From £3,000 to a $30 million hedge fund by age 21.

In this explosive episode of The Mergers, we sit down with Marceau Dova, the 21-year-old founder of MCD Capital. He takes us through the wild journey of building a hedge fund from scratch at university - starting with £3,000, bootstrapping with student researchers, selling newsletters to prop firms, and ultimately landing institutional backing.

We cover:

• His first 250K of trading capital and how they convinced early investors
• What happened during their first major drawdown and attempted hostile takeover
• The software that powers their quant trading engine—and why a Swiss firm tried to buy it (and poach the team)
• Building conviction, navigating compliance, and maturing into an FCA-regulated fund manager
• How they're scaling, avoiding burnout, and staying focused in a “do or die” year
• The importance of loyalty, mentorship, and the art of real relationship-building in finance

Whether you’re a young trader, aspiring fund manager, or just curious how someone turns a side hustle into an institution, this one’s packed with real insights, hard lessons, and no-nonsense advice.

Disclaimer: This episode is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.