Скачать или смотреть Trading, Family & AI: Robert Blackwell, Jr. Builds His Own Playbook - From Chicago Pits to Quant16

ELMHURST, IL - (JLN) - May 9, 2025 - Not everyone gets to build a company with their childhood hero, but Robert Blackwell, Jr., chairman of Quant16, did just that. “My father worked at IBM for 25 years and was the world’s best sales guy - people just loved him,” Blackwell said. “I didn’t get any of that. I’m more mathematical.” The two joined forces after IBM offered early retirement, but generational differences led Blackwell to bow out politely. “Arguing with my father wasn’t like arguing in a trading session. You have to respect your father, so I left.”

Never one to stand still, Blackwell spotted an opportunity on the South Side of Chicago. He launched Urban Fishing Development and transformed a neglected neighborhood by building homes modeled after the classics of Hyde Park and Lincoln Park. “If I could solve both emotional and financial problems for people my age, I could change the course of the neighborhood,” he recalled.

Despite hating construction, Blackwell’s analytical bent was undimmed. “I wrote a paper in 1992 on electronic knowledge interchange - how algorithms could categorize knowledge. That evolved into my tech ventures.” His latest: Quant16, a firm translating quantitative hedge fund math and mindset into monetizable AI for industry and government. “We use the mindset, math, and methods of quantitative hedge funds...applying it to find financial opportunities for clients,” he said.

Blackwell is skeptical of the AI hype dominating business circles. “What people call artificial intelligence is really just pattern recognition based on content. That’s why it’s useless for trading,” he argued. Instead, he sees the future in the fusion of scientific thinking and algorithmic precision: “Markets move toward efficiency, systems toward similarity, and people toward incentives. Most things are predictable - not perfectly, but close.”

His philosophy, built on lessons from family, trading pits, and hard-won entrepreneurial battles, remains as sharp as ever. “It’s not about generative AI replacing people,” Blackwell said. “It’s about harnessing quantitative insights and real incentives to create value - everywhere, for everyone.”


QUESTIONS
What did you do next?
What was your technology company?
What are your thoughts on the current project to streamline the government?
How would you apply AI to the markets?
00:00:00 - Introduction and Early Career
00:02:00 - Starting a Real Estate Company
00:03:22 - Return to Technology
00:04:39 - Thoughts on Streamlining the Government
00:06:40 - Applying AI to Markets