A View from the Top with Zia Yusuf, chief executive of concierge service Velocity
Even if you’re as rich as Croesus, you still need a digital Jeeves – that’s why Zia Yusuf launched luxe concierge service Velocity. Andy Martin reports
I was wearing my Kenzo patchwork jacket, my Billabong denim shirt, and a sort of Gareth Southgate waistcoat. And I had slapped on David Beckham Homme quite liberally. I was taking notes with my Montblanc pen, trying to blend in with supermodels, Premiership footballers and hedge fund manager types at a snazzy restaurant in the upmarket Tribeca neighbourhood of Manhattan. Because I was having a power breakfast with Zia Yusuf, co-founder and CEO of Velocity. And if you’re worrying about how much it costs to join, then it’s probably not for you.
“And your membership name is?” said the exceptionally charming hostess at the door. For a brief while, I was living the dream. Even the smashed avocado on toast seemed like the best smashed avocado I’d ever tasted. Likewise the coffee. And the cutlery and the napkins were outstanding too.
“My mum told me not to buy nice things,” Yusuf says, “because you always lose them.” Velocity doesn’t do things, it does experiences. In an exclusive way. For “premium consumers”.
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