4 ms·

Nice find. I met the dudes at one of their few spinoffs, Merfin/Edgestream. I didn't work for them, but it was abundantly obvious they pretty much used really

Nice find. I met the dudes at one of their few spinoffs, Merfin/Edgestream. I didn't work for them, but it was abundantly obvious they pretty much used really simple tools with excellent risk management and execution.

clausok 8y ago
I've seen systematic portfolio managers who switched firms and then took a year or more to begin trading -- when they expected a maximum transition time of a couple months -- because they took for granted the tools and data infrastructure at the prior firm. Even tasks as mundane as handling ticker changes can have an unexpectedly large time cost when you're the one who has to handle them. That may be why there doesn't seem to be a large rentech diaspora, as opposed to Julian Robertson's tiger cubs, for example. One can't take the process with them and it's really hard to reinvent.
- throwawaymath 8y ago
  Yep, you sound like you probably know this, but a few people left RenTech for another firm back in the day. They never got those returns off the ground at the new place.
throwawaymath 8y ago
Edgestream was founded by people out of RenTech? Really? I didn't know that.
- scottlocklin 8y ago
  Main one: https://littlesis.org/person/215249-Sandor_Straus# https://littlesis.org/person/215249-Sandor_Straus# Berlekamp kicked around the idea of starting a new fund as well. I knew a guy who interviewed with him.
- auntienomen 8y ago
  And here I've been assuming that you used to work for them...
  - throwawaymath 8y ago
    No, I'm familiar with Edgestream by name and reputation only. I've never really looked into the origins there. For what it's worth, I'm based out of Irvine, across the country :)
    - auntienomen 8y ago
      Ah, forgive me. Your comments fit the profile of someone I know socially who'd worked at Edgestream before leaving to do research in communications. Irvine leads to other presumptions, of course. That golden sunshine..
      - throwawaymath 8y ago
        That golden sunshine indeed.

clausok 8y ago

I've seen systematic portfolio managers who switched firms and then took a year or more to begin trading -- when they expected a maximum transition time of a couple months -- because they took for granted the tools and data infrastructure at the prior firm. Even tasks as mundane as handling ticker changes can have an unexpectedly large time cost when you're the one who has to handle them. That may be why there doesn't seem to be a large rentech diaspora, as opposed to Julian Robertson's tiger cubs, for example. One can't take the process with them and it's really hard to reinvent.

throwawaymath 8y ago
Yep, you sound like you probably know this, but a few people left RenTech for another firm back in the day. They never got those returns off the ground at the new place.

throwawaymath 8y ago

Edgestream was founded by people out of RenTech? Really? I didn't know that.

scottlocklin 8y ago
Main one: https://littlesis.org/person/215249-Sandor_Straus# https://littlesis.org/person/215249-Sandor_Straus# Berlekamp kicked around the idea of starting a new fund as well. I knew a guy who interviewed with him.
auntienomen 8y ago
And here I've been assuming that you used to work for them...
- throwawaymath 8y ago
  No, I'm familiar with Edgestream by name and reputation only. I've never really looked into the origins there. For what it's worth, I'm based out of Irvine, across the country :)
  - auntienomen 8y ago
    Ah, forgive me. Your comments fit the profile of someone I know socially who'd worked at Edgestream before leaving to do research in communications. Irvine leads to other presumptions, of course. That golden sunshine..
    - throwawaymath 8y ago
      That golden sunshine indeed.