Akshay Padmanabha started and heads Quantamental Investing and Trading at Tower Research Capital. His team focuses on investing in a variety of asset classes and derivatives at the intersection of quantitative analysis (e.g., statistical modeling, data analysis) and fundamental research (e.g., economic, sector, and company-specific research). Prior to Tower Research Capital, Akshay was one of the first members of a quantamental effort at Citadel, which he helped build and grow into a successful and prominent business to this day.

Akshay is also an investor, judge, and advisor at MassChallenge, a global startup accelerator focused on high-impact, early-stage entrepreneurs. Prior to his career as an investor, Akshay was as an early member of a startup incubator, eventually selling to Zynga where he reported directly to the CEO. He was responsible for creating one of the first apps for Facebook Messenger, which reached 3M+ users at its peak. Akshay uses this past experience to better advise startups from entrepreneurial, deal, and investing angles.

Akshay received both his M.Eng. and B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, with top honors from the Department as well as from the School of Engineering.