The five-year goal of CQA is to become a world leader in the application of machine learning and big data in select areas of finance. Currently our focus is on long and short equity portfolios. Although we anticipate competition, it will be limited during the next few years, thereby allowing us room for rapid growth. (1) Because Big data is by definition massive, diverse, complex and generated on multiple time scales, and because machine learning encompasses multiple approaches, the application of machine learning to big data covers a wide swath of activities. Consequently relatively few firms will be widely spread over a very board landscape. (2) Perhaps even more importantly, because the field is new, the number of trained and talented practitioners is necessarily small, thereby limiting the opportunities for new ventures. Here, the founders of CQA have an almost unique advantage by being in a position to access the necessary talent.
