Adam Such fought in Iraq from 2003 to 2006, when his helicopter was shot down over the city of Fallujah. Three back operations later, the former colonel is now executive vice-president of C3 Invest, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm that is planning to build an amusement park in Baghdad.

“The relationships I forged with Iraqis – in many cases on the battlefield – go a long way in establishing credibility,” he says. “That’s absolutely essential.”