Who’s Sultan Meghji?
The Man Behind the Name
Sultan Meghji's story is made of diverse heritage and intellectual expertise. With ancestral roots stretching from Scotland to Tanzania, Sultan's life has been a blend of contrasting cultures.
Due to his father’s career, one of the first genetic engineers in the US, Sultan grew up in an academic environment at the University of Illinois, where he was exposed to the dawn of genetic engineering and the use of computers in molecular biology during the 1970s.
From the National Science Foundation Grant to the NYSE
Back in 1992, Sultan (still a teenager!) made his early steps in artificial intelligence by developing a lip-reading supercomputer, funded by a National Science Foundation grant.
But this project was just the start.
In fact, it laid the foundation for Sultan’s extensive involvement in international security and AI in the 1990s, leading him to significant roles in modernizing financial systems, including contributions to the New York Stock Exchange's evolution.
And I was lucky enough to work on the kind of the modernization of the New York Stock Exchange - opening up the internet-based trading, getting rid of the old mainframe systems, moving to modern protocols, moving to a place where, you know, we could, in essence, have high volume frequency traders, high volume transaction processing systems, and where we could work in a productive way with the regulatory community.
Sultan’s work extended to regulatory collaboration with the SEC and, later, to critical infrastructure development post-9/11.
Since then, Sultan engaged in corporate activities and has been a college professor of quantitative finance and computer science.
Welcome to the world of start-ups
Considering Sultan’s personality and background, it was only a matter of time until the world of startups got his heart.
He founded several startups in various fields like cloud computing, biotech, and fintech.
More recently, he served as the Chief Innovation Officer at the FDIC and is currently building a financial technology company, Frontier Foundry.
Discovering and Integrating OpenBB
Sultan was introduced to OpenBB by a colleague, and he quickly recognized our value.
He initially used OpenBB as a digital whiteboard since we provided the perfect digital platform for him to scribble his ideas and analyses, eventually becoming an integral part of his toolkit.
As he explored further, he found that OpenBB's SDK (now rebranded as the OpenBB Platform) aligned perfectly with his needs, providing a centralized resource for data that was previously managed manually across 140 different sources. That means that by choosing OpenBB, he was able to discard manual data management processes, significantly enhancing efficiency and streamlining operations.
I was sitting on the Acela between New York and DC the other day and was using it OpenBB Terminal to do an analysis, and I didn't have my privacy screen on my laptop, which, you know, bad on me… But the guy sitting next to me was like “What are you using?”. He was retired, but he used to have a Bloomberg Terminal 10/15 years ago. And I was explaining what it was and I was playing around with some of the more interesting analytics and he was like “My God, I would have killed to have this 10 years ago.”
In a nutshell, Sultan emphasized our platform's role as both a personal analytical tool and a comprehensive data source, which has immensely simplified his work process.
The Future of AI in Finance
Sultan envisions a future where AI will radically transform financial services. He foresees a significant shift towards automation, reducing the human workforce in back offices and enhancing critical thinking processes in front offices.
His company, Frontier Foundry, is at the forefront of this revolution, aiming to simplify complex financial processes and make them more accessible.
Sultan's ultimate goal is to leverage technology like OpenBB to reduce friction and legacy issues in financial systems. He aims to help build more efficient, innovative financial services that are accessible and valuable in our rapidly evolving digital age.
A Call to Action for the Financial Community
During this interview, Sultan emphasized the advantages of OpenBB, encouraging those in capital markets to embrace our platform for its advanced AI capabilities.
He particularly highlighted the benefits for hedge funds and financial firms, offering them a competitive edge with a smaller investment compared to traditional methods.
Final Thoughts
Sultan Meghji's journey is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary knowledge and the impact of technology in reshaping industries. His story is a testament to innovators and professionals in finance and technology, illustrating the potential of platforms like OpenBB in driving efficiency and transformation.
You can watch the full conversation between Sultan and our CEO Didier Lopes here:
Those looking to go deeper into Sultan’s work or seeking collaboration can reach him through his LinkedIn or Twitter.
As Sultan aptly puts it, “If you’re using OpenBB, you’re probably already positioned for success”.
So why would you wait any longer?
Join the OpenBB Hub and explore all we have to offer - from the OpenBB Terminal and the Bot to the recently released OpenBB Platform and Terminal Pro.
Join us. We know you won’t regret it.