Who We Are

Will Oliver

Will Oliver

St. Andrews, UK

Will is the co-founder of In Practise, a primary research firm serving the needs of long-term investors and operators of quality companies.

What I wonder about?

What are the characteristics of businesses that create value for their stakeholders over generations? What are the ways of organizing human activity in business conducive to the greatest possible human flourishing? What can the patterns of nature tell us about what works in business?

What am I currently exploring?

Building great culture.

The resources I have re-read the most?

David Whyte's Three Marriages. David Hawkins' Letting Go. John Heider's Tao of Leadership. Joseph Campbell's The Power of Myth. Stanislav Grof's The Cosmic Game.

Favourite thinkers / mentors

David Whyte, Carl Jung, Yvon Chouinard, Dee Hock, Charlie Munger, Danny Meyer, Ingvar Kamprad, Peter Kaufman, William Shakespeare, Ian McGilchrist, David Hawkins, Ram Dass, Adyashanti, Joseph Campbell, Reggie Watts, Peter Kingsley, Nora Bateson, Fritjof Capra, Gary Lachman.

What excites me about the future?

The growing movement of operators and investors looking to build businesses that create value for stakeholders over decades.

If you didn't find me here, you'd find me…

Swimming in the Atlantic or in the lakes around Berlin.

Personal links
In Practise Twitter / X
John Candeto

John Candeto

Orlando, USA

Advisor → Builder → Investor. Seeking wisdom and following curiosity. Founder and Managing Partner of the Phronesis Fund. Co-founder of Workforce Data Alliance. Learning in public at johncandeto.com.

What I wonder about?

The economy of time. What are the best unanswered questions? What and where are the best pieces of wisdom literature?

What am I currently exploring?

Spending more time in wonder (vs. information). Giving and exploring the gift of silence and stillness.

The resources I have re-read the most?

The book of Proverbs. Poor Richard's Almanack. Macbeth. A Tale of Two Cities. The Picture of Dorian Gray. The Autobiography of Ben Franklin. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Favourite thinkers / mentors

King Solomon. Ben Franklin. Many great investors and builders — Thorndike's The Outsiders and Green's Richer, Wiser, Happier are great starting points.

What fascinates me atm?

Adoption curves over valuations. Power laws rule the world.

If you didn't find me here, you'd find me…

“The world is a book, and those who don’t travel read only one page.” Traveling, often with my family.

Personal links
johncandeto.com Phronesis Fund
Ferdinand von Bennigsen

Ferdinand von Bennigsen

Munich, Germany

Ferdinand is co-owner of the asset management firms Carl von Rohrer and ATACAMA Partners, based in Munich. The firms grow their clients’ assets by uncovering structural changes and making high-conviction investments in the public markets.

What I wonder about?

Patterns of quality. The left and right hemispheres of the brain. The three marriages: Self, Work, Relationships.

What am I currently exploring?

How to build a company on system-oriented principles. How to raise my two children together with my wife.

The resources I have re-read the most?

Ram Dass: How Can I Help? David Whyte: Three Marriages. Dee Hock: One from Many. Michael Singer: The Surrender Experiment.

Favourite thinkers / mentors

Richard Alpert, Michael Singer, Charlie Munger, Iain McGilchrist, David Whyte.

What fascinates me atm?

Principle of "process over outcome". The timeless parable of Mr. Market. Seeing my children grow.

If you didn't find me here, you'd find me…

In nature.

Personal links
Atacama Partners
Paul Higgins

Paul Higgins

Dublin, Ireland

Paul spent a decade driving acquisitions, investing and operating businesses across Europe for EY, Accenture and later in private equity before going out on his own in 2021 to build a new generation of businesses through Invrt.

What I wonder about?

Trying to partner with high-trust, capable, optimistic and quality business builders globally to create value for generations.

What am I currently exploring?

Investing in quality businesses (private, mostly). Building highest-quality technology products and teams. Cultivating the best 10-year questions.

My evergreen questions (10+ yrs)?

How to build a more sustainable business ecosystem to align long-term capital with long-term innovators at scale. What can we integrate from the basic principles of nature into business for the next generation?

The resources I have re-read the most?

Latticework. Poor Charlie's Almanack. Berkshire Hathaway letters (1960s – present). The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin. The Outsiders by William Thorndike.

What fascinates me atm?

Ergodicity. Irreversible outcomes in probability. Games of risk.

If you didn't find me here, you'd find me…

On a ranch in Texas… long story.

Personal links
INVRT Substack
Darian von Finckenstein

Darian von Finckenstein

Munich, Germany
Producer of The Art of Quality Podcast

From studying political science and economics at university to launching a food brand in Peru and sourcing products for supermarket chains across Europe, Asia, and the US, Darian’s journey has been diverse. He later joined Ferdinand’s fundraising team at Atacama Partners. The common thread through all these experiences is storytelling — a passion he now channels as a freelance podcast producer and content creator.