On this show we reveal some of the latest developments in the fast-growing Alternative Data sector. Satellite imaging, news-crawling, credit card data... and many more fresh new data sources are increasingly being used by investors to gain a competitive edge when making market decisions. We speak to data providers, asset managers, and anyone else in the sector to better understand this dynamic phenomenon.
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In this episode I speak to Zach Zboralske, until recently a senior sales representative at Consumer Edge. I subtitle this episode “Confessions of an Elite Alt Data Salesman”. In our conversation, Zach and I discuss the evolution of transaction data, pricing, selling to quants vs discretionaries, and Zach’s new challenge at Stavtar. Correction – when I’m describing the evolution of credit card data with Yodlee I say credit cards when I mean hedge funds, sorry about that. DISCLAIMER This podcast i...
In this episode I speak to Christina Qi, founder and CEO of challenger market data provider Databento and former founder of HFT hedge fund Domeyard. In our conversation, we discuss the challenges of starting an HFT hedge fund, how Databento differentiates itself in the market data space, how AI labs are using market data and the hazards of being based remotely in Utah. As we mention in the episode, we will be on stage together at Quantvision on Thursday, and I will be at Eagle Alpha on Wednesday...
In this episode I speak to Charles-Albert Lehalle, a professor at Ecole Polytechnique formerly of ADIA and CFM. In our conversation, we discuss Yann LeCun’s theory of AI world models, the differences between working for banks, hedge funds and sovereign wealth funds, how to diagnose why performance is bad, and the dream alpha-generating dataset. More broadly, I never hear any feedback on the podcast so if you have any, please find me on LinkedIn and let me know. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...
In this episode, alternative data veteran Evan Reich delves into the evolving landscape of data sourcing, from its early creative days to today's complex, vendor-rich environment. He shares insights on what makes a great data sourcer, emphasizing communication and relationship-building over technical skills, and tackles the strategic value of data, including pricing and exclusivity. Evan also discusses the impact of AI on data roles and introduces his new venture at BWG Global, focusing on transforming research consumption through AI while addressing data licensing challenges.
In this episode I speak to Natalya Dmitriyeva, former senior data strategy executive at Two Sigma and Schonfeld. In our conversation, Natalya and I discuss her career evolution as it tracked that of the whole alternative data sector. She opines on what makes a dataset valuable and the latest buzz out of Battlefin Miami last month. In other news, I will be hunting for interesting datasets in Japan during the week of February 9th, so please do reach out if you know of any, either there or indeed a...
In this episode I speak to Conor Taggart, an alternative data veteran who is now in charge of Data Monetization at Eagle Alpha. In our conversation, Conor and I discuss his progress from selling indexes at LSEG, through joining Nasdaq in time for the Quandl acquisition, to a successful four years heading up equities data sourcing at Millennium, to his resting place in his current role. In other news, I will be on the data panel at QuantMinds in London on November 19th, I look forward to seeing f...
In this episode I speak to Vlad Johnson, who works in systematic futures at Eisler Capital, a hedge fund. In our conversation, Vlad and I discuss the technological gap between baseball analytics and Wall Street, how he is able to use weather data without being a weather man, whether AI can replace him and what a data provider should bear in mind about their product. In other news, I will be hosting a panel at Battle of the Quants in London next week, I look forward to seeing familiar friends the...
In this episode I speak to Mohsen Chitsaz, Portfolio Manager at Eisler Capital, a hedge fund. In our conversation, Mohsen and I discuss uses of news data, satellite data, LLM developments, differences between working on the buyside and sellside, and why physicists make good quants. DISCLAIMER This podcast is an edited recording of an interview with Mohsen Chitsaz recorded in October 2025. The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of Mohsen Chitsaz and Mark Fleming-Williams and...
In this episode I speak to Paul White, CEO and co-founder of Quantbot, a quantitative hedge fund. In our conversation, Paul and I talk about the challenges of launching a new hedge fund in 2009 and how they would be different now, and where he sees the opportunities and risks in today’s environment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode I speak to James Griffiths, General Manager of Flywheel Alternative Data, a provider of e-commerce data. In our conversation, James and I talk about the advantages and challenges of creating an alternative data provider from within a large established corporation, Flywheel’s development through time and changes in the alternative data space overall. Separately, I will be in Hong Kong during the first week of June, so any interesting data providers there please do reach out. Also ...
