management team. Burak later becomes the third CEO Discerene inducts into its CEO Hall of Fame.
Alejandro Berney.
Alejandro Berney.
Gonzalo Pascual Merlo.
September 2018: During a time of dislocation in Argentina, Discerene first becomes a shareholder of Bolsas y Mercados Argentinos (“BYMA”), starting a 6+ year partnership with Alejandro Berney and Gonzalo Pascual Merlo, who later become the fourth and sixth CEOs Discerene inducts into its CEO Hall of Fame.
October 2018: Discerene moves into its current office space, "The White Elephant," at Suite 301, 2777 Summer Street, Stamford.
December 2018: Dinner with Charlie Munger.
December 2018: Dinner with Charlie Munger.
March 2019: Harvard Business School investment conference.
March 2019: Harvard Business School investment conference.
April 2019: With Henry Kissinger at the Bloom residence.
April 2019: With Henry Kissinger at the Bloom residence.
April 2019: With David Petraeus and baby McCartney at the Bloom residence.
April 2019: With Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the Bloom residence.
Pranay joins the team (on his birthday!)
Pranay joins the team (on his birthday!)
Joe.
July 2019: Apostolos surgery recuperation.
July 2019: Discerene Summer Bootcamp.
July 2019: Discerene hits $500 million in Firmwide funded net assets. Pranay Ranjan joins the team. Joe Arouni joins the Firm's consultant team. Discerene closes to new investors for the first time since inception, for two years.
September 2019: At the US Open.
September 2019: At the US Open.
October 2019: Charles Xu’s birthday.
October 2019: Charles Xu’s birthday.
November 2019: Attending a used-car auction in Long Island.
November 2019: Attending a used-car auction in Long Island.
December 2019: Alex Apostolopoulos cooks Christmas dinner.
December 2019: Alex Apostolopoulos cooks Christmas dinner.
December 2019: Bill Verdi's birthday.
January 2020: A night at the theater.
January 2020: A night at the theater.
February 2020: Jonathan's birthday. "Given what’s going on in China, should we be blowing out candles?"
February 2020: Jonathan's birthday. "Given what’s going on in China, should we be blowing out candles?"
February 2020: McCartney’s birthday.
Tony Wood, then CEO of Meggitt Plc.
Tony Wood, then CEO of Meggitt Plc.
March 2020: Discerene first becomes a shareholder of Meggitt Plc, starting a 2+ year partnership with Tony Wood and the Meggitt management team. Tony later becomes the fifth CEO Discerene inducts into its CEO Hall of Fame. Meggitt is later acquired by Parker Hannifin, in 2022.
April 2020: Discerene calls down and deploys almost $400 million of capital commitments during COVID-19. The Firm strikes a mid-month NAV for the first time since inception so that investors can make new contributions on April 17.
August 2020: Discerene awards the first-ever Discerene Scholarship to Naveen Gowda to attend the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. The Firm now has scholars in Bolivia, China, Ghana, India, Myanmar, and Pakistan.
Justin.
Justin.
September 2020: Justin Wallentin joins the team.
December 2020: Discerene hits $1 billion in Firmwide funded net assets.
March 2021: Thomas Rump, the first of Discerene's five "COVID babies" (i.e., babies born to Discerene team members after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic) is born.
March 2021: Thomas Rump, the first of Discerene's five "COVID babies" (i.e., babies born to Discerene team members after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic) is born.
Bowen.
Bowen.
May 2021: Bowen Dai joins the team.
July 2021: Team dinner at the Rump residence.
July 2021: Team dinner at the Rump residence.
October 2021: Soo Chuen's COVID-19-era look: Ponytail, no gym, and no sunlight.
October 2021: Soo Chuen's COVID-19-era look: Ponytail, no gym, and no sunlight.
March 2022: Discerene strikes a mid-month commingled-fund NAV for the second time since inception to buy IAA. IAA was later acquired by Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in 2023. Discerene calls and deploys almost $400 million of capital in 2022.
May 2022: John and Monika Apostolopoulos visit New York City and Connecticut.
May 2022: John and Monika Apostolopoulos visit New York City and Connecticut.
May 2022: Soo Chuen's birthday at the Rump residence.
June 2022: Mount Holyoke team visits the Discerene office.
June 2022: Mount Holyoke team visits the Discerene office.
July 2022: Expanding "The White Elephant".
July 2022: Expanding "The White Elephant".
Nitish.
July 2022: Nitish Sachdeva joins the Discerene Vision India team as the Firm's first international consultant.
October 2022: Preparing to host a meeting at the Apostolopoulos residence (aka Discerene's COVID-19 meeting place).
October 2022: Preparing to host a meeting at the Apostolopoulos residence (aka Discerene's COVID-19 meeting place).
James.
James.
January 2023: Singapore trip.
January 2023: Singapore trip.
January 2023: Dan.
January 2023: James becomes a Discerene Partner. Dan founds validityBase.
March 2023: Latifa Zaki visits New York and Connecticut.
March 2023: Latifa Zaki visits New York and Connecticut.
April 2023: Team hiking trip.
April 2023: Team hiking trip.
April 2023: Team hiking trip.
May 2023: Dinner with Alaedine Belhouari's family in El-Jeddidah, Morocco.
May 2023: Dinner with Alaedine Belhouari's family in El-Jeddidah, Morocco.
