Robert Jafek – Principal. Rob has been involved in all phases of Boomerang’s development since its inception and oversees it operations. He previously held various principal investing roles including Head of International Trading for Nicholas Applegate Capital Management and Analyst at Tiger Management. He has founded and managed two alternative investment firms: Plumeria Advisors and Torrey Pines Capital Management. He started his career as an investment banking Analyst at Morgan Stanley. He received a BA in Finance from The University of Utah and a Masters in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from HEC Paris. He also teaches business and finance at the university level, with his current position being an adjunct professor at UC Berkeley Law.
Q: What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?
There are a lot of things about my days that are subject to change, including what town I’m in. But the similarities are that I’m a consistent early riser, work a pretty long day, and try to sneak in some exercise at some point. I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I enjoy reading. To make my days productive, I’m afraid my process is not too interesting – I use a to-do list, which I try to prioritize, and a calendar. The calendar is electronic, but my to-do list is mostly hand-written, frequently with an old school fountain pen.
Q: What has been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career?
My biggest challenges have been with partners or key employees that were bad actors. Their actions impacted employees and clients, and I had to clean it up. While clients never ended up with poor investment results, some employees lost jobs and bore the brunt of those short-sighted and selfish choices.
Q: What do you work toward in your free time?
Staying connected with family. They are the most important to me, but unfortunately get less attention and care at times. I also try to get in some exercise, and particularly enjoy biking. I’m also working on my SCUBA divemaster, and I’d love to figure out a way to do a PhD.
Q: Tell us about a person or organization that you admire. Why do you think they have made an important impact?
I admire organizations less per se, and more just regular everyday people in their regular everyday environments that somehow find opportunities to make someone else’s life a bit better. I am particularly inspired by people who reach outside their comfort zones and just do kind things. They remind me that it’s never really ‘convenient’ to be considerate or charitable, and that even small actions frequently make a difference. A few weeks ago, I was in a subway in a part of town that clearly wasn’t my home turf. I was wearing a suit in a crowd of hoodies. I was also pretty lost and must have looked it. A young man came up to me, and I thought to myself that this might end very badly. Instead, he asked me where I was going and went out of his way to take me to the right platform and get me on the train I needed. A small thing, perhaps, for the young man, but it made an impact on me. He had all the reason in the world to ignore me, but chose to spend his time helping me get sorted out instead. On a related note, I also frequent the subreddit ‘humans being bros’. https://www.reddit.com/r/HumansBeingBros/
Q: What advice would you give your younger self?
Get some more balance in your life.
