As communism was collapsing across eastern Europe in 1989, an 18-year-old Tomasz Czechowicz was combining partying with running an illicit business. And doing a lot of long-distance driving.A keen computer enthusiast and electronics student, Mr Czechowicz realised that there was a huge pent-up demand in Poland for personal computers. But because of the communist regime, there were hardly any to buy.So Mr Czechiwicz, who lived in the south-western Polish city of Wroclaw, hatched a plan to start smuggling computers from the then West Germany.First thing every Saturday morning, he would drive into East Germany, taking a four-hour car trip to the then still-divided Berlin, before sneaking into West Berlin, which was an exclave of West Germany.Now 45, and one of Poland's richest businessmen, he says: "I went with my mate in a battered old Maluch [Fiat 126], and we had to drive around Berlin to get in from the western side." The two friends would buy second-hand computers in West Berlin, such as Commodore Amiga 1000s, before driving six hours to the Polish capital, Warsaw.They'd then have a big Saturday night out in Warsaw, before selling the computers - at a 50% profit - at a Sunday morning street market.

After that, they would take four hours to drive back to Wroclaw and their college studies. Mr Czechowicz says that this was the routine "every weekend". "We were soon selling about five computers a week," he adds.But it wasn't just computers that Mr Czechowicz and his friends carried back to Poland each Saturday, he says. "It was the new-found - and highly significant - knowledge that [West] Germans couldn't get rid of the their ageing hardware fast enough."And at the same time, Poles were craving Western computers. Mr Czechowicz realised he could satisfy both needs.So as the communist regimes of eastern Europe started to fall, Mr Czechowicz and two friends set up a business called JTT and flooded Poland with used Commodore 64s.JTT grew quickly, using the money it raised from initial sales to buy ever more computers from Germany.Mr Czechowicz also raised funds by selling stakes in the business to friends and family members, keeping a 40% share for himself. Staff were taken on, including Mr Czechowicz's sister, who very conveniently spoke German, and a warehouse rented.

Within a few years, JTT started assembling its own computers, and selling more than one million a year. Seven years later, JTT had annual revenues of 394 Polish zlotys ($100m; £68m) and 400 employees.However, things did not run completely smoothly, and Mr Czechowicz says he woke up one day and realised he didn't know how to run a company."We were making it up as we went along," he says.Problems with accounting, a tax row with the government, and various supply and delivery issues had arisen, and Mr Czechowicz - who had the chief executive role - realised that he didn't know how to deal with them. He had to admit to himself that natural wit and playing the system could only take him so far.So Mr Czechowicz decided to walk away from the daily running of JTT in 1996 and go back to school, doing an MBA with the University of Minnesota, which was running courses at the time in Warsaw.Two years later, he used his savings to launch a private investment firm called MCI Capital, which he set up to invest in Polish technology companies.

Fast forward to today, and MCI Capital has investment assets of more than 2.3bn zlotys. And it has expanded out of Poland to invest in companies in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Israel, Russia and Turkey.Firms in which it has a stake include Israeli car-hailing firm Gett, German online auction house Auctionata, Polish online grocery store Frisco and Swedish mobile payments business iZettle. Mr Czechowicz, MCI's chief executive, floated the business on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in 2001, but maintains a 53% stake. Bobby T Shirts Dallas TxHis personal wealth is estimated at $147m (£100m).Slipcovers For Sofas Big LotsAn avid marathon runner, he is said to be a hard taskmaster as a boss.Where To Buy Evening Dresses In Beijing

One Warsaw businessman, who asked to remain anonymous, says of Mr Czechowicz: "I like him, and would buy the stock, but I would never want to have him as a boss."Other commentators say that he has a reputation of not suffering fools.Mr Czechowicz says: "Everyone [at MCI] knows what is expected of them, and they either do it, or they don't."As MCI continues to grow, he says he is particularly pleased to invest in technology firms in Poland and the wider region."Innovation and entrepreneurial spirit need nurturing," he says."Our investments... help power the next wave of Poland's - and the wider region's - transformation into a truly digital economy."As Red Bull make another threat to quit F1, Daniel Ricciardo says they're right to demand equality as part of any engine deal with Ferrari. Ricciardo was speaking on Wednesday as Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko re-iterated their threat to withdraw from F1 at the end of the season if no competitive engine is available.The Australian insisted to Sky Sports News HQ that he wasn't worried about the situation, even though Marko has said that "the curtain may go down after Abu Dhabi" - just five races after this weekend's Japanese GP.

"It's still early to get concerned or worried. I think if this stuff's still going on in two months' time then it's like 'ok guys what are we doing?'" I think [Red Bull owner] Dietrich [Mateschitz] is right in terms of that's what we want. We want to have equality and if we do go down that road then it's okay."It's not the first time the outspoken Marko has made the threat; speaking to Sky Sports News HQ in Singapore last week, for example, he more or less said the same thing."If we don't have an engine that allows us to compete at the very front we will prefer to stop," he told the official Formula 1 website.Red Bull are set to part ways with Renault at the end of the season after their run of poor performances since F1 switched to a hybrid formula at the start of 2014.They are now talking to Ferrari after Mercedes turned down a request to supply them with engines.  However, an article on Red Bull's Speedweek website that quoted Mateschitz also stated that they would only consider a deal with them if they were guaranteed exactly the same performance as the works Ferrari team."

If it were a few horsepower less we would not be concerned. But in the end you can check that very easily with the GPS data and other parameters to see what you really get," Marko explained."The truth is that the engine - the hardware - is not the real issue. That is the software and the same fuel."With Toro Rosso also in line to withdraw - potentially wiping out one-fifth of the current grid - Marko said that "not everybody recognises what impact [any withdrawal] would have".He added: "The curtain may go down after Abu Dhabi. That is Mr Mateschitz's opinion."He knows that it costs the same amount of money to race at the front or, like we are now doing, in the 'premium midfield' - and he is not willing to do that for another season."Marko also said suggestions that Red Bull will join forces with VW/Audi in the longer term are "crystal ball reading".The German giant has long been linked to Red Bull, although the latter has constantly dismissed the speculation as wide of the mark.Yet even if VW have considered an entry, their involvement in the developing emissions scandal appears to make it less likely, with chief executive Martin Winterkorn resigning on Wednesday.