In this episode I speak to Ben Cohen, former Global Head of Data Strategy at WorldQuant and now on gardening leave before his next opportunity. In our conversation, Ben and I talk about the data sourcing role, how it has changed, who to hire for a team, how the data world is changing and the impact of AI. Separately, I will be interviewing Abraham Thomas on stage for Neudata next week in New York, which I am thoroughly looking forward to. DISCLAIMER This podcast is an edited recording of an inte...
In this episode I speak to Richard Dudley, Senior Portfolio Manager at Railpen, the fifth largest pension fund in the UK. In our conversation, Richard and I talk about a lot of the unusual realities that come from being part of a ten person team managing £7bn systematically from within a pension fund. Separately, I will be on stage at Neudata in London this week, and look forward to seeing many familiar faces there. DISCLAIMER This podcast is an edited recording of an interview with Richard Dudl...
In this episode I speak to Tom Liu, Founder of Ideate Capital, an alternative data expert with many years experience working in both hedge funds and private equity. In our conversation, Tom and I talk around various types of alternative data and their use cases, before digging into the corporate sector’s growing relationship with external data and AI, and the outlook for the future. Separately, I will be on stage at Neudata in London this month, and look forward to seeing many familiar faces the...
In this episode I speak to Mark Thompson who works in Primary Research for NBIM, the Norwegian sovereign wealth fund with $1.7tn under management. In our conversation, Mark and I discuss many of the unique challenges and opportunities that come with managing such a large amount of money, and the ways that the relatively lean team at NBIM ingest and use alternative data. DISCLAIMER This podcast is an edited recording of an interview with Mark Thompson recorded in January 2025. The views and opini...
In this episode I speak to Tim Harrington, Founder and CEO at Battlefin, the alternative data discovery and events business that recently announced its acquisition of Exabel, the alternative data technology platform. In our conversation, Tim and I discuss the new acquisition, Battlefin’s history, the future of alternative data events and what data seems to be most in demand right now. Wishing all listeners a very Happy Christmas and New Year. DISCLAIMER This podcast is an edited recording of an ...
This is the first ever live recorded episode, which took place at Neudata’s Winter Summit in New York on December 5th. For the panel, I was fortunate to share the stage with Matei Zatreanu of System 2, Tjeerd van Cappelle of aiLiftoff, Alexander Izydorczyk of CyberSyn and Kelly Kosciuszka of Schulte, Roth & Zabel, as we embarked on an attempt to predict the Future of Alternative Data in five years time. In our conversation we covered topics like innovation in datasets, the impact of LLMs, th...
In this episode I speak to Wenqi Zhou, a quantitative researcher currently on gardening leave after stints at Balyasny and Citi. In our conversation, Wenqi and I discuss the different uses of data on the sellside and the buyside, and her view on the current state of the China market. I will be moderating the New Provider Showcase at Battlefin London on November 21st, do come and say hi if you’re there. DISCLAIMER This podcast is an edited recording of an interview with Wenqi Zhou recorded in Nov...
In this episode I speak to Tom Liu, founder of ChinaScope and invaluable guide to the Chinese market. In our conversation, Tom and I discuss his data offering and the development of China’s attitudes towards data, as well as the buyers and sellers of alternative data in China today. In other news, I will be moderating the New Provider Showcase at Battlefin London on November 21st. If you are a new data provider and would like to enter, please do get in touch with me. DISCLAIMER This podcast is a...
In this episode I am delighted to welcome back Abraham Thomas, the co-founder of Quandl and now angel investor and haver of interesting thoughts. In our conversation, we dig into the varios impacts of AI and LLMs specifically on the alternative data and hedge fund worlds, exploring the winners, losers and potential futures that might come out of this technological breakthrough. Separately, I will be speaking at the Quant Strats event in London this Tuesday so do say hi if you happen to be there ...
In this episode I speak to Tim Baker, a familiar face in the community with a long and storied history in various data and markets roles. In our conversation of two halves, Tim and I start by discussing a court case in which Tim is taking a deep interest, around the fate of the CUSIP identifier. We then discuss Tim’s recent coup in which he swooped to buy the assets of the IEX Cloud platform from his former employer, we discuss what he now plans to do with it. DISCLAIMER This podcast is an edite...
