About
Danny
Neess
Born and raised in Copenhagen. Poker pro turned entrepreneur. Father, builder, student of life.
The person
Where it started
I was born and raised in Copenhagen. Spent most of my childhood staying up all night playing Diablo II and StarCraft at a friend's place — competitive by nature, always wanting to be one of the best at whatever I was doing. That drive didn't come from school. It came from games.
No degree, no inheritance. Just a high tolerance for starting over and a habit of going deep on whatever catches my attention.
Family
I consider myself extremely fortunate. My parents split up when I was young, but they always spoke highly of each other and supported whatever I wanted to pursue — even when they probably thought it was unwise. That kind of unconditional support shapes you.
I also have a younger sister I'm extremely proud of. She shares the same pull towards technology and breaking the status quo. It runs in the family.
What I care about
Because I've been fortunate, I feel it's my duty to help where I can.
Equality
Race, gender, background — none of it should determine opportunity. We're nowhere near done here, and complacency is the enemy.
Suicide prevention
Mental health still carries far too much stigma. The more openly we talk about it, the more lives we save. It's that simple.
Cancer research
Watching what cancer does to people and families makes funding its defeat one of the clearest priorities there is.
Sustainable future
Climate change is the defining challenge of this century. The solutions exist — the urgency needs to match the problem.
People who shaped me
Nobody gets anywhere alone. These are some of the people I owe a lot to.
One of the first people who saw something in me, even when I was a lot to handle. She started my belief in myself before I had any reason to have it.
Same as Anne Marie — teachers who choose to believe in difficult students don't know the ripple effect they create. These two probably don't even know what they did for me.
Watching him work taught me what real drive looks like. He had a hunger that was impossible not to absorb. Never take anything for granted — I learned that from him firsthand.
Spent hours early in my career guiding me through complexities I didn't understand yet. His combination of entrepreneurial thinking and genuine generosity set a standard I still measure myself against.
The list is much longer than this. There are many around me who have been instrumental — and the journey is far from over.