November 18, 2023
The ACAP leadership team gathered in Washington, DC, at the Croatian Embassy for the annual strategic planning day. They were joined for a fireside chat during lunch by Ghida Damirji, the owner of Museum of Illusions (MoI), DC, and Mislav Tolusic, Chief Investment Officer of DC-based Marlinspike Venture Fund. Kreso Marusic, New York-based ACAP Executive Committee member, moderated.
Ghida shared the story of how she got involved with MoI, a Croatian-born entertainment concept. She was attracted to MoI because she thought it a good product that made a lot of business sense. She further emphasized the importance of employee satisfaction in creating a great product, and local community collaboration in ensuring the success of the business. Ghida also underscored the importance of continued creativity and innovation in engaging different customers differently, with the goal of repeat visits.
Mislav talked about his experience investing in aerospace and defense companies. He underscored the focus on three things when he invests: 1) how good is the company’s management: are they agile, focused, and with deep knowledge; 2) what technology do they use, and can it be scaled; and 3) what is the total addressable market for their product/service. He also talked about a company’s growth momentum, and monitoring that momentum once he invests. Lastly, Mislav emphasized the significance of mission statements and organizational values, including culture, as more than a piece of paper.
Kreso commented throughout the session on the relevance of Ghida and Mislav’s messages to ACAP. Ghida’s point about focusing on local experience rings true to ACAP chapters which have their own geographical and professional make-up, while sharing the focus on business, career advancement, and networking with the broader membership of ACAP. Similarly, her ‘happy employees’ comment highlights the importance of working together and having fun in creating value for all ACAP members. Mislav’s comment on the importance of maintaining the business momentum to generate further growth speaks to ACAP’s own recent growth, spearheaded by successful New York and Zagreb conferences.
