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Alan Frei (b. 1982) is a Swiss entrepreneur and economist known for his minimalist lifestyle. After receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of Zurich (UZH), he founded several companies, including Nachhilfeportal.de and the e-commerce shops Amorana and LOOKSofLOVE, and was the managing director of the University of Zurich start-up center. In 2015, he began to receive press attention for his radically minimalist lifestyle, having reduced his personal possessions to around 150 items.

Biography
Frei was born in Switzerland in 1982. In 2004 he studied at Nanjing Normal University in China, and in 2004-2007 he studied finance at the University of Zurich, receiving a bachelor's degree. After graduation, he founded several companies, most notably the tutoring site Nachhilfeportal.de.

Frei returned to the University of Zurich in 2012, serving as managing director of the UZH Startup Center for the next two years. In 2014, he co-founded the e-commerce site Amorana; Amorana acquired the lingerie seller Looks of Love the following year.

Minimalism
In 2014, Frei was spurred by the death of his father to reconsider his possessions, realizing how few he actually used. Inspired by minimalists such as Japanese author Marie Kondo and so-called "homeless billionaire" Nicolas Berggruen, Frei at first began moving unneeded possessions to bags in his basement. After realizing how few of these things he missed, he set a goal of reducing his possessions drastically, not counting consumables.

Frei proceeded to give away the majority of his possessions, including his furniture; guests seeing his home for the first time would often ask if he had just moved. He digitized his music, paperwork, and family photos. When Frei hosted friends for meals, he would request that they bring their own dishes, as he had reduced his own to a single set. Ultimately he reduced his personal possessions to around 150 items.

Frei said of his lifestyle that "The less I have, the freer I am in the head", allowing him to focus on experiences rather than belongings. He considered his minimalism a personal choice and not necessarily an example to others.