Q1: To start with, can you tell us a bit about your background and what inspired you to start Risk Stewards?
Alex:
Sure! Both of us graduated from HKU with a major in Risk Management in 2011 and 2014, respectively. After graduation, I worked in multiple well known financial institutions and hedge funds. Working as a risk developer, I gain insights into the specific needs and challenges faced by traders and hedge fund managers alike.
Alan:
I pursued a career in market risk, valuation, and modeling within the investment banking sectors. During that time, I noticed a significant gap between the complexity of risk modeling and the accessibility of these tools to everyday investors and decision-makers. I saw a missed opportunity to empower a wider audience with these tools and insights.
Alex:
And my work in hedge funds introduced me to data visualization techniques that were not fully utilized in traditional risk management tools. This sparked the idea of creating a platform that could harness the power of intuitive graphs and animations to help people grasp complex risk concepts easily.
Q2: How do you feel your education prepared you for your career in the risk management industry?
Alan:
The risk management program at HKU provided a strong theoretical foundation in risk concepts and quantitative techniques. It allowed me to understand the intricacies of risk modeling and its practical applications in the financial industry. This knowledge was invaluable in my career in the financial industry as it gave me the confidence to handle complex risk scenarios and develop innovative solutions for various market challenges.
Alex:
I couldn't agree more. The program equipped me with a comprehensive understanding of risk management principles as well as essential programming skills, which directly influenced my career in the industry. It also fostered a mindset of critical thinking and problem-solving, encouraging me to explore unconventional approaches and seek out new opportunities in diverse environments.
Alan:
Exactly. The multidisciplinary approach of the program also inspired me to think beyond traditional risk management methodologies. It encouraged us to combine our expertise in finance and data visualization to create Risk Stewards—a platform that not only handles hardcore statistics and risk modeling but also presents analysis in an intuitive and visually engaging manner, accessible to both experts and laymen.
Q3: Tell me more about Risk Stewards.
Alan:
Risk Stewards is a groundbreaking fintech startup founded in 2022 aims to revolutionize risk management and portfolio analytics by providing an all-in-one management tool that caters to individual investors. We received the endorsement and support from Cyberport Creative Micro Fund immediately afterward, and the team was also selected to be one of the incubates of HKU iDendron Incubation Programme in 2023. We believe that advanced risk management services should not be only available to the high-net-worth clients but available to everyone.
Alex:
Exactly. Many members of the public focus on excessive returns and speculate their retirement savings, often without fully understanding the risks involved. Our goal is to empower users with simple but sophisticated risk management tools to make educated and informed investment decisions.
Alan:
Our vision is to become the go-to platform for risk management and portfolio analytics, not for financial institutions but for every individual investor. We want to expand our offerings to include a wider range of asset classes and cater to a global audience. We're also exploring the possibilities of integrating more artificial intelligence and machine learning into our platform to enhance risk modeling capabilities and users' experiences further.
Q4: Let's dive deeper into how the skills and knowledge you gained from the program helped you build Risk Stewards. Can you tell us more about how the skills and knowledge you learned during your studies played a role in developing the Risk Stewards?
Alex:
The financial models we studied at HKU provided a comprehensive understanding of how different financial instruments interact and contribute to portfolio risk. This knowledge was crucial in designing the platform to handle a diverse range of asset classes and portfolios. It allowed us to incorporate complex financial structures into the risk models, ensuring a holistic risk assessment for our users.
Alan:
The statistical models we learned during our time at HKU were fundamental in developing the core risk analytics of Risk Stewards. We were exposed to a wide range of statistical techniques for analyzing financial data and modeling risk. These models formed the basis of our risk assessment algorithms, enabling us to calculate key risk metrics and evaluate potential outcomes for different investment scenarios.
Alex:
The programming skills we acquired during our studies at HKU were instrumental in building the technical infrastructure of Risk Stewards. We developed a robust and scalable platform that could handle vast amounts of financial data and perform sophisticated risk calculations efficiently.
Q5: Do you have any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs looking to venture into the fintech industry?
Alan:
Identify a genuine pain point in the market that you're passionate about solving. Building a startup requires a lot of dedication and hard work, so having that passion and purpose will keep you motivated.
Alex:
Surround yourself with a diverse and talented team. Collaboration and complementary skills are essential in creating a successful venture. And finally, don't be afraid to embrace innovation and think outside the box.
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