The UAE News Report: Changer Club, a private High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs) business group that established its roots in Europe five years ago, has expanded to the Middle East this year, immediately making an impact as it experienced impressive growth in the region. “We have 40 members already in the Middle East out of our 230 members and we keep growing very, very fast,” said Jonas Rolo, the club’s chairman in the region.

“We are adding more or less around two to three members per week. We are expecting to have an additional 50 members this year in the Middle East.”

Promoting growth mentality is the core of Changer Club’s mission. “We’re looking for people who understand that personal growth leads to business growth. That’s where our four pillars—business, investments, family, and health—come together, providing our members with comprehensive development,” Jonas remarked.

Cultivating Generational Success

Members of Changer Club pay a premium annual membership fee which not only grants the member access to exclusive events and perks, but also extends these benefits to the member’s family.

“This membership includes both the member and their spouse. It’s not just one person joining. They join as a couple. For growth to happen, it needs to happen within the family as well. You can’t grow individually if your life partner isn’t growing with you, and that’s the logic behind this approach. It’s very family-oriented,” the Changer executive pointed out.

Children of members who are at least 16 years old also gain access to the club. “Among the things we do is training our own members to take care of their legacy, so succession is very important for us. We are opening all the events to kids above 16 years old. They can come and attend to start learning what their parents do, how to invest, and how to look at an investment  pitch,” Jonas highlighted.

What Members Gain Exclusive Access To

One of the key benefits of joining the club is getting access to 12 exclusive events per year, with one per month in the Middle East and Europe. Starting next year, members will enjoy two events per month as the club aims to host 24 exclusive events annually by 2025.

Each event features an international speaker who brings real-world insights. These speakers share life experiences, often discussing the challenges they’ve faced and the strategies that led them to success. This firsthand knowledge helps foster the growth mentality that is at the core of Changer Club.

On the second day, the club holds an internal session known as the masterclass, where members come together to discuss a wide range of topics. These can include intellectual property law, strategies for selling a business, improving sales performance, and even personal development practices like meditation. The focus is on comprehensive growth, not just intellectual, but personal as well.

“The advantage of being in this group is that you’re learning alongside high-caliber peers at your level. There’s a simple logic: the biggest predictor of your success is the people you associate with—the people you spend time with. Your network is the strongest indicator of your own success,” Jonas highlighted.

Collective Expertise to Evaluate Business Deals

At each event, there is also a featured presenter and one business deal on offer. After the event, the main presentation of the deal takes place, followed by a live online call with the founders or CEO. During these calls, the club members engage, asking questions and delving deeper into the opportunity. The members receive the pitch deck, analyze the details, ask questions, and then decide whether or not to invest.

Jonas highlighted that the beauty of this process is the diversity of expertise among members. Each member brings unique questions to the table, and through this collective insight, the club effectively assesses whether a business is worth backing.

“We invest in late-stage startups, which are the least risky type of startups—companies that are in the pre-IPO stage and are expected to go public or be acquired within 2 to 5 years,” Jonas explained.

“We collaborate with venture capitalists and some companies directly to create these investment opportunities. We bring our members in, and together, we invest between $1 million and $2 million. Members can participate with a minimum investment of $10,000. They can choose how much they want to invest in each company,” he further relayed.

Current members of the club have a collective net worth of more than $10 billion.

“When you join the Changer Club, you’re rubbing shoulders with highly successful, intelligent, and motivated individuals who constantly push each other to achieve more. This is one of our key advantages and part of the club’s dynamic. The masterclass is very much focused on this. It’s where you build relationships by understanding each other’s business approaches, which leads to collaboration. It’s much more than just networking—it’s about forming deeper bonds,” the Changer executive stated.

Moreover, Jonas said that the tight collaboration and relationships between members was the motivation for the recently announced Changer Club project: The “Changer Swiss Longevity Village” – an exclusive real estate project being developed in the Middle East where tranquility, longevity, hospitality and workspace collaboration will make living be worth billions.

Navigating the Middle East as Changer’s Chairman

Being part of the Changer Club and being its chairman in the Middle East has transformed the life of Jonas tremendously. “I’ve been exposed to more business opportunities, and I’ve been making smarter investment decisions. Now, I’m exploring areas I hadn’t considered before and making investments in those new sectors,” he shared.

Jonas’ personal life has also further flourished. “My relationship with my wife improved dramatically. This is where we see the spillovers of the club because when you travel together and you attend these events, you get to bond so your partnership, it’s not anymore just as husband and wife— everyone is in this together. And together with the other families, you are operating in the same manner.”

As the chairman in the region, Jonas’ role extends beyond supporting all events. He is actively engaging with government entities to solidify the presence of Changer Club in the Middle East.

“We are working to secure sponsorships and generate interest from these entities to help us build an angel investment community. We recognize that the lack of a strong advisory network is one of the main reasons why the Middle East has fewer unicorns compared to other regions, despite having ample capital, infrastructure, and skilled talent,” he said. 

Changer’s goal is to help bridge this gap by providing the necessary advisory support. Several of the club’s members have already gone through the process of building and selling unicorn companies. Now, as angel investors, they have the time and expertise to advise and support others on their journey to success.

“We aim to foster a growth mentality in the region, moving beyond investments alone to actively create unicorns. We are also committed to bringing companies from Europe and the U.S. to relocate here and grow with our advisory support, further enriching the region’s entrepreneurial landscape,” Jonas ended. – abdulbasit@theuaenews.com