Chad Kagen has a decade of experience in entrepreneurship, finance, and management.
About Chad Kagen
Based out of Washington, D.C., Chad Kagen is a principal founder and businessman who has amassed over a decade of experience in entrepreneurship, finance, and management. To date, he has been a principal founder and co-founded multiple, highly successful companies, including a first-of-its-kind ultra-high frequency technology trading firm and an options-based hedge fund. Chad has been a forerunner in developing and sponsoring diverse projects nationwide and has subsequently grown an extensive network of influential connections that have turned into clients and followers of his investment endeavors.
For Chad Kagen, the exhilaration of entrepreneurship lies in the challenges it presents. He loves being able to find ingenious solutions to problems that few people have ever faced before. However, the real allure of the industry is that it affords Chad a way to give back to people. He believes that “If you’re moderately successful, you can make something of your life. If you’re really successful, you’ll make something of someone else’s.”
It is that philosophy that has led Chad to follow many of his stellar investment visions. He considers the industry somewhat broken, as those who pursue venture capital are turned down countless times after participating in just as many interviews. As an entrepreneur himself, he seeks to rebuild the industry and offer brilliant, rising entrepreneurs the opportunity to create the businesses of their dreams.
In the hopes of fixing a broken system, Chad is currently building three distinct companies that will help fill investment gaps across multiple industries and revolutionize the investment process. The companies include a tech platform focused on venture capital, private equity, and finance, a platform solely focused on real estate financing, and a platform specializing in transmedia financing in the entertainment sector.
Early Career
Chad Kagen began his career as a financial analyst for mergers and acquisitions at Blackstone Group in New York City. However, when an intriguing opportunity arose to enter into the world of investment, he left his career in corporate America and never turned back. Years later, he has had his hand in many of the decade’s most game-changing companies and projects, including:
- Obsidian Capital Group, a technology-driven quantitative management firm with a proprietary trading group headquartered inside the Chicago Board of Trade. The company actively traded short, medium, and long-term strategies in multiple asset classes, including equities, commodity futures, interest rates, and energies. Their algorithms were tried and tested, some of which were based on data that originated in the 1700s;
- Vertu Equity, a registered Commodity Trading Advisor and Commodity Pool Operator, specialized in automated trading systems and multi-black box execution. The company was focused on technology—specifically algorithmic and high-frequency trading strategies. Vertu made significant investments in high-speed trading technology and infrastructure;
- Magic Worx Partners, a media finance and advisory company focused on film, television, publishing and music. Revolutionary, the company provided a one-stop shop for sales agents, content creators, producers, and studios who were seeking financing solutions and investment partners. In an internet-driven world, Magic Worx offered a gateway to filming projects—not only with savvy film financiers, but with the general public.
- Kagan Interests, a diverse investment management company which specialized in diverse business sectors with a focus in financial derivatives, class A commercial real estate, information technology, entertainment, and green technology.
Recent Projects
Most recently, Chad has been consulting on the development of a multi-family real estate project that merges living with state-of-the-art healthcare for affluent seniors. He has served on the Workforce Housing Committee of the Washington District Council and has volunteered for the Urban Plan program in New York City.
Chad Kagen is also a member of the Urban Land Institute, a position he’s held since 2000, and has been published in Urban Land Magazine. His company, Hyperion Development, was previously working on a cutting-edge renovation of a Philadelphia Landmark—The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News Building—and the construction of the world’s largest fully automated parking garage, featuring 30 lifts for 4,000 vehicles. The plan and proposal was nothing short of breathtaking, promising to take one of the oldest, most beloved cities in the country into the new era.
Though the deal did not come to fruition, the plans promised an awe-inspiring refurbishment of the property, transforming it into a solar-powered, certified LEED Platinum energy building surrounded by upscale restaurants and entertainment. In fact, the projects caught the attention of three private equity funds, as well as hedge funds in New York City and Asia, who offered Chad and Hyperion Development massive buyouts.
Outside of Work
Outside of his professional career, Chad is a dedicated philanthropist, passionate about healthy living and environmentalism. He has previously worked with the The Nature Conservancy, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, WildAid, Environmental Defense Fund, The Conservation Fund, Earthworks, SPCA International, the Human Rights Foundation, 350.org, American Humane, American Red Cross, Scholarship America, World Resources Institute, ACLU, Government Accountability Program, The Alzheimer’s Association, Institute of Higher Education Policy, Habitat for Humanity International Entertainment Industry Foundation, Helen Keller International, Museum of Modern Art, American Cancer Society, Smithsonian Institution, various arts and humanities charities, among others. Chad Kagen holds a B.S. in Finance and a B.A. in International Business, as well as an M.S. in Economics, an M.S. in Decision Sciences, and is on his way to obtaining his Ph.D. in Business.
