Direct strengthens Pavel Řehák, buys investment platform Fondee – Seznam Zprávy

At first it was just insurance and today I have an agency Exactly already four main pillars. The latest has become investing through a platform Fonduewhich, in addition to the Czech Republic, also operates in Slovakia and Poland.

“Today, the Direct insurance group includes Direct auto and Fidoo as financial services for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. Fondee is the fourth pillar on which we will build our future,” explained Pavel Řehák, founder of VIGO Investments, which is financially behind the Direct group.

The price that Direct will buy the platform from the founders Jan and Eva Hlavsová will not be agreed by both parties comment, but funding is provided only from direct sources. “We are now increasing and strengthening the company’s capital so that the platform has the resources for further development and expansion both in the Czech Republic and Poland,” said Řehák, according to it was the foreign access that made the construction very successful.

At the moment, the investment platform has around 17,000 clients and is non-profit. “The majority of clients are in the Czech Republic, to a large extent the other two markets are at a very early stage of development. I think they have a very good foundation, and the experience from the Czech Republic proves that the company can grow healthily in Slovakia and Poland,” said Řehák. According to him, Fondee should turn to profit already in the first quarter of next year.

“Direct’s operations are based on the premise that all services must be economically sustainable, scalable and self-supporting. Not only will it move into the black, but we want it to be a normally successful company,” said Řehák, adding that the company is targeting hundreds of thousands of clients. Direct alone has 400,000 in Poland.

The two founders of Fondee, Jan and Eva Hlavs, still live in the company. “They will continue as leaders of Fondee. They are one of the factors that convinced us that this is a good acquisition and a good opportunity,” said Řehák.

“With construction, Fondee enters the next phase of his life. He has seven start-up years behind him, when we managed to establish Fondee in the market for investment in ETF funds and grow to more than 16,000 clients. Now is the time to connect Fondee with a strong capital player that will help achieve our common mission to make investing in ETFs one of the most popular ways to invest,” says Jan Hlavsa .

In the future, part of Fondee could become part of the third fund of the Direct group, which was recently launched by Pavel Řehák and which, with an initial capital of ten million crowns, is aimed at investors big

“The purchase of Fondee is not for this fund, but it is possible at this time when the platform turns to profit and accelerates in the growth part, that we can give part of Fondee for this fund , “says Řehák. “The fund was not created so that I and my partners will be x crowns richer, but to build companies that we are not ashamed of and that give experiences to clients and eliminate the things that don’t work in, for example, the sectors where we work and can work more simply. Because the idea is popular, a small group of people with interest started to appear , it was a bigger community until we thought it was worth opening a fund for people who are interested in investing with us,” explained Řehák. He said he wants to meet to each such investor personally. So far, however, he and his entire calendar are said to be the biggest “brake of the fund”.

Direct was established in 2014 with an agreement to transfer 100 percent of the shares of the insurance company Triglav. There are several companies in the whole group, including Direct pojišťovna and Direct auto. The insurance company entered Poland this summer. The group’s funding is provided by VIGO Investments, Pavel Řehák’s investment company, which he founded in 2013.

“Today I think we are a very confident group, not a stupid group. With this we want to make another big wave of growth. From the current turnover of eight billion crowns, we aim for between 16 and 18 billion in 2027,” said Řehák.