Startups
ABOUT US
Founded in 2002 by former CME floor traders, Allston Trading is one of the world's leading electronic trading and market-making firms, providing liquidity in global energy, commodity and financial futures markets. Allston is owned by its current and former employees, retired founders, and long-term institutional backers Sequoia Capital and Francisco Partners. We are proud of our track record through multiple macro-economic cycles and an ever-evolving landscape of technology, regulation and market structure. We have attracted and retained many of the industry's best and brightest trading, analytical and technology professionals.
Mission
Advancing Markets. Enriching Lives.
Vision
To become the industry leading market-making firm by creating an environment where innovative and collaborative professionals thrive.
OUR CORE COMPETENCIES
Breadth of Market-Making Capabilities
Market makers stand ready to buy and sell a particular product. We play a critical role in keeping financial markets running efficiently by accepting risk in order to provide liquidity to market participants. As a result, liquidity risk is reduced, allowing participants to enter and exit the market more quickly and cost-efficiently, whether their objective is to manage risk or take a position in a particular asset class.
Allston makes markets across a wide range of asset classes (interest rates, energy and agricultural commodities) and instruments (futures, options, outrights, spreads and more complex products). We provide liquidity through multiple channels such as electronic exchanges and call-around markets.
Proprietary Technology
Allston invests significant R&D capital in its proprietary technology to support its market-making and risk management across multiple asset classes. Moreover, the firm has made a substantial further investment in the development of a sophisticated quantitative trading research platform.
Financial Discipline
Allston is committed to financial discipline through maintaining a conservative balance sheet, emphasizing return on capital across business lines, and retaining profits to fund growth.
Corporate Governance and Compliance
Allston observes the highest level of compliance and corporate governance. We accomplish this thanks to the leadership of our highly qualified management team and our Board of Managers, which includes independent member Jill Sommers, a former Commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Allston invests in comprehensive surveillance tools and follows industry best practices.
Risk Management
Allston creates value through effective risk management. Our risk management protocols include rigorous internal controls, limits and scenario analysis.
Corporate Culture
Headquartered in Chicago, we also have offices in New York, Houston and London.
Allston is composed of a tightly knit group of talented people united by the common goal of advancing our knowledge of trading and technology. We're serious about our values of Trust, Community, Collaboration, Candor and Accountability. Allston maintains a flat organizational structure and the entrepreneurial spirit by which we were founded. As a result, employees enjoy a rewarding, fun, challenging and collaborative work environment.
MEET OUR TEAM
Raj Mahajan Raj Mahajan joined Allston in 2012 as our Chief Executive Officer. He previously served as the president of the $600 million global trading segment of SunGard Data Systems. He joined SunGard when it acquired Kiodex, Inc., a commodity trading and risk management technology company he co-founded in 2000. Mr. Mahajan began his career at the J. Aron division of Goldman Sachs. Mr. Mahajan earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley. He was awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship, earning a Master of Public Affairs degree at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He serves on the executive committee of the FIA Principal Traders Group (FIA PTG) and as an appointed member of the CFTC's Global Markets Advisory Committee.
Carlton Jones joined Allston as 2003 and has served as our Chairman and President since 2012. From 2011 to 2012, he was our Chief Executive Officer, prior to which he was a trader at Allston. Before joining Allston, Mr. Jones worked at Nortel Networks, where he provided telco switch and access node support. Prior to joining Nortel Networks, Mr. Jones was a network engineer at Norfolk Southern, where he implemented operations and infrastructure nationally. Mr. Jones earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Morehouse College.
Nancy Laethem Stern joined Allston in 2013 as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Prior to joining Allston, Ms. Stern was a Partner of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP for seven years, where her practice focused on mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. She previously was with Gardner, Carton and Douglas LLP (now Drinker, Biddle & Reath LLP) for 10 years, where she was a Partner and Vice-Chair of the Corporate and Securities Practice Group. Ms. Stern served as law clerk to the Honorable Robert H. Cleland, United States District Judge, from 1994 to 1996. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, with distinction, and a Juris Doctor degree, both from the University of Michigan.
Kevin Devlin joined Allston in 2006 and serves as our Chief Financial Officer, prior to which he served in various roles including Head of Business Development and Head of the London Office. Prior to joining Allston, Mr. Devlin worked for Goldman Sachs in its equity and fixed income division in various business management and operational roles. Mr. Devlin began his career working for the Chicago Board Options Exchange in its regulatory division, with responsibility for financial supervision of the exchange's member firms. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his MBA from DePaul University.
