Daniel Nikic is the founder and President of Cohres, a firm that offers investment research services to global venture capital funds and high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs). These services encompass research, planning, and financial analysis, helping investors make informed decisions. In addition to these core offerings, Cohres has developed GPTs for investments, startup guidance, and expert professional advice. Headquartered in Croatia, Cohres has also created an investment data platform called Dodires, which focuses on investment activity in the SEE, CEE, and Baltic regions since 2020.
Cohres’ services include analyzing over 15,000 companies with a focus on artificial intelligence, software, and data. Despite being based in Croatia, Daniel has successfully served clients across Japan, Singapore, London, New York, and Chile, delivering high-quality, professional customer experiences. Furthermore, he has assisted funds in securing Limited Partner (LP) investments and helped startups attract Angel and Venture Capital funding through thorough due diligence processes.
Beyond providing standard services, Daniel also supports client teams’ growth by mentoring young, aspiring business professionals from Ivy League schools. His previous experience includes working for HB Reavis, a multinational commercial real estate developer, where he conducted market research and financial analysis for projects valued at up to $500 million. Daniel holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Brock University and a diploma in Accounting and Business from ACCA.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
Every workday, I start my morning at the gym, focusing on fitness with my trainer, followed by a quick review of emails to address any urgent matters. After my workout, I head to the office, where I engage with both potential and current clients, hold meetings, network, and work on various projects. After work, I spend quality time with my children, as I still maintain the sense of humor of a 5-year-old at the end of the day.
How do you bring ideas to life?
I begin by conducting thorough research to determine if the idea is viable, then I discuss it with a trusted network of individuals whose opinions and feedback I highly value. After gathering their insights, I start brainstorming ways to bring the idea to life.
What’s one trend that excites you?
I am excited about artificial intelligence, especially since we’re still in the augmented AI phase, where human input is still required. It will be fascinating to see how AI evolves, and I remain hopeful that its development will be for the better.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Fitness—Going to the gym and doing physical activity is crucial. As the saying goes, embrace the pain, haha.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Be patient and think long-term, the great things in life come with time.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
That Eastern Europe is the most underrated region in the world in terms of opportunities and skillsets.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Planning main tasks to complete every day.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I take a walk or listen to music.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Always aim to over-deliver for clients rather than oversell your services. I believe in being direct yet respectful and consistently summarizing action plans after meetings or client requests to avoid any misunderstandings.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
One setback in my career was struggling to achieve profitability during the first few years. However, I remained persistent and sought advice from global experts on how to secure long-term, large clients. The key takeaways were:
1 – Less is more.
2 – Consider why a client should choose you over someone else.
3 – Identify what unique value you can provide that they can’t get from their network, employees, or cheaper service providers.
4 – Continuously grow and adapt to evolving technologies.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
One business idea is a virtual assistant for travelers, where individuals visiting a specific destination can reach out to this assistant 24/7 for help with accommodation, event planning, and transportation during their stay.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
I use G Suite for everything from emails to document creation, as it enables seamless communication and helps me develop services for clients.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel is a great book because it offers the valuable lesson that you should look to those at a similar income level for examples of smart financial behavior rather than comparing yourself to those in vastly different financial situations.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
HBO’s Industry highlights how financial professionals manage stress in both personal and business environments while navigating the rapid changes in the financial markets.
Key learnings
- You have to be realistic about your situation.
- You have to be open-minded to other people’s opinions if they are where you want to be in the future.
- To be successful, you have to manage stress.