Episode 132: Thasos Group’s CEO Talks Alternative Data

Greg Skibiski, co-founder and CEO of Thasos Group, a startup that provides geospatial data to the hedge fund industry, joins the podcast to discuss the alternative data sector and provides insights into some of the challenges, trends and use cases for this information. Beginning-1:45 Greg Skibiski joins the podcast and gives a quick recap of what Thasos has rolled out. 1:45-3:40 What are the biggest trends driving this explosion we’re seeing in the alternative data space? 3:40-5:30 How has hardware in the alt data space improved to allow for the increased use of this data? 5:30-8:15 When you look at a potential dataset to explore, what are the prerequisites you look for? 8:15-10:00 Why are so many players—from startups, to the biggest vendors, to the banks themselves—trying to get into this space with their own offerings? 10:00-12:30 For those concerned about privacy, how do you make sure that no personally identifiable information is shared with clients? 12:30-15:05 Do you provide context around the data, or do you just provide the data and let the client use it as they see fit? 15:05-17:55 Have advancements in machine learning and deep learning pushed this space forward, or is it still mainly driven by data scientists looking at the data? 17:55-23:00 How would a hedge fund use this information to gain an edge? 23:00-24:45 Do you see a day when alternative data will be viewed in the same regard as fundamental data? 24:45-29:30 Do you see a period of consolidation among providers coming in the near future, or is it still very early days? 29:30-31:30 As far as your ability to collect data, to what extent do new laws affect your roadmap? 31:30-End Can this data be used in the future to create alternative financial products?