Marc-Andre Pepin

Dr. Marc-André Pépin is a Swiss-Canadian investment specialist known for creating innovative financial products tailored to global investment needs. He is the founder and CEO of Invescap, an investment and lending company based in Geneva, Switzerland. Dr. Pépin’s solutions were named “Best Investment Products” by Wealth and Finance International Magazine.

After decades of experience in senior positions of leading investment companies including JP Morgan & Co., LGT, RVM, and Clariden-Leu Bank, Dr. Pépin launched Invescap in 2012. He began offering tailored investment solutions focused on improved portfolio diversification, lower overall risk, and high-yielding returns.

As CEO of RVM, Dr. Marc-Andre Pépin propelled the company to the top 2% of the Bloomberg fund universe by innovating yield enhancement strategies. As VP at JP Morgan & Co. in New York and London, Dr. Pépin gained invaluable cross-border experience managing investments and asset allocation, helping companies achieve measurable performance growth.

Throughout his career, Dr. Pépin has forged strategic partnerships in the international investment industry, benefiting his career trajectory and clients.

Dr. Pépin’s education began with an Industrial Engineering degree in Montreal, Canada, where he ranked first for academic results. After receiving a scholarship from the National Resource Council of Canada to study abroad, Dr. Pépin achieved his MBA in Finance from Imperial College, London in the United Kingdom. He later studied in the United States and gained a Ph.D. in Finance and Economics.

Dr. Marc-André Pépin is an associate member of Mensa, CAIA, and AIMR. He speaks English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German fluently. Away from Ivescap, Dr. Pépin enjoys sports and is an active philanthropist. One of his projects involved founding an ice hockey team for disadvantaged youths. Dr. Pépin is married and has two children. His family resides in Geneva, Switzerland.

Where did the idea for Invescap come from?

Invescap is a Swiss company founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 2012. specializing in international private debt, the idea behind Invescap was to provide a strategy that offers stable and positive returns, enabling qualified investors to achieve their financial goals through investments in the US medical field. Over the years, the company has grown and expanded its offerings, becoming a trusted provider of investment solutions in private debt.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

I wake up at around 7am, have a quick and healthy breakfast and take a few minutes to check the latest financial news.
I try to meditate for 20-30 minutes, visualizing my goals for the day before I leave for work.
I arrive at work around 9am and get an overview of my day.
We have a team meeting where we set the day’s goals and share everyone’s personal projects for the day.
At lunch I usually have meetings with clients.
I try to end my day with at least an hour of exercise.
Most importantly I try to consistently go to bed early.

How do you bring ideas to life?

I typically break down my projects into smaller tasks which are easier to visualize.
Following this, I determine which can be delegated and which I need to take on myself. I then discuss the project with my team to get their insight and we distribute the tasks based on skillset and availability.
We have daily meetings to check on the projects’ progress.

What’s one trend that excites you?

I personally think that the application of Artificial Intelligence in the medical field has the potential to revolutionize the way Healthcare is delivered. AI has the ability to analyze vast amounts of medical data and provide insights that can assist healthcare professionals in making more informed decisions.

As our main investment focus is on medical technologies, I will closely monitor this trend.

Some examples of how AI is being used in the medical field include:

 Diagnosis: AI algorithms can assist in the diagnosis of diseases by analyzing medical images, such as X-rays and CT scans, and identifying patterns that may indicate a particular condition.

 Predictive analytics: analyzing patient data, including demographic information, medical history, and treatment outcomes, to predict the likelihood of certain medical events, such as readmissions or complications.
 Personalized medicine: helping in the development of personalized treatment plans for patients by analyzing genetic and other health data to determine the most effective treatment options for each individual.
 Clinical decision support: assisting healthcare professionals in making clinical decisions by providing real-time recommendations based on a patient’s medical history and current condition.
 Drug discovery: analyzing large amounts of data to identify new potential drug targets and predict the potential side effects of new drugs, thereby speeding up the drug discovery process.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

I apply the principle of “Divide and Conquer” to every aspect of my life, whether it is business or in my personal life. I try to take any overwhelming task and divide it into smaller ones which are easier to accomplish.

What advice would you give your younger self?

I would advise my younger self to never close the door on a relationship. You never know what could come out of it or when you could help each other out. You will learn that everyone has a unique point of view and there is wisdom in everyone.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Knowing a lot about one specific subject doesn’t make you smart. Applying what you know is the key.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

I’ve gotten into the habit of sleeping with a note pad on my bedstand. The reason being is that I get my best ideas during sleep, and I don’t want to forget them.
I’m even considering buying a pen that can write upside down so I can jot down my best ideas lying down in bed.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

I try to outsource as much as possible. In the past I’ve made the mistake of trying to keep everything in-house and I wasn’t taking full advantage of outsourcing:

 Access to specialized skills
 Cost savings
 Increased flexibility which allows us to quickly ramp up or scale down resources
 Improved efficiency

Outsourcing as many services as possible whether it be marketing, accounting etc… allows me to focus on the core structure of my business and helps me develop it as efficiently as possible.

What is one failure you had as an entrepreneur, and how did you overcome it?

Being of a helpful nature, I did have a tendency to try to help everyone, which would take up a lot of time and energy, especially when the very people I was trying to help would start to take advantage of me.

But I learned from those past experiences and with good guidance from trusted people, I’m now able to handle those issues much better. I’ve learned that I can’t help everyone and should be more selective in who I try to help.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

I was actually prototyping a water-based resistance workout machine in the early 2000s on my balcony, which as we know now exists, but I would say in today’s age, automation is king. So, if you can find a problem that could be resolved by automation or if you think there would be a market for such a product, developing such software could be very lucrative.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

Professional and personal: Hiring a business coach. Once a week I get the opportunity to talk to a person who has a very specific and useful set of skills. This allows me to get a clearer view of what’s happening in my business and my personal life. From there, I receive professional and structured advice that helps me find creative solutions.

Having access to this relationship has given me peace of mind and stability to pursue my goals.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Mailchimp: We use it as an effective marketing tool to reach out to potential clients, share our products and philosophy, and understand the wants and needs of our key audience. This helps us refine our approach to potential clients and tailor our products to them.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

“The Little Book of Common-Sense Investing”

I would recommend it if you’re starting out in finance because it advocates for a simple, passive investment strategy.

The author, John C. Bogle, suggests investing in low-cost index funds that track the overall market, instead of trying to beat it through stock picking or market timing. He argues that this approach, over time, will provide investors with their fair share of the market’s returns and helps to avoid the high costs and potential mistakes of actively managed funds.

The book also covers the history and behavior of the stock market, the importance of long-term investing and the dangers of market speculation.

It provides a good overview of how markets work.

What is your favorite quote?

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill

Key Learnings:

• Don’t be afraid to fail, take risks, and embrace failures as opportunities for growth.

• Don’t feel the need to do everything by yourself – surround yourself with skilled and trustworthy people which can help you achieve your goals.

• Open yourself up to the world – wisdom often comes from the least expected sources.