In this episode I speak to Brian Peltonen, longtime Director of Data Analytics at Fidelity and recent co-founder of his new startup, Parcosm. In our conversation, Brian and I talk about his development from computer game programmer to alternative data guru, and how the types of data that is available have changed over the years, as pricing trends and achievable alpha have also shifted. We also discuss the vision for Parcosm. DISCLAIMER This podcast is an edited recording of an interview with Bri...
Welcome to the Alternative Data Podcast, powered by CFM. I’m Mark Fleming-Williams. In this episode I speak to Mathias Dail, Co-founder and CEO at Exorde a data provider that ‘tells you what the world thinks in real time’. In our conversation, we talk about the benefits of starting a company in Lyon, and Mathias’s achievements in building out his vision for a crowd-sourced exhaustive social media dataset that is perfectly point in time thanks to blockchain technology. One mistake correction – in...
In this episode I speak to Greg Neufeld of ValueStream Ventures, a venture capital fund that invests in data-rich companies. In our conversation, we discuss ValueStream’s relationship with alternative data companies, why Greg is interested in ‘data flywheel’ companies, and how a professional might make the jump into VC. DISCLAIMER This podcast is an edited recording of an interview with Greg Neufeld recorded in May 2024. The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of Greg Neufel...
In this episode I speak to Darren Voges, one of various people who might claim to be a godfather of alternative data. Darren was the man who brought probably the most influential dataset in alt data’s history to the market – the Yodlee credit card dataset. In our conversation we talk through the story of how the dataset was launched, and how it came to change the whole scene. Separately, I will be in New York for the Neudata conference in the first week of June, I look forward to catching up wit...
In this episode I speak to Qaisar Hasan, Founder of Maiden Century, a platform that distils the value of alternative data for buyside customers. In our conversation we talk through Qaisar’s experience at Point 72 back at the formational period for Alternative Data, and discuss Maiden Century’s evolution and Qaisar’s view on the future of investing using data. Separately, I am speaking at Eagle Alpha in London on Thursday 16th May, so make sure to say hi if you’re there. DISCLAIMER This podcast i...
In this episode I speak to Don D’Amico, formerly of Neudata and now the CEO and Founder of Glacier Network, a new company that helps data buyers manage the legal considerations in their data chain. In our conversation we track the evolving alternative data regulation conversation, and talk about the kinds of pitfalls that can blow up a data provider or hurt a buyer that has not written their contracts with enough care. Separately, I am in Singapore for Battlefin next week so if you are in that d...
In this episode I speak to Ken Book, the CEO and Founder of Fluid Markets, a new company that is trying to make KPIs tradeable by investors. In our conversation we walk through Ken’s founder story, from a summer at Goldman Sachs through Y Combinator on the path to realising his vision, which when achieved will make the relationship between alternative data and the markets a great deal tighter. If you know of an alternative data story that needs to be heard on this podcast, please do get in touch...
In this episode I speak to Matt Ober, a godfather in Data Sourcing, to discuss his history finding data in the early days of the space and his new project – Initial Data Offering. If you know of an alternative data story that needs to be heard on this podcast, please do get in touch. DISCLAIMER This podcast is an edited recording of an interview with Matt Ober recorded in January 2024. The views and opinions expressed in this interview are those of Matt Ober and Mark Fleming-Williams and do not ...
In this episode I invite back Ed Lavery, to discuss his new role at Placer.AI, the US location data provider, following his previous appearance on the Similarweb episode. In our conversation, Ed and I discuss the strengths of location data, alternative data’s development and what he plans to bring with him from his previous role. Separately, I will be hosting the macro panel at Battlefin in London tomorrow, so come and say hi if you’re there. DISCLAIMER This podcast is an edited recording of an ...
Welcome to the Alternative Data Podcast, powered by CFM. I’m Mark Fleming-Williams. In this episode I speak to Jason DeRise, who was one of the very earliest employees of UBS’s alternative data platform, Evidence Lab, and who has recently become a very active and followed commentator on the alternative data space. In our conversation, Jason and I discuss the UBS Evidence Lab’s development, as well as Jason’s views on alternative data’s future consolidation, how banks approach the space, and the ...
