Dr. Anna Becker is the founder and lead financial and quantitative mind behind EndoTech. She leads the AI/ML teams at EndoTech with her deep-learning algorithms. She has managed nearly Billion dollars of investment (AuM) and her AI investment strategies have been deployed in managing institutional monies for more than a decade. She has a doctorate in AI from the Technion Institute and has founded and sold several AI companies in the FinTech space including Strategy Runner.
Dr. Anna Becker Interview
Interviewer: Dr. Anna Becker, you’re a recognized leader in the field of AI and algorithms, serving as the CEO and Co-founder of Endotech. Can you tell us more about your journey and how you arrived at your current role?
Dr. Anna Becker: Certainly. My journey into the world of fintech took a rather unconventional path, particularly for a woman. It all began during my time in academia. In 1989, I stumbled upon the fascinating concepts of immortality and the potential of using computers to bring about positive changes in humanity. This inspired me. At the age of twenty-one, I managed to resolve an NP-complete approximation algorithm that had remained unsolved for over two decades. Later on, I earned my Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from Technion University, and my work on an approximation technique with a factor of two has since found applications in operating systems, database systems, and VLSI chip design.
A few years down the road, while working as the algo class director for the Gilboa Fund, I adapted advanced modeling and algorithmic trading to optimize returns for over 50 successful hedge funds. My expertise lies at the intersection of AI and finance; I co-authored a book at the age of twenty-six and have been a prolific author in this field.
My journey was also shaped by my experience as an immigrant, which prepared me for the challenges of entrepreneurship. Starting my own company has been about forging my unique path, embracing a distinctive vision, and leading a team toward a common goal. It’s worth noting that women often don’t see themselves as leaders, while men sometimes assume they possess leadership skills with little evidence to support that claim.
As a single mother, I’m well acquainted with leading through complex situations. This background served me well when I founded Endotech, with a mission to make quantitative trading more accessible while applying my knowledge to mitigate risks in high-volatility markets. Our funds are a culmination of over two decades of pioneering AI work and learning in volatile financial markets.
Interviewer: Your work revolves around trading and risk mitigation. Can you shed some light on how these two areas intersect and complement each other in your approach?
Dr. Anna Becker: Risk mitigation is a pivotal component of our strategy, transforming market volatility into opportunities, and it’s all based on mathematical principles and artificial intelligence. We’ve built a comprehensive risk management framework encompassing six different risk factors, from market to trade risk. Multiple levels of risk management safeguards, including market, liquidity, system, and execution risk, are incorporated into our approach. This approach grants our fund a risk-adjusted advantage. We’ve even established dedicated risk managers and trade oversight teams to ensure our protocols and technologies are functioning as intended.
Interviewer: Endotech clearly has a unique approach. What sets your company apart from its competitors, and how have you harnessed this advantage?
Dr. Anna Becker: Endotech harnesses a suite of advanced technologies to identify and capitalize on market movements. I lead a team of over 30 mathematical developers who’ve crafted a system of AI projects utilizing a multidimensional ‘market states’ approach. This artificial intelligence optimizes local capabilities, such as dynamic resistance/support and market momentum assessment, all contextualized through a ‘market states’ model that establishes relative priorities and risks.
Interviewer: As a woman making her mark in the investing space, what has your experience been like, and how can the industry encourage more women to join and succeed?
Dr. Anna Becker: The stereotype of aggressive men dominating the financial sector persists, but it’s high time we challenge this narrative. There are numerous talented individuals, including women, driving change in this industry. To encourage more women to enter and succeed in fintech, we must tell and continue telling the stories of successful women. This will inspire the next generation and help dispel these stereotypes.
Interviewer: What’s your perspective on the current landscape and the role of AI in fintech?
Dr. Anna Becker: While we’ve witnessed significant AI advancements in various fields, fintech has yet to fully harness its potential. Our current success with quant strategies is just the tip of the iceberg. AI in finance requires dissecting complex components for more accurate predictions.
Interviewer: If you could offer advice to your younger self, what would you say and why?
Dr. Anna Becker: Looking back, I realize I was incredibly driven and pushed myself very hard from a young age. I had this notion that more commitment would solve everything, but it led to more mistakes than I’d like to admit. My advice to my younger self would be to seek mentors who can guide you. Learning from those who’ve been there can accelerate your growth and help you avoid unnecessary errors.
Interviewer: How can the finance industry attract more women, and what changes are necessary to improve gender balance?
Dr. Anna Becker: Women bring a unique set of skills to the table. They possess social savvy and technical expertise. However, women often don’t see fintech as a viable option, staying confined to programming if they are in tech. Quant trading is sometimes perceived as overly opportunistic, aggressive, and akin to gambling, but this is not always the case. To improve gender balance, we need to reshape the narrative of finance, which has historically been male-dominated. It’s time to showcase more women leading innovation.
Interviewer: What’s on the horizon for you and the EndoTech team in the coming year?
Dr. Anna Becker: We’re tirelessly working on breakthroughs in fintech, AI, and quant trading, similar to what we’ve seen in other industries. While we’ve made strides, our goal now is to make them substantial and robust enough to scale up. Just as ChatGPT has shown the potential for accelerated learning, we’re striving to apply a similar model to finance and quant funds.
