Wharton FinTech Podcast

Schonfeld CTO, Tom DeBow - Technology and AI's Impact on Modern Hedge Funds

7 snips
Apr 15, 2025
Tom DeBow, CTO of Schonfeld Strategic Advisors, discusses the exciting intersection of AI and hedge funds. With a rich background at firms like SAC Capital, he shares Schonfeld's innovative AI tool, SchoenGPT, and its impact on decision-making processes. DeBow emphasizes a balanced approach—leveraging technology without replacing human intuition. He also explores the challenges of siloed operations and the importance of teamwork in navigating the evolving investment landscape, all while fostering a culture of career growth and innovation in finance.
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ANECDOTE

Career Path Shaped By Diverse Hedge Funds

  • Tom DeBow recounted his career path from KPMG to multiple hedge funds, emphasizing varied mentorships and strategy exposure.
  • He used those experiences to explain why the Schoenfeld role offered a unique chance to combine prior learnings into meaningful change.
INSIGHT

Technology Should Enable The Last Mile

  • Tom DeBow framed technology as a solutions business where tools must serve real user needs and workflows.
  • He stressed focusing AI to shorten the user's path to the "last mile" where decisions and insights occur.
ADVICE

Let Users Iterate Directly With AI

  • Use AI to let end users iterate directly instead of routing small requests through developers.
  • Present raw artifacts (like a heat map) to models to extract structured data and speed analysis.
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