We moved to Portugal in 2016 in pursuit of a better quality of life

Resident in Portugal since 2016, Julian built and sold three companies before becoming an angel investor, real estate developer and fund partner.  His track record includes 2 unicorns and an IPO.  A former alum of Al Gore’s Climate Leadership Program, he is passionate about climate change, technology and justice

I moved to Portugal in 2016 on the hunt for a better quality of life. I was intrigued by the 'frontier' energy of Lisbon back then, and really loved the 'old world' culture that didn't appear to turn on an axis of superficial consumption, but maintained a steady pace built on family values and simplicity.

My original intention was to assist the city in some way in redeveloping the thousands of dormant buildings that sit sporadically across this ancient city. This ended up being harder than anticipated, entirely as a result of bureaucracy and I ended up investing rather than developing, in a number of projects across the city.

Meanwhile, I remained an angel investor, enthused by the ambition of people who see the world one way, and want to change it for the better. I enjoy helping bring positive companies into the world.

It's this interest that lead me to develop our thesis for Tejo. The simple thinking being, 'our investors are investing for a better future, so why not make that investment matter?'.

Born and raised in France, I first studied to be an engineer with big dreams to build bridges. I switched gears and started working in large-cap M&A, first in Paris and later in New York City. After six years focused on capital goods, energy, and infrastructure, I left investment banking for more entrepreneurial pursuits including angel investing, specifically backing founders focused on making the world a better and exciting place. I went on to follow my passion for food to found an ice cream company in South Africa (fun fact: it was once named #1 in the world).

In 2017, I proposed to my now wife on the stunning beaches of Caparica, south of the red bridge. We moved to Lisbon shortly after, drawn in by Portugal’s long sunny days, beautiful nature, and gentle culture. When it came to deciding where to raise our family, we debated a life between the United States and Europe and it was Portugal’s safety, education, and health care system that made it an easy choice for us.

This journey led me to co-found Tejo Ventures. In being able to offer the Golden Visa program to all of our LPs, I’ve ended up doing exactly what I dreamed of doing - building bridges. Building bridges for the world to come and experience the magic that Portugal has to offer - a lifestyle unparalleled for those seeking sunshine, delicious food, clean water, and the safety and security of European living. And while allocating our investors’ capital where it matters most - building our shared future.

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• Director and Co-Founder of Earthlife SA, a solar park development company.
• General Manager of Goosun Lda, a photovoltaic panel production company.
• Co-Founder, Simples Energia, an electricity and natural gas supplier company.
• Physics Degree, University Duisburg-Essen, Germany.
• PhD Solid State Physics, University of Porto.
• Assistant Professor, University of Aveiro.
• Coordinating Professor, Superior Institute of Engineering of Porto.

Chess manages the global partnership network at Tejo, including immigration, legal and taxation partnerships as well as the Ambassador program. In addition, she is responsible for guiding investors through Tejo 360 onboarding for investor.

• Professional career of 30+ years focused on the real estate and financial sectors.
• Holds multiple Chairman, Board and Executive positions across companies globally, including Caixa Geral Depositos, Banco BEST, BCP, and Banco Português do Atlântico New York.
• Euromoney Award for Best Debt House 2001, Best Residential Mortgage Business 2002 and Best Domestic Securities Company 2003.
• Economics Advanced Management Programme, INSEAD. Postgraduate in Actuarial Science. MBA in Finance, Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

• Professional career of 20+ years in the financial industry, having served as chairman and board member of several Portuguese entities.
• Non-executive Director of Green One Capital, Managing Partner of Phantom Asset Management, Executive Member of the Steering Committee, Deputy Director of Treasury and Finance, among other director positions.

• Executive Manager across project engineering, finance, marketing sales and strategy.
• Former Accenture Managing Director. An executive manager whose career has been primarily in project engineering, finance, marketing, sales, and strategy.
• Lecturer in the Executive MBA Consulting Projects seminar at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra.
• Universidade Lusíada International Economics, Portugal.

• MSc in Aerospace Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico at the University of Lisbon. 
• Founder of a specialist engineering tutelage business.
• Private Equity Investment Associate and Analyst at Green One Capital.
• José's diverse educational background includes a 5th degree in Musical Education from Eborae Música and certifications in sustainable business practices from the University of Oxford and young agriculture from the European Union.