Chief Technology Officer also known as Chief Technical Officer

Client Background: Our client is a fintech startup in its series B funding round. They were facing a significant challenge when their Chief Technology Officer (CTO) gave one month’s notice of his departure. The Managing Partners contacted us to explore different options for managing the transition.

Challenges: Our initial findings revealed that the outgoing CTO was the only one who knew certain parts of the system and setups, a common issue in startups with small teams. We also found that there were no clear goals, and the development team was working in ad-hoc mode, addressing issues and bugs as they arose. The technical leadership was unclear.

Solutions: We held meetings with the outgoing CTO to understand all the different technical aspects of the company and how they were organized. Based on this information, and with the approval of management, we designed two plans with different goals: a long-term plan and a short-term plan.

The long-term plan involved re-arranging the team and helping to hire additional people to align with the plan. We defined KPIs for each role in the company for easy follow-up and suggested different providers, which ended up reducing their overall budget.

The short-term plan focused on finding the perfect replacement for the CTO role. We ensured that the person would have a good affinity with the company’s culture and prepared the field with a plan in place.

Results: With our assistance, the client was able to successfully manage the transition of their CTO. They now have a clear plan in place, a re-arranged team, and a new CTO who fits well with the company’s culture. They also achieved a reduction in their overall budget.

Testimonial: “SiS was instrumental in helping us navigate the challenging transition of our CTO. They provided us with clear short-term and long-term plans, helped us re-arrange our team, and found the perfect replacement for our CTO. We were particularly impressed with their ability to understand our unique needs and deliver tailored solutions. Thanks to SiS, we were able to manage the transition smoothly and continue our growth trajectory.” – Managing Partner

Client Background: Our client is a leading fintech company that provides CRM tools for the “Merchant Cash Advance” industry. As they were growing rapidly year after year, so was the demand for their software. However, they faced challenges in scaling up and lacked technical management.

Challenges: The client was hiring new developers without a clear path, and most of their employees lacked experience in the fintech industry. They were under-utilizing their cloud services, leading to higher than expected costs. They had no processes or methodologies in place, and their software was built on a poor architectural foundation, leaving no room for scaling up. They also lacked technical leadership.

Solutions: We started by defining the company’s goals and building a solid, realistic plan for the next year. Over the next six months, we restructured the entire team and built a solid offshore development team, saving the client over 60% on what they were already spending. We designed a robust Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) methodology using best practices, created automated testing methodologies, and helped reduce their bugs by 90%. We also sped up their delivery process by 70%.

Results: With our assistance, the client was able to significantly reduce their overall budget, improve their software development and delivery processes, and reduce bugs in their software. They now have a solid team, a clear path forward, and the necessary processes and methodologies in place to continue growing and scaling up their operations.

Testimonial: “SiS has been a game-changer for our fintech company. They helped us define our goals, restructure our team, and implement best practices in software development. We’ve seen significant improvements in our processes, a drastic reduction in bugs, and a faster delivery process. Plus, we’ve saved over 60% on our overall budget. We couldn’t have achieved this without SiS.” – CEO

Client Background: Our client consisted of two former executives from a recognized bank who decided to start a new Hedge Fund that traded electronically on the forex and futures market. They aimed to build their own electronic trading platform to achieve the best low latency execution in the market.

Challenges: The client faced several challenges in setting up their High-Frequency Trading desk. They needed to select from a vast array of providers to stay competitive, build a team with a quantitative background, define a roadmap, and establish bold technical leadership. They had zero margins for missteps or errors.

Solutions: We assisted the client in finding reliable providers in the hedge fund industry and negotiated a favorable initial deal. We also helped them recruit top professionals, including two quants, one researcher, one network support specialist, and FPGA support. We designed the procedures and plan for the next year and created a toolset that provided a comfortable framework for generating trading ideas.

Results: With our assistance, the client was able to successfully set up their High-Frequency Trading desk. They now have a reliable set of providers, a team of top professionals, a clear roadmap, and a robust toolset for generating trading ideas. They are well-positioned to achieve their goal of achieving the best low latency execution in the market.

Testimonial: “They helped us find reliable providers, build a top-notch team, and create a clear roadmap for our operations. Their expertise and guidance have been invaluable in helping us achieve our goals. We now have a state-of-the-art trading platform and are well-positioned to achieve the best low latency execution in the market.” – Co-Founder

Client Background: Our client is one of the top 10 liquidity providers in the major crypto exchanges, headquartered in Hong Kong. They sought to expand their business into the US market and needed a technical head and a specialized team for their US operations.

Challenges: The client’s primary challenge was to establish a dedicated Business Unit in the US to deal with local exchanges and clients. They needed to hire representatives to negotiate rates with local exchanges and deal with local institutions to provide liquidity in the crypto market. Additionally, they needed a technical team to develop special access to the local exchanges and their technologies.

Solutions: We assisted the client in hiring representatives who could effectively negotiate rates with local exchanges and manage relationships with local institutions. We also helped them build a technical team capable of developing specialized access to local exchanges and their technologies.

Results: With our assistance, the client was able to successfully establish a dedicated Business Unit in the US. They now have a team of representatives who manage their relationships with local exchanges and institutions and a technical team that ensures they have the access they need to the local exchanges and their technologies.

