Coincover sets the standard for safety and protection in the crypto environment, providing loss prevention technology and theft cover. David Janczewski, Coincover’s CEO, opens up to us about the inspiration that led to the security service and how their approach is becoming a global standard in the industry. What inspired Coincover? I was lucky enough to be involved in a “Digital Gold” project at the UK’s Royal Mint as part of a project to investigate the future of money.
Maury Blackman is the President & CEO at Premise, a data and analytics platform that empowers decision makers with real-time, actionable intelligence. Keep reading to learn more about Maury Blackman, Premise, and the global need to adopt Premise’s data platforms. When did you know you wanted to get involved in the tech industry? As a kid, I was fascinated with SciFi - Star Trek, Stars Wars, etc. And, as a result, I was enamored with tech.
Bryan I start my day reading venture capital (VC) articles on TechCrunch, Axios, or VC blogs – it’s a great way to start my morning as it’s an industry I’m very interested in. DRW VC focuses on investing in companies in the fintech space, which is quickly evolving. By taking the time to catch up on all that has happened over the last 24 hours, I feel like I’m setting myself up for success in my work for the rest of the day.
As part of DRW’s Speaker Series, our Chicago office hosted four thought leaders from across the data space. Led by Kim Trautmann, Head of DRW Venture Capital, panelists discussed data management and how the data space is evolving. In recent years, the data space has seen a huge influx in new technology, and not only a much higher amount of data but also a higher quality. That’s how Rachel Carpenter, CEO of Intrinio, sees the data space evolving.
This series spotlights different people across DRW Venture Capital’s investment portfolio. Read more about our portfolio companies and the unique roles they play in the fintech space. Shane Wiley is Chief Privacy Officer at Cuebiq, a consumer insights and measurement company that specializes in offline brand intelligence to help clients win market share and increase revenue. What is your role at Cuebiq? I serve as Cuebiq’s Chief Privacy Officer. I have been with the company since August 2018.
At DRW, we are always looking to capture opportunities in the financial markets, so expanding into venture capital was a natural progression for our firm. With our deep trading heritage, we have a unique opportunity to work with companies that will benefit from our engagement beyond capital, which sets us apart from many VC firms, something that Cliff touched on during his presentation. Overall, his Geek Lunch emphasized how the DRW organization gives the group an edge in finding the best companies and consistently adding value as a partner of our portfolio companies.
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Kim Trautmann is the Director of DRW Venture Capital. Kim has been personally and professionally investing in financial technology for over a decade. How did you get into bitcoin? I was first introduced to the bitcoin and blockchain industry in 2013. I had a meeting with an influential investor and all he talked about was bitcoin. This was one of my most memorable early conversations because he knew so much about the space and couldn’t have been more excited.
ChiTech: What led you into entrepreneurship? Kimberly Trautmann: I got my first taste of entrepreneurship when I started a jewelry business in high school. I made jewelry and sold it to stores. Now I help other entrepreneurs build their businesses as an investor. What led you to the position you’re in today? It’s not a straight line. I studied Art and Marketing in undergraduate, so I did not study anything related to tech in college.
Leading up to the 3rd Annual Little Black Dress Night, we’re giving you the special chance to get to know some of our featured guests. Kimberly Trautmann is director at DRW VC. ChiTech: What led you into entrepreneurship? Kimberly Trautmann: I got my first taste of entrepreneurship when I started a jewelry business in high school. I made jewelry and sold it to stores. Now I help other entrepreneurs build their businesses as an investor.
Read more at Crain’s
Chicago’s traders long have injected money into the city’s economy, but now they’re becoming bona fide venture capitalists. The founders of some of the city’s most successful trading companies, including Getco, DRW Holdings and Jump Trading, have created separate entities for VC investing and recently began pouring tens of millions of dollars into startups. Read more at Crain’s Chicago Business
“Green Key is building the next generation in trader voice capabilities,” said Donald R. Wilson, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of DRW. “Their voice software removes barriers for traders, lowers costs for brokers and increases compliance within the financial markets.” The patented Green Key cloud-based “software turret” completely replicates the functionality of legacy hardware turrets and lines, but at a fraction of the cost. Traders and brokers simply download the voice software onto their PCs, establish connections to counterparties and “push-to-talk” in real time with an unlimited number of users.