Jonathan Cooper: Man behind Nairobi's Museum Of Illusions

Originally from the US, Cooper moved to Croatia in 1997 and worked in mergers and acquisitions for 15 years at a private equity firm.

Later, an opportunity arose to work in the Middle East, managing a debt fund in Oman. He then moved to Qatar, where he helped the Qatar Development Bank launch a private equity fund. Around that time, he was planning to retire to Croatia, where his wife is from, as they were expecting their second child.

In 2015, just before relocating, he visited a newly opened attraction called the Museum of Illusions with his family and his visiting brother’s children.

“We all loved it, and I realised we would have still loved it even without the children. It is very hard to find an attraction appealing to everybody. I also noticed that it was full, despite Zagreb being a relatively quiet town with less than a million people,” he says.

Curious, he searched LinkedIn and found the museum’s founders—two young entrepreneurs, Roko Živković and Tomislav Pamuković.

“I contacted Roko, told him about my Croatian roots and Middle East connections, and expressed my admiration for the museum. He agreed to talk.”

Cooper, then in Qatar, had a Skype call with Roko, who explained how well the museum was doing. Cooper asked to invest in the company, but Roko declined.

Undeterred, Cooper asked about their expansion plans and suggested setting up a company that would grant him a licence to operate the Museum of Illusions in the Middle East and North Africa, allowing them to develop a franchising model together.

Read: Museum of Illusions: Stepping into a world where reality bends

“We started working on that basis in 2016 and developed everything from the legal aspects to operations and working with franchises,” he explains.

The early days were bumpy. “I feel sorry for the first franchises. Though they did well, they were essentially trial-and-error,” he admits.

Nairobi is now their 58th museum globally, and their third and largest in Africa.

How the franchise model works

“We considered franchising because everything in the Middle East, where I was based, revolves around it. But none of us really knew how to run a franchise at the start.”

Interestingly, many of their franchise partners in Germany, Canada, and the US have Croatian roots and were referred through personal connections.

“In Canada, for example, my wife’s best friend’s sister runs our Toronto franchise. Initially, my wife’s friend wasn’t interested but referred her sister, who now operates two franchises.”

One of their top-performing locations, New York, attracts 14 million visitors annually. Cooper recounts a serendipitous connection that led to its establishment.

“The owner’s father has an antique shop opposite the original Zagreb museum. He called his son one day and told him, ‘I don’t know what this museum is, but there’s always a queue.’ His son visited, liked the idea, reached out, and took it to New York.”

Despite their success, direct inquiries about franchise opportunities remain rare.

“In Kenya, my wife and I visited our friends Nika and Luka three years ago who were working here. We discussed the museum, and they became interested. When we researched Nairobi, we realised it was a perfect match.”

Why Nairobi?

“Many people look at how we got to 58 museums and ask how we did it. The first and second are tough, but by the 25th, it becomes easier.”

Nairobi ticked all the right boxes: a large, fast-growing, youthful, and energetic city—qualities that align with the museum’s ethos.

“Our entry was more opportunistic than a grand plan,” he says.

One significant decision was not to scale down the Nairobi museum despite Kenya being a middle-income country.

“It is as big as our museums in Paris, New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. We didn’t design a smaller version with lower ticket prices. It holds the same rank as our museums in the world’s larger cities.”

Work-life balance

As the global CEO of the world’s largest privately owned museum franchise, balancing work and family is a challenge.

“My wife helps with the business, but it can be tough. She’s here for the opening, but our younger son is at home with a babysitter. It’s a trade-off.”

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However, he says their children are very supportive. “They think it’s cool that mom and dad work at the Museum of Illusions because they love it. They want to come with us whenever possible, which helps.”

As the business matured, hiring key personnel has allowed him to create more time for his family. “When I’m in Zagreb, my weekends are free.”

And when he isn’t thinking about running a global franchise?

“Retiring,” he laughs.

The impact of politics

Politics affects economies, which in turn impacts the museums.

“Take Egypt, for example. The last five years have seen a drop in tourism due to political instability and terror attacks in 2019-2020. Now, the conflict in Israel and Palestine, which borders Egypt, affects tourism.”

Fortunately, some of their franchises can survive economic downturns due to low-cost locations.“We try not to fight the environment. As the saying goes, ‘When the tide rises, it lifts all boats, and when it falls, all boats drop.’”

Biggest achievements

“Having a family and children is huge. It changes your life, values, and perspectives. You can no longer be selfish.”

Cooper is also proud of his work in developmental finance. “I’ve provided finance to underserved communities and invested in companies that expanded, hired more people, and achieved their dreams. That is rewarding.”

Lessons for his younger self

“One of my key successes is taking risks—both personally and professionally, though more professionally (I don’t jump out of airplanes),” he chuckles.

After completing his MBA, he had an interview opportunity at Goldman Sachs in New York but instead chose to volunteer in Poland for a year.

“I remember calling the recruiter to decline the interview. He asked, ‘Are you serious?’ But Poland was a fantastic experience that led me to Croatia, where I started several companies—some of which failed spectacularly.”

His advice?

“Take risks while young. Once you have a family or a mortgage, it becomes harder. And always assess the downside. Often, it’s smaller than you think. You have 24 hours in a day—work six or seven, and use the rest to pursue your passion.”

Regrets?

“I don’t really have any. Even my failures, like my software company that shut down or my wine production venture that yielded thousands of litres of vinegar, were learning experiences.”

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