The Zurich fintech Aisot Technologies has developed a tool that allows investment strategies to be adapted much faster and more easily to different markets and customer needs, thanks to artificial intelligence. Even the big players in the industry are interested in this.
Interview by: Dominik Buholzer, Editor-in-Chief, finews.ch (original article)
Stefan Klauser did not expect so much attention. "We are used to industry representatives being curious about our tool at trade fairs or international congresses. But the fact that representatives from Goldman Sachs approached us right away positively surprised me," he says.
A spinoff from ETH (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology)
Klauser is a co-founder and CEO of Aisot Technologies, a spinoff from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH). The startup was founded in 2019 in Zurich. Alongside Klauser, the founding team includes Nino Antulov-Fantulin and Tian Guo, with Roger Peyer as Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
His professional background includes positions at the banking software company Avaloq and the investment firm Vontobel. Aisot Technologies now maintains a network of partners and employees across Europe and the USA.
The fintech has developed a system that allows asset managers to generate customized investment strategies tailored to their clients' needs and preferences in just a few seconds. This could bring lasting changes to the industry.
Various models can be tested
Aisot Technologies relies on Artificial Intelligence. The system uses millions of data points, reports, and financial news in its calculations. Klauser notes, "No human could ever read that many reports." This allows for the simulation of various scenarios to find the optimal solution. "Asset managers are presented with entirely new possibilities," Klauser emphasizes.
Additionally, the system can be linked with one's own data. Daily rebalancing is also possible.
Risks can be better optimized.
The development is accompanied by Petter Kolm, Professor of Financial Mathematics at New York University. A former researcher at Goldman Sachs, he knows precisely what is crucial. "Asset management involves a lot of money. It's important to optimize risks. Thanks to AI, we are now able to do this even better than before," he says, referring to tests that the Zurich fintech regularly conducts.
Developing a system is one thing, marketing it is another. In the latter, the startup sometimes still experiences hesitancy within the industry.
"By now, it's not that people don't trust us. Many asset managers are simply afraid that they might not be needed in the future," says Klauser. However, he clarifies that this is not the goal: "We are simply providing asset managers with a new tool."
