Daniël Merkus studied Philosophy and Economics at the University of Amsterdam. During his studies he developed a successful career as a high-stakes online poker player, building a strong foundation in decision-making under uncertainty, psychology, and probabilistic thinking. His focus gradually shifted to financial markets, where these skills apply at a larger scale.

He began his finance career as a sell-side equity research analyst at Van Lanschot Kempen, covering Benelux equities. He subsequently spent four years as an analyst at Lucerne Capital Management, a long/short equity hedge fund focused on European mid-cap companies. In recent years, Daniël has focused on managing his own capital.

He is now launching XPNT Capital Management to build a long-term investment partnership with a select group of aligned investors. XPNT is being built with the ambition to combine rigorous fundamental research, independent thinking, and intellectual honesty in a way that compounds over time. The long-term goal is to build an exceptional research-driven investment firm and a durable home for capital.