ABOUT

Daniel Bak is a financial professional and an All-American athlete with interests investing in finance and technology.

Raised in Brooklyn, Daniel moved to NJ, where he began his athletic career swimming and playing lacrosse for Bergen Catholic High School. Additionally, he started fencing for the Polish American Fencing Club and the National Fencing Alliance. In his junior year, Daniel transferred to Ramapo High School and became a member of the Peter Westbrook Foundation. Daniel completed the high school circuit being selected to NJUSFA 1st Team All-State and New Jersey’s Fencer of the Year by the Bergen Record graduating National Honor Society. He stunned the national circuit finishing fifth at the USA National Championships sparking recruitment offers and committing to the Pennsylvania State University. 

Representing the Penn State Fencing Team, Daniel went on to become a 3x NCAA Champion, All-American, and Academic All-Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Recipient. Nationally, he clinched the Junior Olympic Championship securing a selection to the USA World Championship Team. Daniel graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Finance, Dean’s List. 

Post-graduation, Daniel began representing the New York Athletic Club and was selected to the USA World University Games Team. Torn between starting a career at ESPN or pursuing his athletic career, he decided to focus on qualifying for the Olympic Games and modeling after being discovered in New York City by Wilson Model Management and Jed Root Model Management. Daniel walked in NYFW, representing John Patrick Organic, Raleigh Denim, Malan Breton, Janet Zhang Men’s Wear, Native Sons. He appeared in Vogue, ELLE, WWD, Fantastic, Amazing, Sartorialist, Essential Homme, V Files, Visual Tales, Por Homme, HypeBeast, and Elite Traveler Magazine. 

After missing the Olympic Team, Daniel started a career in finance as a client portfolio manager (CPM) on a Global Multi-Asset Team managing assets for institutional clients. As a CPM, Daniel was the liaison between the portfolio management team, client, and broader organization.

However, Daniel still had Olympic ambitions. After careful reflection, he concluded that to qualify for an Olympic Team, an athlete must develop routines and habits for a more consistent performance output and free mental capacity to focus solely on defeating the competitor. Also, Daniel views managing a career while training as a competitive advantage because the athlete would gain the confidence to take risks as their life is on a continuous growth trajectory irrespective of tournament results. 

By adopting various philosophical elements and identifying the synergies between finance, fencing, and fashion, Daniel created a lifestyle that allows for peak mental and physical performance in professional, athletic, and philanthropic community endeavors. 

Implementing the program designed from the lessons learned, Daniel valiantly attempted another Olympic qualification; however, his efforts were not enough. He appeared in the Gentle Monster New York Fashion Week Presentation in honor of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in partnership with a MILK Group Company and IMG MADE. 

Following the qualifications, Daniel returned to financial services taking on projects at alternative asset managers continuing his professional career and learning more about markets, economy, finance, and technology.