We create mathematically sophisticated software for financial companies. Examples of our work include machine learning-driven credit risk models, web tools that highlight asset managers’ unique analysis of financial markets, and financial planning algorithms.
Tell us about yourself?
I have a Ph.D. in financial mathematics from the University of Western Ontario and an undergrad in computer science from the University of Waterloo. I’ve spent over a decade creating statistical models and websites and then deploying them on the cloud. I was working at RBC when an asset manager approached me about building their own tool. I quit my job to build the tool full-time, and I came to acquire other clients through word of mouth.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Put more effort towards marketing. There are ways to market effectively without sounding sleazy, and word of mouth is too unpredictable as a means of marketing.
What problem does your business solve?
We specialize in a niche of software that more than 99 per cent of developers don’t have the skills to create because they require high-level mathematics, financial knowledge, or both.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
I wanted to break out of the doldrums of being caught in a bureaucracy and pursue projects that challenged my abilities. I also wanted to become the captain of my own destiny, knowing that I’d be charting through greater danger but also winning potentially greater rewards.
What is your magic sauce?
Very few math Ph.Ds. can communicate their ideas clearly and simply, so a normal person can understand them. I’m one of the few.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
My goal is to get five new clients each year for the next five years. I also want to create our own product to break out of consulting, though I’m not yet certain what the product will be.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
We had tried to create our own stock trading algorithm, but we couldn’t make one that we were happy enough about. We set very lofty goals, though, to be fair. We learned that creating such an algorithm would require much more resources and time than we had anticipated.
How can people get involved?
Visit our website at www.enjine.com, and leave us a note on the contact page.