Hedge Crunch Financial

Laurus-Valens, the New York based investment advisory firm, announced the launch of the Valens Yen Fund. Valens, which currently oversees approximately $1.6 bln in assets and runs a variety of funds, launched the yen fund with assets of 1 bln JPY.

The Fund has been designed specifically in response to Japanese investor interest in the Valens investment strategy and it will provide qualified Japanese investors with access to a mirror image of the Laurus Offshore Fund, with minimal currency exchange risk. “Our yen denominated fund provides our Japanese investors with access to investments in U.S. micro cap and late stage private companies and makes their investments more stable for them, as they won’t be susceptible to the value of the dollar sinking or spiking at any time,” said Dennis Pollack, Partner and Senior Managing Director.

By; Kirsten Bischoff, Opalesque New York:

Dennis Pollack, partner and senior managing director at Laurus-Valens, an investment management firm specializing in investments in small and micro cap companies, announced that Jay Drezner has joined Laurus-Valens as a senior investment analyst. Mr. Drezner has an extensive 9 year background in the finance and investment banking industry.

“I am truly pleased that Jay will be a part of our team. Jay’s background in both domestic and international investment banking will offer Laurus-Valens new insight and opportunities as we seek sound and profitable investments for our portfolio,” said Dennis Pollack.

Mr. Drezner will be responsible at a senior level for analyzing, structuring and executing new transactions as well as working with existing Laurus-Valens portfolio investments to maximize value and return potential. Prior to joining Laurus-Valens, Mr. Drezner spent nine years at Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, most recently as a director in the Leveraged Finance Group where he covered companies in the aerospace and defense, satellite services, and air transportation sectors and executed a broad variety of leveraged finance transactions.

Prior to moving to the Leveraged Finance Group, Mr. Drezner was in the Buyside Insights Group at Credit Suisse, where he worked with corporate clients in the consumer products, business services and mid-cap industrials space to enhance equity values through the use of value-based management consulting techniques. Other roles Mr. Drezner had at Credit Suisse included serving as a vice president in Credit Suisse’s Australian investment banking operation, covering media and telecommunications companies, and two years as an Associate in Credit Suisse’s New York office in the Media & Telecom coverage group. Mr. Drezner began his professional career in the early 1990’s with D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles, Inc., an advertising agency, as an assistant media director handling major corporate consumer product clients. “I am thrilled to join Laurus-Valens and look forward to the challenges ahead. I am eager to work with such a knowledgeable and esteemed group of finance and investment professionals,” said Mr. Drezner.

Mr. Drezner holds a BA in Psychology from Cornell University and an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School.