Flirting with Models

In this episode I speak with Annanay Kapila, founder and CEO of QFEX, a 24/7 centralized perpetual-futures exchange for traditional financial markets.Before founding QFEX, Annanay worked at Flow Traders and Tower Research, where he was introduced to high frequency trading and market microstructure in both crypto and traditional markets. Insights gleaned during these experiences lead him to the conclusion that the perpetual futures model applied to traditional, so-called “real world asset” markets, like equities, was an inevitable future and one he wanted to build.In this episode, we discuss the ramifications of what that world looks like. First, we discuss what perpetual futures are and their distinguishing characteristics from traditional futures. Then we discuss how perpetual futures can work in markets – like single-name equities – where the underlying do not trade 24/7, and have unique features like corporate actions, opening and closing price auctions, and limit-up/limit-down bounds.A consistent thread throughout the entire conversation is risk management. When leverage is your key feature, it is important to think long and hard about how and when liquidations might occur and the safest way to process them. Finally, we discuss why Annanay believes why perpetual futures will succeed where spot tokenization failed and his view on the current regulatory landscape.Please enjoy my conversation with Annanay Kapila.

In this episode, I speak with Jay Rajamony, Director of Alternatives at Man Numeric.Jay has been with the firm since 2004, giving him a front-row seat to the evolution of quant equity: from simple factor models and broad signals to today’s world of alternative data, model ensembles, and human-machine collaboration.We start with the history: what’s changed in quant over the last two decades, why the 2007 quant quake still matters, and how the definition of “alpha” has shifted alongside new tools and data.From there, we explore the interplay between factors and macro regimes, how sparse datasets are reshaping the research process, and what it means to manage risk in a world where your models don’t always line up with reality.Jay also offers a compelling perspective on how modern quant investing isn’t just about signal breadth anymore—it’s about firm breadth, organizational design, and knowing when to lean in and override the machine.Please enjoy my conversation with Jay Rajamony.

In this episode I’m joined by Vladimir Novakovski, founder and CEO of Lighter, a decentralized crypto exchange.To kick off the conversation, we explore Lighter's three big design choices: it’s built as a custom Layer-2 on Ethereum, it relies on zero-knowledge circuits for proving transactions, and it runs with a private sequencer. Don't worry – if that sounds like gibberish, Vlad explains it all. Each of those decisions comes with trade-offs — but also big potential advantages.We discuss why Ethereum remains the natural home for new rollups, from inheriting its security to tapping into DeFi’s growing composability. We also break down what zk circuits actually are, why they matter for trust and security in a derivatives exchange, and how they’re verified in practice.From there, we tackle the business side: how you bootstrap liquidity in a brand-new DEX, why Lighter went with an unusual fee model and the key lessons learned during an extended private beta.Finally, we zoom out to the bigger picture. What might DeFi look like if composability really takes hold? Could specialized rollups like Lighter become the backbone of an on-chain financial system, rather than just another venue for speculation?Please enjoy my conversation with Vlad Novakovski.

In this episode, I speak with Antti Ilmanen, Principal and Global Co-head of the Portfolio Solutions Group at AQR Capital Management.Antti has long been one of the most thoughtful voices in the world of expected returns, having written not one, but two landmark books on the subject. But in his latest paper series, he returns to the topic with fresh urgency—probing the difference between objective and subjective expectations, and asking why even rational models can go so wrong in real time.We explore everything from CAPE ratios and market timing accusations, to why equity investors tend to extrapolate while bond investors expect mean reversion. We dig into how behavioral biases, valuation anchors, and structural shifts collide when forming capital market assumptions—and how Antti and the AQR team try to navigate that mess themselves.If you’re in the business of long-term forecasting or just curious why markets often act like they’ve never read the textbooks, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.Please enjoy my conversation with Antti Ilmanen.

In this episode, I speak with Chris Carrano, Vice President of Strategic Research at Venn by Two Sigma.Chris has had a rare vantage point in the world of factors — spanning smart beta, long/short hedge funds, and risk modeling — and that experience has shaped a thoughtful view of what factors really are and how they can be practically used.We dive into the philosophy and design behind Venn: why it uses just 18 orthogonalized factors, how it blends Lasso and OLS to reduce overfitting, and why it prioritizes interpretability over complexity.We also tackle messy real-world challenges: how to analyze private markets with sparse data, how to trust synthetic return streams, and where to draw the line when using monthly snapshots that embed structural portfolio shifts.Finally, we explore what it means to make factor results actionable—whether through stress testing, residual interpretation, or portfolio diagnostics.Please enjoy my conversation with Chris Carrano.