🗣️ Investor Talk #2: Irnest Kaplan

Founder - Kaplan Equity Analysts

Welcome to Investor Talk — where we interview successful investors to uncover their journeys, strategies, and the lessons they've learned. Get inspired by real stories and gain valuable insights to sharpen your own investment approach.

Every interview follows the same set of sharp, insightful questions — such as “What is your investment strategy?”, “What are your highest conviction stocks?”, and “What’s the biggest investment mistake you’ve made?”

In this edition, we have the pleasure of interviewing:

Name: Irnest Kaplan @IrnestKaplan
Age: 48
Residence: South-Africa
Invests since: 1998

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
I became an Electrical Engineer in the mid-nineties and worked in the IT Industry for several years. During that time, I was part of an Internet company that pioneered the commercialization of the Internet in South Africa. I later pursued studies in the CFA program and became captivated by the field of valuation and equity research. I joined Societe Generale as a sell-side equity analyst, specializing in the Tech and Telecoms sectors. Unfortunately, due to the dot com bubble burst, our equity operation was shut down, and we were all laid off after about two to three years. Despite this setback, I continued my work independently and have been consistently ranked among the top analysts in my sector (Tech), holding the number 1 position for the past two years.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆?
Growth and a bit of value. I am originally a value disciple (proponent of DCFs etc), but in the last 10 years or so, I've added growth to my style.