Team
Thomas Schwarzenbach
Co-Founder
Thomas Schwarzenbach is a co-founder of Founders Research & Investment AG. Thomas has been dedicated to researching and investing in public equities since 1999. After 9 formative years at Bank am Bellevue, a Swiss local broker in Zurich, where he was responsible for the insurance sector, food and beverage, and technology coverage, he moved to Tell Investments in Lausanne in 2008, a macro, long-short equity, and commodities hedge fund. Thomas co-founded 2Xideas in 2013, a Zurich-based global mid-cap equity manager, thereafter assuming the role of head of research and member of the investment committee. During his tenure at 2Xideas, the core 2Xideas Global Mid-Cap Library Fund achieved returns substantially ahead of the relevant market index. Thomas left 2Xideas in 2023, becoming head portfolio manager for direct equities at LGT Private Bank. In this capacity, he was responsible for a number of investment strategies linked to several billions of Euros of assets under management.
Thomas holds a master’s degree in theoretical physics from the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ), with a master’s thesis in quantum chromodynamics for which he obtained the Polya Prize.
John Kelly
Co-Founder
John Kelly is a co-founder of Founders Research & Investment AG. John has been dedicated to researching and investing in public equities since joining Merrill Lynch as a financial analyst in 1997. He spent more than a decade working in Bank am Bellevue, a Swiss local broker in Zurich, where he was head of equity sales. John joined 2Xideas in 2014, a Zurich-based global mid-cap equity manager, where he sold research to institutional investors and marketed funds in the UK and Ireland. He was also member of the investment committee. During his tenure at 2Xideas, the core 2Xideas Global Mid-Cap Library Fund achieved returns substantially ahead of the relevant market index. John left 2Xideas in 2024. He is a chartered accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (FCA) in Ireland. John started his career at Deloitte Ireland and subsequently worked for Deloitte Ukraine, prior to joining Merrill Lynch.
