🗣️ Investor Talk #49: Sergey Oplanchuk

From trading robots to SaaS investing — Sergey reveals his wealth-building strategy.

Aug 19, 2025

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Every interview follows the same set of sharp, insightful questions — such as “What is your investment strategy?”, “What are your highest conviction stocks?”, and “If you could give one piece of advice to investors, what would it be?”

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In this edition, we have the pleasure of interviewing:

Name: Sergey Oplanchuk @SergeyCYW
Age: 39
Residence/Country: Kazakhstan
Invests since: 2011

Introduction
I hold two Master's Degrees, in programming and management. I worked in industrial programming while also doing vector design, which later evolved into creating infographics for stock market analytics that I now share on social media.

My interest in investing began during the 2006–2007 boom. Back then, I saw a TV interview with an “investor” who claimed to pick stocks by flipping a coin. Believing this was gambling, I stayed away from the markets until the 2008 financial crisis left a lasting impression on me.

By 2011, I began trading Forex, aiming to build a strategy that could profit in both bull and bear markets. With my programming background, I developed a trading robot that ran in real time for several years and showed strong results — though I only trusted it with a small part of my capital.

Gradually, I shifted from trading to long-term investing. Reading Peter Lynch and Nassim Taleb helped me realize I was buying actual businesses, not just tickers. This gave me the clarity and confidence to invest with purpose.

Still influenced by 2008, I long expected another crash. The turning point came with COVID-19: on April 15, 2020, I moved all my savings into an investment account. Since then, I’ve been managing my portfolio and sharing insights on Twitter/X and in my Substack newsletter Compounding Your Wealth.

What is your investment strategy?
I invest in growth stocks, primarily software SaaS companies.

The principles I use to select stocks for my portfolio are: a sufficient economic moat and signs of its strengthening. To survive in the competitive world of software companies, a business must reinvest in future growth and launch new products that gain market demand. I track metrics such as S&M and R&D efficiency on a quarterly basis.

For me, high-quality management is crucial (I prioritize founder-led companies) as well as skin in the game. I also look for a strong financial balance sheet — I prefer companies without significant debt, since, as Peter Lynch once said, “It’s very hard to go bankrupt when you don’t have any debt.”

I also monitor the quarterly performance of each stock, focusing on the data and its trends. In investing, momentum in fundamentals matters more than static figures.

After 2022, valuation multiples became more important in my process. Now, I track weekly valuation dynamics and publish charts on metrics such as EV/Sales, EV/Gross Profit, and Rule of 40 relative to analyst revenue growth expectations.

How many stocks are currently held in your portfolio?
I currently hold 15 stocks in my portfolio. In the past, the portfolio was more concentrated, with as few as 7 stocks at its minimum. At the beginning of my investment journey, however, I had a significantly larger number of stocks in the portfolio.

Which sectors do you mainly focus on?
Primarily in software SaaS companies, since they generate recurring revenue and provide enough data to better understand business dynamics.

What are your 3 highest conviction stocks?
At the moment, these are:
$CRWD - CrowdStrike
$MELI - MercadoLibre
$NET - Cloudflare

What is the stock in your portfolio with the highest return?
I don’t aim to generate massive gains from a single position, which is why I don’t have any 10-baggers. I’m constantly adding and trimming positions depending on the dynamics of fundamental metrics and valuation multiples. At the moment, my top-performing stock is $NET - Cloudflare (+189%).

What is the biggest investing mistake you have made?
The biggest mistake for me was starting out with Forex trading, though it ultimately led me to where I am today as an investor. Another major one came in 2022, when SaaS stocks collapsed (WCLD –51.6%, ARKK –67%). I held a highly concentrated portfolio of 7–10 stocks, convinced I could pick the “winners” that might avoid the downturn. Instead, all suffered. I kept reallocating from one falling stock into another that soon dropped as well, taking multiple hits. At the time, I thought reacting quickly was best — but it wasn’t.

Now, I only make major portfolio adjustments after earnings season, once I can compare results across companies and sectors.

If you could give one piece of advice to investors, what would it be?
I recommend starting to invest as early as possible by setting aside a portion of your salary each month. It’s also important to understand whether you enjoy analyzing the businesses of the companies whose stocks you want to buy. If you don’t find this interesting, I recommend investing in the S&P 500 index instead. When it comes to investing in stocks, I believe it should be viewed as owning a share of a business.

My Favorites
Favorite book: Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.

Favorite podcast: We Study Billionaires @TIP_Network

Favorite quote: “Know what you own, and know why you own it.” by Peter Lynch

Favorite FinX account: I follow many great FinX accounts — some of my favorites are: @ftr_investors, @HedgeVision, @wolfofharcourt, @EugeneNg_VCap, @Brian_Stoffel_, @FromValue, @StockMarketNerd, @samsolid57, @Stock_Opine, @TheRayMyers

Where can we find more info about you?
You can find more of my work on Substack: sergeycyw.substack.com.
I’m also active on X @SergeyCYW, where I share portfolio updates and charts.
For those who prefer other platforms, I post as well on Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads and on Bluesky.

That’s a wrap!
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🗣️ Investor Talk #49: Sergey Oplanchuk

From trading robots to SaaS investing — Sergey reveals his wealth-building strategy.

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