Laying the Groundwork in Financial Technology

My career in financial technology began at Bloomberg LP, where I focused on implementing and promoting the Trade Order Management System (TOMS) for regional broker-dealers and banks. This role provided me with a foundational understanding of how technology can optimize trading operations and enhance market efficiency, setting the stage for my future endeavors.

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Expanding Experience in Sales and Trading

In 2010, I transitioned to Vice President roles at Dallas-based broker-dealers, overseeing electronic trading systems. During this period, I developed innovative trading strategies, enhanced platform capabilities, and delivered significant revenue growth, while deepening my knowledge of algorithmic and platform-based trading solutions.

 

Fostering Innovation in London and Beyond

As European Client Relationship Manager at Algomi Ltd in London, I specialized in designing and implementing tailored trading solutions, including the deployment of ALFA, a liquidity aggregation tool, to tier-1 asset managers. This experience underscored my ability to align advanced technology with client needs, fostering growth and efficiency in competitive financial markets.

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Entrepreneurial Endeavor with CatFIX Technology

In 2019, I founded CatFIX Technology, Inc., a cloud-native FIX protocol engine aimed at modernizing fixed income marketing for regional banks. This venture reflected my dedication to leveraging financial technology to address evolving market demands and improve operational workflows.

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The Story Behind Katana Labs And My Acquisition Of The IP

From 2020 to 2021, as the Sales and Business Development Advisor for Katana Labs, I invested my expertise in launching a revolutionary machine learning platform that analyzed over 200 million bond pairs to identify relative value opportunities with 91% accuracy.

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Initially spun out of ING in 2019 (valued at £1.5M by Duff & Phelps and peaking at £5M pre-money in a 2021 EIS round), Katana became my mission. I crafted its go-to-market strategy, secured its Google Cloud Partner Advantage status, and drove its integration onto Bloomberg Terminal (reach of over 325,000 users).

 

Beyond sales, I led digital marketing, built strategic partnerships, and produced compelling trade idea content—mastering Adobe After Effects to create videos and curating insights on multiple social media channels ( Linkedin and Twitter/X ).

My belief in Katana’s potential deepened as I witnessed the precision of its trade ideas firsthand, leading me to make a personal investment in the April 2021 EIS round at a £5M pre-money valuation.

 

When liquidation loomed, I submitted an initial £9,000 bid to review the financials through Hilco Appraisal, not expecting any response. To my surprise, after negotiations, I secured the IP for £25,000—though I was unprepared for the challenges that lay ahead.

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The first Google Cloud invoice, nearly matching my bid, marked a turning point, prompting me to pause my other commitments and dedicate myself to mastering cloud management to preserve Katana’s potential.

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Going Back To School

Katana’s codebase immersed me in data engineering, machine learning, and cloud technologies.

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My immediate goal was to cut costs as much as possible without damaging the code or infrastructure (I wish I would have understood the significance of Docker and Terraform in those early months!). 

I engaged deeply with tools like Apache Beam, Google Cloud, and Terraform, developing expertise in building scalable data pipelines and optimizing cost-efficient infrastructure. Through a year of intensive Google Cloud Platform training, I transformed the initial financial challenge into a technical strength, ensuring the platform’s viability and enhancing my skill set.

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I decided to advance my expertise through The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs Professional Certificate Programs in Full Stack Development, Cloud Computing, and Decision Science.

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I am now leveraging Katana’s production-grade codebase and pipelines for broader applications beyond fixed income.

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This educational journey empowers me to innovate at the nexus of finance and technology, informed by Katana’s real-world insights. The McCombs Professional Certificate in Full Stack Software Development offered a focused, efficient alternative to a traditional MBA. Tailored to my goals, this program provides specialized training in a cost-effective format, enabling me to blend my financial expertise with advanced technical proficiency.