Hi 👋, my name is Niel Swart and I grew up on a farm near Vryburg in the North West province of South Africa. The area is well known for its cattle 🐂 farming. I learned a lot from growing up on a farm and I love almost everything about it, agriculture is in my blood as they say.

Over the years I also developed a few additional interests that currently form the basis of what I do and want to do in the future.

After school I studied engineering and also got very interested in finance and investment management. In my final year project, I build a system to use artificial intelligence techniques to trade agricultural commodities and then went on to complete a master’s degree with a focus on investment analysis and portfolio management.

I married the love of my life that also grew up with cattle farming in the same area and we now reside in Potchefstroom South Africa raising our 2 kids 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦, dogs 🐕, chickens 🐓, ducks 🦆 and giant flemish rabbit 🐇.

Besides planning our return to a farming lifestyle I also dabble in software development to pay the bills, investment management to grow what’s left and entrepreneurial ventures at the intersection of finance/agriculture and technology to free myself from billing by the hour.

<aside> 💡 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV

and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

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