Steve Lazzo joined Allston in 2013 as our Chief Technology Officer. He has over twenty years of technology leadership experience in the financial sector. Prior to joining Allston, Mr. Lazzo was the Director of High Frequency Information Technology at Citadel LLC. He has also held technology leadership roles at UBS and Cap Gemini. Mr. Lazzo earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Illinois in Champaign and a Master of Science in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
Founded in 2002 by former CME floor traders, Allston Trading is one of the world's leading electronic trading and market-making firms, providing liquidity in global energy, commodity and financial futures markets. Allston is owned by its current and former employees, retired founders, and long-term institutional backers Sequoia Capital and Francisco Partners. We are proud of our track record through multiple macro-economic cycles and an ever-evolving landscape of technology, regulation and market structure. We have attracted and retained many of the industry's best and brightest trading, analytical and technology professionals.
Mission
Advancing Markets. Enriching Lives.
Vision
To become the industry leading market-making firm by creating an environment where innovative and collaborative professionals thrive.
OUR CORE COMPETENCIES
Breadth of Market-Making Capabilities
Market makers stand ready to buy and sell a particular product. We play a critical role in keeping financial markets running efficiently by accepting risk in order to provide liquidity to market participants. As a result, liquidity risk is reduced, allowing participants to enter and exit the market more quickly and cost-efficiently, whether their objective is to manage risk or take a position in a particular asset class.
Allston makes markets across a wide range of asset classes (interest rates, energy and agricultural commodities) and instruments (futures, options, outrights, spreads and more complex products). We provide liquidity through multiple channels such as electronic exchanges and call-around markets.
Proprietary Technology
Allston invests significant R&D capital in its proprietary technology to support its market-making and risk management across multiple asset classes. Moreover, the firm has made a substantial further investment in the development of a sophisticated quantitative trading research platform.
Financial Discipline
Allston is committed to financial discipline through maintaining a conservative balance sheet, emphasizing return on capital across business lines, and retaining profits to fund growth.
Corporate Governance and Compliance
Allston observes the highest level of compliance and corporate governance. We accomplish this thanks to the leadership of our highly qualified management team and our Board of Managers, which includes independent member Jill Sommers, a former Commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Allston invests in comprehensive surveillance tools and follows industry best practices.
Risk Management
Allston creates value through effective risk management. Our risk management protocols include rigorous internal controls, limits and scenario analysis.
Corporate Culture
Headquartered in Chicago, we also have offices in New York, Houston and London.
Allston is composed of a tightly knit group of talented people united by the common goal of advancing our knowledge of trading and technology. We're serious about our values of Trust, Community, Collaboration, Candor and Accountability. Allston maintains a flat organizational structure and the entrepreneurial spirit by which we were founded. As a result, employees enjoy a rewarding, fun, challenging and collaborative work environment.
MEET OUR TEAM
Raj Mahajan Raj Mahajan joined Allston in 2012 as our Chief Executive Officer. He previously served as the president of the $600 million global trading segment of SunGard Data Systems. He joined SunGard when it acquired Kiodex, Inc., a commodity trading and risk management technology company he co-founded in 2000. Mr. Mahajan began his career at the J. Aron division of Goldman Sachs. Mr. Mahajan earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley. He was awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship, earning a Master of Public Affairs degree at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He serves on the executive committee of the FIA Principal Traders Group (FIA PTG) and as an appointed member of the CFTC's Global Markets Advisory Committee.
Carlton Jones joined Allston as 2003 and has served as our Chairman and President since 2012. From 2011 to 2012, he was our Chief Executive Officer, prior to which he was a trader at Allston. Before joining Allston, Mr. Jones worked at Nortel Networks, where he provided telco switch and access node support. Prior to joining Nortel Networks, Mr. Jones was a network engineer at Norfolk Southern, where he implemented operations and infrastructure nationally. Mr. Jones earned a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Morehouse College.
Nancy Laethem Stern joined Allston in 2013 as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary. Prior to joining Allston, Ms. Stern was a Partner of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP for seven years, where her practice focused on mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance. She previously was with Gardner, Carton and Douglas LLP (now Drinker, Biddle & Reath LLP) for 10 years, where she was a Partner and Vice-Chair of the Corporate and Securities Practice Group. Ms. Stern served as law clerk to the Honorable Robert H. Cleland, United States District Judge, from 1994 to 1996. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics, with distinction, and a Juris Doctor degree, both from the University of Michigan.
Kevin Devlin joined Allston in 2006 and serves as our Chief Financial Officer, prior to which he served in various roles including Head of Business Development and Head of the London Office. Prior to joining Allston, Mr. Devlin worked for Goldman Sachs in its equity and fixed income division in various business management and operational roles. Mr. Devlin began his career working for the Chicago Board Options Exchange in its regulatory division, with responsibility for financial supervision of the exchange's member firms. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his MBA from DePaul University.
Steve Lazzo joined Allston in 2013 as our Chief Technology Officer. He has over twenty years of technology leadership experience in the financial sector. Prior to joining Allston, Mr. Lazzo was the Director of High Frequency Information Technology at Citadel LLC. He has also held technology leadership roles at UBS and Cap Gemini. Mr. Lazzo earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Illinois in Champaign and a Master of Science in Computer Science from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
Overview
Location
United States, Illinois, Chicago
Phone
+1 312-663-7111