Member Spotlight | Schonfeld

Business: Preeminent global investment manager that delivers superior risk-adjusted returns over the long term.

Founded: 1988

HQ: New York

Employees: 900+

Website: Schonfeld.com

 

New York-based global investment manager Schonfeld is doubling down on South Florida, with a particular focus on our region’s strong supply of talent and rapidly-growing tech ecosystem.

The company landed in Miami last year and now has around 60 South Florida-based employees.

Marc Helfman, Schonfeld’s Head of Cybersecurity, is one of the many employees that moved to South Florida to spearhead the investment manager’s growing presence in the area.

“When we decided to open an office in Wynwood, we knew that it was going to be a long-term play,” Helfman told South Florida Tech Hub. 

The company is committed to building its talent pipeline over time. Talent is at the core of everything Schonfeld does. It’s even in their tagline, “talent is our strategy.” 

To this end, Schonfeld has built relationships with local universities and colleges to provide opportunities to their students. Helfman noted that 40% of his 11-person team started with Schonfeld as interns. 

“We’ve found some really good talent by nurturing them through the internship and then hiring them six to 12 months later,” he said. “We help them grow their careers and make sure that they have a clear idea of their career path. Now we’re starting to do that in Miami.” 

Helfman added that Schonfeld also actively works to recruit and relocate talent to Miami. While the prospect of living in South Florida is tempting to many, Helfman acknowledged it can sometimes be an uphill battle due to our region’s high cost of living.

On a personal level, Helfman was enticed by South Florida’s weather and the opportunity to enjoy a more relaxed lifestyle than fast-paced New York. 

“I wanted to be part of the tech movement that is happening down here,” he said. While Miami’s growing crypto scene tends to get a lot of media attention, Helfman noted that many major players in the hedge fund world are also establishing their presence in South Florida. “I felt like for my career, it would be really exciting to be part of that. I looked at this as a challenge that I hadn’t had before.”

Schonfeld is increasingly active in our local tech scene. For instance, they were the presenting sponsor of the 2022 edition of SoFlo DevCon. And Helfman sits on Miami-Dade College’s cybersecurity advisory board.

Helfman is passionate about the rapidly-changing world of cybersecurity. A tech industry veteran with 17 years of cybersecurity experience under his belt, he is a major advocate for companies to prioritize their cybersecurity initiatives. 

“Now cybersecurity is mainstream,” he said. “Even within the last five years there has been tremendous change, with major hacks being covered in the news.” 

Helfman underscored the importance of having cybersecurity conscious executives like he has at Schonfeld. “It’s critical that cybersecurity professionals are represented and supported by senior management.”

Want to learn more about Schonfeld? Check out our interview with Chief Technology Officer David Neigler from earlier this year.