Don Wilson

A pioneer in modernizing and democratizing derivatives trading, Donald R. Wilson, Jr. founded his eponymous firm, DRW, based on his belief that quantitative modeling was an underutilized tool to identify and measure opportunities in the global financial markets.

In the three decades of DRW’s growth since then, Don has championed numerous innovations while advocating for policies that advance fairness and transparency. This is cemented in the firm's mission: to solve challenging problems, capture opportunities and pursue positive change.

Reflective of Don's commitment to harness the power of markets is his active engagement in cryptoassets and carbon initiatives. In 2014, he launched Cumberland, one of the world’s leading crypto liquidity providers. That same year he co-founded Digital Asset, which uses blockchain technology to address inefficiencies and risks in traditional financial markets. Don has been a thought leader on many topics in the cryptoasset space, including serving last year on the President’s Working Group on Stablecoins. To address climate challenges, Don partnered with the University of Chicago to develop Climate Vault, a markets-based solution to reducing carbon emissions. In 2020, using Climate Vault, DRW became the first carbon neutral trading firm, a commitment it has renewed each year.

Don also has guided the firm’s expansion into real estate investing and venture capital, believing DRW’s expertise in risk management and technology allows it to add unique value to projects. Convexity Properties, the firm’s real estate investment arm, seeks projects that benefit from the team's unique blend of agility and expertise. Through DRWVC, the firm also is an active investor in financial technology start-ups, with a portfolio that currently includes Crusoe, Talos and OpenFin.

Don holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Chicago, where he is now a trustee. He also sits on the board of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Foundation. An avid competitive sailor, Don won the M32 world championship in 2019, 2021 and 2022.