What We Do

Sparkstone creates and invests in trading algorithms to earn risk-adjusted returns in equity markets.

All of our algorithms are crafted using our unique analytics platform, which allows us to rapidly iterate through our strategies and determine which ones will have the most success on the markets. Our system has the ability to trade and operate multiple strategies at a time, and automatically rebalances according to market conditions.

History

Our journey began in 2014 as a project amongst dorm mates to build high-performance trading algorithms. We looked for an analytics platform to support our efforts, but found nothing that met our requirements. Undeterred, we spent a year collaborating across dorm rooms, crafting our own proprietary platform to perfect our strategies and augment our data sources. Seeing what we had built, our aspirations grew, and we founded Sparkstone Analytics.

Today, we are a passionate team pioneering algorithmic trading strategies, crafted with innovative analytics. We optimize our system daily, and rapidly iterate our algorithms to trade on the markets. Driven by our belief that the market rate of return is never good enough, we look forward to the challenges and late night coffee runs that will help us to build on our successes.

Directors

Paige Jacobson

Executive Director

Paige is currently a senior majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Business. Paige is mainly interested in the influences of technology in business, and worked as a creative technology intern at Accenture Interactive, Fjord Studio this summer. Outside of being the Director of Sparkstone, she is a Co-Leader for Girls Who Code and an Engineering Ambassador. She also films sports games for the Ivy League Digital Network. In her free time, Paige likes to cook and go to the gym.

Dhiraj Gupta

Analytics Director

Dhiraj is a junior in the College of Engineering, working towards a major in Computer Science. He enjoys solving challenging problems and exploring the applications of computer science to areas like finance and statistical analysis. This past summer, he interned at IBM, where he developed a system for classifying text and visualizing the results. Outside of academics and work, Dhiraj enjoys listening to music and reading.

Greg Stepaniouk

Strategies Director

Greg is a senior at the College of Engineering studying Operations Research. He is mainly interested in quantitative trading strategies which address inefficiencies within illiquid markets. Greg took his spring 2017 semester off to work at a boutique financial services firm with a focus on structured credit trading and capital markets transactions. In his free time, Greg enjoys skiing, poker, and any sort of outdoor adventure.

Associates

Cheyenne Biolsi

Analytics Associate

Cheyenne is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, double majoring in computer science and economics. She is particularly interested in the applications of computer sciences in social science fields, and is currently doing research on developing a macroeconomic volatility model that accounts for the unconditional low-frequency volatility that is unique to each country. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, and hopes to publish a novel one day.

Jack Nicoletti

Strategies Associate

Jack is a sophomore in the College of Engineering majoring in chemical engineering and operations research. On campus, Jack is the philanthropy chair and treasurer of his fraternity and is starting research with a graduate student in chemical engineering. He enjoys watching sports, playing sports, and working out in his free time. Last summer, Jack interned with Triteq Lock and Security, an electronic lock manufacturer in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago.

Brandon Wang

Executive Associate

Brandon Wang is currently a sophomore at Cornell University in the College of Engineering and is majoring in Operations Research while minoring in business. He is also involved with Cornell Mars Rover and Cornell Strategic Consulting on campus. In his free time, he enjoys exploring new restaurants, going to the gym, and binge watching Netflix.

Kai Pacheco

Strategies Associate

Kai is a junior Operations Research Major and Business/Music minor in Cornell University’s College of Engineering. On campus, Kai is a fund manager for the Cornell Hedge Fund, a business analyst for the Cornell Strategic Consulting club, and a member of Cornell’s Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Project Team. On his free time, Kai enjoys music production, travelling and running. Last summer, Kai worked at Deutsche Bank in the Global Markets Division.

Sergey Smirnov

Executive Associate

Sergey is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Economics and is currently seeking a second major (suggestions are very welcome). On campus, Sergey is a co-founder of the Cornell Undergraduate Law and Society Review and a member of the Cornell Hedge Fund. He enjoys debating politics, reading poetry, and scuba diving. This summer, Sergey is interning at the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C.

Brett Chatterton

Strategies Associate

Brett is a currently a junior in Arts and Sciences planning to triple major in Mathematics, Economics, and Computer Science. He worked as a Service Operations Intern for Gartner the summer of his freshman year, and spent last summer in Beijing, China.

Ryan Kishore

Advisor and Founder

Sacheth Hegde

Advisor and Founder

Rishab Gupta

Advisor and Founder