Overview

Gender

male

As Founder, Chairman & CEO , Demetri is not only the driving force behind Avant Global’s vision, but also the principal architect of the firm’s strategy. He is highly regarded in the global business community for his proven track record in building successful relationships based on mutual value creation. By establishing commonality and rapport between stakeholders, Demetri creates an atmosphere of trust that enables relationships to flourish.

Since founding Avant Global, over two decades ago, Demetri and his partners have been involved in generating over $ 20 billion in value creation across a range of projects and businesses. He has been the catalyst for successfully originating, co-founding, or seeding over 60 new companies across a variety of industries ranging from medical devices to Artificial Intelligence. Demetri is a founding partner of The Healing Company (OTC:THCC), Axia (a premium white spirits brand) and Owl BioMedical (acquired by Miltenyi Biotec) and a Founding General Partner for Equiam LLC. He is on the advisory boards of bSpot, TGZ Capital, Investment Associates AG and Ripple Labs.

In addition to his business interests, Demetri has raised millions of dollars for charity, working with numerous foundations, charities and non-government organizations including the Clinton Foundation Global Initiative, Promitos, the Santa Barbara Historical Society, 1199 Foundation, Lotus Land Foundation, American Lung Association, Muscular Dystrophy Foundation, Westmont College, CALM, Unity Shop, United Way, Habitat for Humanity, Marymount School, Santa Barbara Symphony, American Hellenic Institute, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.

He is a member of the Visionary Founders (The Chopra Foundation), National Hellenic Society, YPO-WPO International, Milken Institute Young Leaders Circle, Tiger 21, L100, the Harvard Business School Alumni Organization, and the California Republican Advisory Council. He is also serving as the Global Envoy for YPO GDN (Global Diplomacy Network) and co-chaired the 2018 and 2019 Silicon Valley YPO Innovation Summit.

In recognition of his achievements and humanitarian actions, Demetri was inducted into the Order of Merit of Savoy, an order of knighthood bestowed by the Royal House of Savoy, the last Kings of Italy. Demetri was also the recipient of the 2010 Gusi Peace Prize for achievements, ideals, and values. He has been recognized as one of the ‘Top 40 business leaders under 40’ by the Pacific Coast Business Times and has been named as one of "Greek America’s Forty Under 40" class twice, in 2014 and 2018. He was also awarded the 2003 National Leadership Award and the 2003 Businessman of the Year Award by the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Demetri graduated from Westmont College, studied at the American University in Washington, D.C. and Georgetown University’s American Government and Foreign Policy program. He is a graduate of the Exponential Technologies Executive Program at Singularity University. He is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School, where he graduated from the three-year Owner/President Management Program (OPM).