Adrian Alexander of New York, born in 1946 in Bucharest, Romania, holds dual citizenship in the United States and Italy. After finishing high school, he emigrated to the U.S. with his family in 1964. Tragically, his father passed away just six months after their arrival, leaving him to support his mother while pursuing higher education. Despite these challenges, he earned a Master's in Electrical Engineering from NYU Engineering School in 1970 and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1972.

He began his career at Morgan Stanley & Co., spending three years in investment banking. He then joined Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb as Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions. In 1978, he moved to Milan, Italy, to work with Egon Zehnder, recruiting executives for multinational clients. Over the years, he has spent a significant portion of his time in Italy, blending international exposure with professional growth.

Returning to the U.S., he embarked on a series of entrepreneurial ventures. In 1980, he acquired and successfully restructured Minneapolis Sport, a franchise of struggling sporting goods stores, before selling it to franchisees. In 1987, he joined Polly Peck International, Plc, as Vice President of Acquisitions. He played a pivotal role in expanding its U.S. presence, including leading the $875 million acquisition of Del Monte Fresh Fruit Company and implementing its Eastern European strategy.

From 1991 to 1994, he advised a regional corporate stationer, contributing to its transformation into a $2 billion multinational distributor. In 1995, he led EC/American, a boutique investment bank, and facilitated venture capital investments in emerging healthcare companies. He later founded the Phoenix Real Estate Fund in 1996, managing over $20 million in assets until its sale in 1999.

In 2000, he formed Technology Seed Capital, an early-stage venture capital fund that supported startups through critical development stages.