Our Founder

Konstantin Sokolov is an American private equity investor, entrepreneur and philanthropist, with a track record of transforming critical infrastructure in the telecommunications, energy and financial services sectors. He specializes in value creation through operational improvements, strategic growth initiatives and disciplined capital deployment.​As the founder and chairman of IJS Investments, Mr. Sokolov leads the firm’s investment strategy, focusing on sourcing proprietary deal flow, partnering with management teams, and driving post-acquisition value through active portfolio management.

Mr. Sokolov’s leadership experience spans restructuring sovereign wealth funds and central banks, as well as steering portfolio companies through public market exits, including IPOs on major global exchanges. Committed to sustainable value creation, he advocates for close collaboration between the private sector and government stakeholders to deliver both superior returns and meaningful societal impact.

Mr. Sokolov is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Munich Security Conference Foundation, globally recognized as a leading forum for high-level debate and dialogue on the most pressing international security challenges. He is also a Board Member of the American Friends of the Munich Security Conference.

Mr. Sokolov began his career in the telecommunications industry, working as Director of Enterprise Architecture at Qwest Communications (now Lumen Technologies). An expert in the energy sector, he was previously Managing Director for Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions at Centrica PLC.

Mr. Sokolov holds a master’s degree in mathematics and computer science from St. Petersburg State University and an Executive MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is a member of the Chicago Booth and Polsky Center Private Equity Council.