Daniel Doddo — Research Analyst
In 1962, after taking the last “free” flight to the United States from Havana, my grandfather arrived in Miami with only his hard work and determination to fuel him. His property and businesses lost to the Cuban government, he came to Florida and simultaneously worked three jobs while my grandmother earned a pharmacy license to replace the one she lost in Cuba. It was this intensity and hunger that defined my early life and instilled my determination to succeed.
Growing up in the vibrant, multi-cultural, and competitive city of Miami, I quickly learned that success could not be achieved merely by showing up, but by having a genuine passion for excellence in one’s chosen field. This attitude helped me accomplish early life goals, like becoming an All-American lacrosse player and getting accepted to The Wharton School, an objective I set for myself at an early age.
While at Wharton, I studied economics and finance, areas of interest to me since middle school. I developed this early curiosity for investing under the influence of my father who, although a lawyer by trade, had a love for investing and a breadth of knowledge about the markets. In my early teenage years I would come home every day to the blue and white ticker tape on CNBC, sit next to my father, and begin rattling off questions about investing. I loved everything about it: the process of discovery, the research and analysis and, most of all, I loved when we got it right.
After graduation, I began my career in 2009 at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Equity Research Group. As a young analyst, I was immediately intrigued by the process of developing stock recommendations based on fundamental research. About a year later, I joined the Equity Research Group covering technology at UBS, where I had an opportunity to research some of the world’s most influential tech companies, like Apple, IBM, Dell and Hewlett Packard. The knowledge I gained by following these companies — whose actions influence the profitability and growth of thousands of other companies in their supply chain — has proven invaluable to my career as an analyst.
I discovered Daruma in 2012 and, after meeting the team and learning more about their strategy, it was clear that this is where I want to be. To be able to work with and learn from seasoned investors who can see the trees and the forest was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up. Daruma’s concentrated portfolio and long-term approach allows us to capitalize on opportunities often missed or misunderstood by other investors — a prospect that excites me and keeps me coming to work hungry every day.