May 2023: Soo Chuen’s birthday.
June 2023: Apostolos’ birthday.
June 2023: Apostolos’ birthday.
Hiroki.
Hiroki.
July 2023: Concert at the Bloom residence.
July 2023: Dinner at the Wallentin residence.
July 2023: Apostolos Apostolopoulos and Youmna Saloumi get hitched at City Hall, New York City.
July 2023: Nitish tries New Haven pizza.
July 2023: Pranay’s birthday.
July 2023: Discerene returns capital to investors and launches the Sabiduria Fund LP, its flagship drawdown co-investment vehicle. Hiroki Hasegawa joins the team.
August 2023: Yiannis Apostolopoulos arrives.
August 2023: Yiannis Apostolopoulos arrives.
September 2023: Hiroki's birthday at the Rump residence.
September 2023: Hiroki's birthday at the Rump residence.
September 2023: At the US Open.
September 2023: James’ birthday.
October 2023: Brunch at the Ranjan residence.
Geniva.
October 2023: The Dai family and Kyle Dattola-Harris visit New York and Connecticut.
October 2023: Geniva Godlif joins the Firm’s international consultant team.
November 2023: Alaedine co-founds Hasta in Casablanca, Morocco.
November 2023: Alaedine co-founds Hasta in Casablanca, Morocco.
November 2023: The Thinker in Patagonia, Chile.
November 2023: Argentina trip during the Presidential election.
November 2023: Chile trip.
November 2023: Argentina trip during the Presidential election.
November 2023: The Thinker in Machu Picchu, Peru.
December 2023: Discerene onboards its first 10-year-class Limited Partner.
Germany trip.
Germany trip.
Karla.
January 2024: Germany trip. Karla Cabangon joins the Firm’s international consultant team.
February 2024: Jonathan's birthday.
February 2024: Jonathan's birthday.
Elyanah.
February 2024: Amazon distribution center visit.
February 2024: Elyanah Aco joins the Firm's international consultant team.
Saine.
Saine.
March 2024: Saine Valentin joins the Firm's international consultant team.
Brett.
Brett.
April 2024: Brett Gardner joins the team.
Roshan.
Roshan.
May 2024: Conference call with young Discerene team member.
May 2024: Rolling Stones concert.
May 2024: Will Rump arrives.
May 2024: Berkshire Hathaway Annual General Meeting.
May 2024: Visiting Ron Blumkin and Nebraska Furniture Mart team in Omaha.
May 2024: Roshan Kedia joins joins the Discerene Vision India team.
June 2024: Apostolos' birthday.
June 2024: Apostolos' birthday.
Przemek.
June 2024: Harvard Business School publishes a case study on Discerene's 2020 investment in SLB. Przemek Czastka joins the Firm's international consultant team. Jonathan leaves Discerene after 14 years to launch Golden Mean Partnership LLC.
July 2024: Max Seraita and Amanda Goldstein wedding in East Meadow, New York.
July 2024: Max Seraita and Amanda Goldstein wedding in East Meadow, New York.
July 2024: Wilson's birthday.
July 2024: Dinner with CCU team.
July 2024: Nitish, Roshan, and Saine's visit to Stamford.
July 2024: Pranay's birthday.
August 2024: Apostolos and Youmna wedding in Athens, Greece.
August 2024: Apostolos and Youmna wedding in Athens, Greece.
August 2024: Lunch with BYMA team in New York City.
August 2024: Dinner with Shinya Deguchi, Discerene Scholars, and Gen Z Investors Club in Chengdu, China.
Mike.
Mike.
September 2024: Justin's birthday.
September 2024: Dinner with Alejandro Berney and his wife in New York City.
September 2024: Mike Zhao joins the team.
October 2024: Praveen Ranjan Prasad visits Connecticut.
October 2024: Praveen Ranjan Prasad visits Connecticut.
October 2024: The Intelligent Investor, Third Edition book party.
November 2024: Yiannis' baptism.
November 2024: Yiannis' baptism.
November 2024: Bowen, Przemek, and Kyle visit Stamford.
November 2024: Buffett's Early Investments talk at the CFA Institute.
November 2024: Team dinner.
November 2024: Visiting Spencer House.
November 2024: Brett Gardner's book, Buffett's Early Investments is published and is well-received.
December 2024: Dinner with the Arounis and Ongs in Singapore.
December 2024: Dinner with the Arounis and Ongs in Singapore.
December 2024: Product quality testing in Bangladesh.
December 2024: Dinner with World of Allocators community in Beijing.
December 2024: Visiting the Indian School of Business’ Mohali campus.
December 2024: Visiting Peking University.
December 2024: Nitish Sachdeva and Neha Khurana wedding in Ambala, India.
February 2025: Drinking on the job.
February 2025: Drinking on the job.
February 2025: Harvard Business School investment conference.
February 2025: Discerene hits $2 billion in Firmwide funded net assets.
March 2025: Joe's birthday.
March 2025: Joe's birthday.
Gabriela.
Gabriela.
April 2025: Easter dinner.
April 2025: Los Angeles trip.
April 2025: Gabriela Wysopal joins the Firm's international consultant team.
Abhi.
Abhi.
Vedant.
May 2025: Abhi Naskanti and Vedant Arora join the team.