Testimonial: “SiS played a crucial role in our expansion into the US market. They helped us hire a team of representatives and technical experts who have been instrumental in establishing our presence in the US. Thanks to SiS, we are now able to provide liquidity to major US-based exchanges and serve local institutions more effectively.” – CEO

Client Background: Our client is an Australian proprietary trading firm that was looking to upgrade, learn, and build their own high-speed trading system to operate with the CME futures markets.

Challenges: The client lacked the knowledge to architect, build, and set up a truly high-frequency trading (HFT) system. Their existing system had a tick-to-trade time of over 50 microseconds, which resulted in poor queue positions in their executions.

Solutions: We provided guidance throughout the entire process of creating a high-performing trading system. This included architecting the system to achieve a tick-to-trade time of under 3 microseconds, a significant improvement over their previous system. We also assisted them in hiring a team member specialized in profiling low latency systems, ensuring constant and recurrent improvements as the system grows.

Results: With our guidance, the client was able to build a high-speed trading system that significantly improved their trading performance. They now have a system that provides them with better queue positions in their executions and allows for continuous improvements as the system evolves.

Testimonial: “SiS provided us with the knowledge and guidance we needed to build our own high-speed trading system. Their expertise in HFT was invaluable, and they helped us achieve a tick-to-trade time of under 3 microseconds, a significant improvement over our previous system. They also assisted us in hiring a specialist who ensures our system continues to improve as it grows. We couldn’t have done it without SiS.” – Head of Trading, Australian Proprietary Trading Firm

Client Background: Our client is a South Florida-based hedge fund startup specializing in High-Frequency Trading (HFT) operations and electronic trading in the institutional forex market. They engaged us to conduct a comprehensive analysis of their operations.

Challenges: The client was operating with outdated technology, which was causing high transaction costs due to network and system latency issues. Their analytics were indicating speed issues and incorrect risk management actions. Furthermore, their connectivity to over 30 different FX venues was underutilized, and the data stream was underperforming.

Solutions: We undertook a complete overhaul of their systems, building from scratch a lightweight, high-speed trading system. We also incorporated improved strategies for market-making and hedging, tailoring different approaches to suit their specific needs and market conditions.

Results: With the updated systems and improved strategies, the client was able to significantly reduce their transaction costs and improve their trading speed. They are now able to fully utilize their connectivity to various FX venues and manage their risk more effectively. The new system also provides more accurate and useful analytics, enabling them to make better-informed trading decisions.

Testimonial: “SiS was instrumental in transforming our trading operations. They replaced our outdated systems with a high-speed trading platform that has significantly reduced our transaction costs and improved our trading speed. Their expertise in HFT and understanding of our specific needs enabled us to optimize our market-making and hedging strategies. We now have a more efficient and effective operation, thanks to SiS.” – CEO, South Florida-based HFT Startup

Client Background: Our client is a renowned investment bank based in NYC. They sought additional expertise to enhance their Risk Management Systems (RMS) and improve integration with their Order Management Systems (OMS) and Execution Management Systems (EMS).

Challenges: The client’s RMS, running under a microservice architecture, required new features and speed improvements. Due to the large volume of data used by their traders, the system was lagging and unable to report in real-time. Additionally, they needed to enhance the interaction between their RMS and their existing OMS and EMS.

Solutions: We provided a two-pronged solution to address the client’s challenges. First, we migrated some of their microservices to up-to-date technology, improving performance and maintenance. This change alone resulted in a budget saving of over 20% for the client.

Second, we refactored services to improve initial loading times and incorporated resilience techniques to ensure high availability. These changes significantly enhanced the system’s performance and reliability.

Results: With our interventions, the client was able to improve the overall performance of their RMS by 40%. The system now provides real-time reporting, interacts more efficiently with the OMS and EMS, and is more resilient and reliable.

Testimonial: “SiS played a crucial role in enhancing our Risk Management Systems. Their expertise in microservices and system architecture helped us achieve significant performance improvements and substantial cost savings. We were particularly impressed with their ability to understand our unique needs and deliver tailored solutions. Our RMS is now more efficient, reliable, and integrates seamlessly with our other systems, thanks to SiS.” – Managing Director Risk, NYC-based Investment Bank

Client Background: Our client is a Chicago-based group of quantitative proprietary trading firms specializing in global derivatives. They were seeking to build a low latency system to enhance their trading operations but faced challenges due to a lack of leadership and expertise in this area.

Challenges: The primary challenge was the lack of guidance and leadership in building their low latency system. Their engineers required expert advice to architect a system that could provide competitive advantages in terms of speed and reliability. Without the necessary guidance, they risked encountering future pitfalls and problems related to connectivity and latencies.

Solutions: We stepped in to provide the necessary leadership and guidance. We worked closely with their engineers, advising them on best practices for building low latency systems. Our expertise helped them avoid potential pitfalls and set them on the right track to achieving their goal of having a leading low latency system.

Results: With our guidance, the client was able to cut their development time by 60%. This not only accelerated their time to market but also ensured that their system was built to the highest standards of performance and reliability.

Testimonial: “Working with SiS was a game-changer for our firm. Their expertise in low latency systems was invaluable. They provided the guidance and leadership our engineers needed to build a top-tier trading system. With their help, we were able to cut our development time by 60%, a significant achievement that has given us a competitive edge in the market. We view SiS not just as a service provider, but as a strategic partner in our ongoing success.” – Senior Executive, Chicago-based Quantitative Proprietary Trading Firm