How I Got In The Finance Game

How did I get in the finance game? Michael J Fox

It started as a youngin’ trying to be Michael J Fox from Family Ties. Most don’t remember but his character was always focused on business and the stock market. On the ride to elementary school I would read the business section as if I had a clue.

In high school I wanted to be a Marine Biologist but the Univ of Miami would not let me in the program. Not taking AP BIO kept me out of that.

They did have an Aeronautical Engineering program and I thought that was cool. I set my sights for building planes. That was until I got to Calc 4!

I transitioned to finance with a focus on portfolio management. Adding a second focus in organizational behavior. Pretty interesting stuff when you learn about how people tend to operate in groups.

Graduation sent me back to Pittsburgh. My first gig was as an investment advisor to business owners. The initiation to smiling and dialing was brutal.

The sun of Florida kept calling and I moved back to take a position as a proprietary equity trader. I then moved to the institutional trading world with a focus on bonds.

It is true — stock trading is for maniacs and gamblers — bonds are for gentlemen :)

I then joined forces with a close friend Matt to start a bond research and trading business for banks and governments. My first startup!

Matt decided he was trading in the sun of Florida for the snow of Minnesota. Home is where the heart is.

I kept the business going for over a decade until most of the fun got sucked out of it. It may not seem tough but helping bank portfolios manage their money and risk can take a toll. You work closely with them and are basically part of the team. They win, you win. They lose, you get fired.

While searching for something new I came across InterPrime and Kanishka Maheshwari during Y Combinator demo day.

Awesome idea!

The mission and journey they were going on intrigued me and got me excited.

One cold email, turned to 2, then 3. Close to a year of chatting brought me out to SF to meet in person. A few weeks later it was official.

Now I am happily working to give ALL companies the same tools to manage their cash as a Fortune 500. Large companies should not have all the benefits. And banks should not be the gatekeepers.

The game of life is a winding road — and that is my story.

It’s fun to look in the rear view mirror.