Frank Dejonckheere (MBA ’00) shares his favorite course at NYU Stern, how his hard-working early years at Citigroup in M&A set him up for success, plus his passion for languages and why he visits Belgium so often.

Frank Dejonckheere’s (MBA ’00) path from NYU Stern to founding Andleye Capital, a London-based hedge fund, reflects his commitment to finance and an intense, steady progression through some of the most challenging aspects of the industry. His career began with a drive to master finance and economics, which led him to Stern, where he embraced finance electives and soaked up knowledge in Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A). Frank’s summer associate internship at Salomon Smith Barney (now Citigroup) in London shaped his foundational years. He worked under a demanding yet deeply influential managing director who gave him early client exposure and set a steep learning curve. "I couldn’t have asked for better hands-on training," he recalls, especially given the rigor of all-nighters and weekend meetings. That time marked the start of an M&A journey lasting nearly a decade across London and New York, during which he honed the analytical skills that became the bedrock of his career.

As Frank’s career progressed, he transitioned from analytical roles to project management, but found himself more drawn to analysis than managing teams. Inspired by several peers, he pivoted to the event-driven hedge fund space. While his timing was less than ideal—he entered the sector just before the 2008 financial crisis—Frank navigated the storm, eventually securing a significant role at Millennium in London. There, he fine-tuned his focus, expanding from fundamental equity and M&A to equity capital markets, becoming a specialist in IPOs and SPACs.

Launching Andleye Capital, named after a Flemish poem with personal significance, marked the culmination of Frank’s professional experiences. His firm makes fundamental medium to long term investments in transformational M&A and equity capital market transactions with a near market neutral equity long short approach and overlays that with quantitative factor analysis. Frank still crafts his own models and merger assessments, viewing the analytical approach he built at Stern as instrumental to his success. Currently backed by a New York-based Hedge Fund, he’s laying the groundwork to expand Andleye’s AUM, and hopes eventually to establish a presence in New York.

Maxing out of finance courses at NYU Stern
Frank loved finance courses so much he maxed out on all the electives and as he fondly recalls, “was forced to take a marketing strategy course.” Reflecting on his time at Stern, Frank points to his “Cases in Corporate Finance” course with Professor Whitelaw as a key influence. “I still apply that type of thinking today,” he says, noting how case studies taught him to examine corporate finance with a critical, hands-on perspective. Assisting Professor Roy Smith in crafting the Oriflame LBO case study was another highlight. This experience, combined with his finance courses, spurred his interest in real-world M&A deal structure and pushed him back to Citigroup's Financial Entrepreneurs Group after graduation.

Helping lead the Stern London Alumni Committee connects him to Stern faculty
As a proud alum, Frank remains active in the Stern alumni network, particularly as a leader in the London committee. He values the chance to connect with NYU faculty during their London visits, helping organize events like fireside chats, including one with Stern Professor Ed Atlman on distressed credit. “The Stern network is a powerful community, built on those intense years at Washington Square,” he says. 

Frank Dejonckheere (MBA ’00), founder of Andleye Capital [center] at an alumni event in London  

Outside work, Frank takes frequent trips to Belgium to visit his family, savoring the culinary traditions and his mother’s game dishes. He has a passion for languages and before moving to New York, he lived in Germany, Luxembourg, and Spain where he was able to learn their native languages. 

A longtime fan of literature, he now laughs at his shift from Kafka and García Márquez to investment research reports but admits his passion for language remains strong. Having lived across multiple European countries before settling in New York for Stern, he feels this background in language and culture has enriched his approach to finance and business.

Building Andleye Capital is still a work in progress, but Frank’s dedication to his craft and his commitment to Stern alumni are constants. Frank’s career, grounded in hard-earned experience and analytical rigor, mirrors the values he gained at Stern, where his journey in finance began.