Vladimir Tenev

So actually, when I graduated Stanford, I went to UCLA to pursue a math PhD.

And my career goal at that time, or my perception of what I would be, would be a math professor.

I thought I would be one of those guys that sitting in an office with a couch and a chalkboard thinking and coming up with new math proofs.

And my first month in grad school, Lehman Brothers went under.

So you had the start of the global financial crisis.

And my co-founder and best friend from college who had gotten a job, he was also a math and physics guy.

So we met through that.

He had gotten a job at an algorithmic trading firm.

Basically, you can think of it as a hedge fund that trades its own partners money.

So no customers.

But he had gotten a job at an algorithmic trading firm up in Marin County, just north of San Francisco.

his first month on the job, my first month in grad school, Lehman Brothers went under the start of the global financial crisis.

So he calls me up and he said, hey, you know, this might sound like a crazy idea.

If you ask your parents whether the global financial crisis would be a great time to start a financial company, they would probably think that it was a terrible idea.

But I think we should do it.

And

I thought about it a little bit, and I said, why the hell not?

Let's go.

This is new.

I'm young.