The 2015 Tech 50: Sebastián Ceria

The Axioma CEO jumps to No. 43 on this year’s Tech 50 ranking.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-sebastian-ceria-small.jpg

< The 2015 Tech 50: Racers to the Edge

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-sebastian-ceria.jpg

43
Sebastián Ceria
Chief Executive Officer
Axioma
Last year: 47

Corporations consuming technology services are not the only ones benefiting from the cost, capacity and flexibility benefits of cloud computing. It is also a boon to developers and suppliers of quantitative software like Axioma. CEO Sebastián Ceria says it is an essential example of “technological modernity,” without which his New York–based portfolio systems and analytics shop would be having a very hard time satisfying its global customer base of 200 financial institutions, including 12 of the top 20 asset managers. “The cloud is a gigantic data center for which we don’t pay fixed costs,” explains Ceria, a Carnegie Mellon University Ph.D. in operations research who started Axioma in 1998 as a mathematical modeling consulting firm and in 2001 veered into software vending, specializing in portfolio optimization. Five years later Axioma moved into the risk management systems market, and by relying on new-generation technological advances — automated programming and data management tools, as well as the highly scalable cloud — it could more readily invest in the intellectual property, organizational agility and client focus that Ceria believes define Axioma’s competitive and innovative edge. “We had the advantage of coming into the market later,” the 50-year-old admits. Incumbent rivals in the risk software business, in common with many banks, were “stuck with ten- to 15-year-old systems and couldn’t change fast enough,” he says. “That creates opportunities for companies like ours.” Privately held Axioma’s top-line revenue is growing 20 percent annually, Ceria says, and its employee count, now 140, is increasing at an even faster clip.

See the full story, “The 2015 Tech 50: Racers to the Edge.”


The 2015 Tech 50

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-jeffrey-sprecher-thumb.png

1. Jeffrey Sprecher
Intercontinental Exchange

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-catherine-bessant-thumb.png

2. Catherine Bessant
Bank of America Corp.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-phupinder-gill-thumb.png

3. Phupinder Gill
CME Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-lance-uggla-thumb.png

4. Lance Uggla
Markit

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-robert-goldstein-thumb.png

5. Robert Goldstein
BlackRock

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-shawn-edwards-vlad-kliatschk-thumb.png

6. Shawn Edwards &
Vlad Kliatchko
Bloomberg

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-martin-chavez-thumb.png

7. R. Martin Chavez
Goldman Sachs Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-deborah-hopkins-thumb.png

8. Deborah Hopkins
Citi Ventures

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-stephen-neff-thumb.png

9. Stephen Neff
Fidelity Investments

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-adena-friedman-thumb.png

10. Adena Friedman
Nasdaq OMX Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-david-craig-thumb.png

11. David Craig
Thomson Reuters

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-daniel-coleman-thumb.png

12. Daniel Coleman
KCG Holdings

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-michael-spencer-thumb.png

13. Michael Spencer
ICAP

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-michael-bodson-thumb.png

14. Michael Bodson
Depository Trust & Clearing Corp.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-charles-li-thumb.png

15. Charles Li
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-chris-concannon-thumb.png

16. Chris Concannon
BATS Global Markets

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-christopher-perretta-thumb.png

17. Christopher Perretta
State Street Corp.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-antoine-shagoury-thumb.png

18. Antoine Shagoury
London Stock Exchange Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-kevin-rhein-thumb.png

19. Kevin Rhein
Wells Fargo & Co.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-neil-katz-thumb.png

20. Neil Katz
D.E. Shaw & Co.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-lee-olesky-thumb.png

21. Lee Olesky
Tradeweb Markets

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-richard-mcvey-thumb.png

22. Richard McVey
MarketAxess Holdings

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-seth-merrin-thumb.png

23. Seth Merrin
Liquidnet Holdings

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-robert-alexander-thumb.png

24. Robert Alexander
Capital One Financial Corp.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-frank-bisignano-thumb.png

25. Frank Bisignano
First Data Corp.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-john-marcante-thumb.png

26. John Marcante
Vanguard Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-joe-squeri-thumb.png

27. Joseph Squeri
Citadel

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-lou-eccleston-thumb.png

28. Lou Eccleston
TMX Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-claude-honegger-thumb.png

29. Claude Honegger
Credit Suisse

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-chris-corrado-thumb.png

30. Chris Corrado
MSCI

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-david-gledhill-thumb.png

31. David Gledhill
DBS Bank

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-john-bates-thumb.png

32. John Bates
Software AG

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-michael-cooper-thumb.png

33. Michael Cooper
BT Radianz

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-gary-scholten-thumb.png

34. Gary Scholten
Principal Financial Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-sunil-hirani-thumb.png

35. Sunil Hirani
trueEX Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-hauke-stars-thumb.png

36. Hauke Stars
Deutsche BÖrse

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-brian-conlon-thumb.png

37. Brian Conlon
First Derivatives

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-jim-minnick-thumb.png

38. Jim Minnick
eVestment

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-lars-seier-christensen-kim-fournais-thumb.png

39. Lars Seier Christensen & Kim Fournais

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-tyler-kim-thumb.png

40. Tyler Kim
MaplesFS

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-jim-mcguire-thumb.png

41. Jim McGuire
Charles Schwab Corp.

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-steven-ohanlon-thumb.png

42. Steven O’Hanlon
Numerix

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-sebastian-ceria-thumb.png

43. Sebastián Ceria
Axioma

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-yasuki-okai-thumb.png

44. Yasuki Okai
NRI Holdings America

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-stephane-dubois1-thumb.png

45. Stephane Dubois
Xignite

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-mazy-dar-thumb.png

46. Mazy Dar
OpenFin

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-brian-sentance-thumb.png

47. Brian Sentance
Xenomorph Software

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-mas-nakachi-thumb.png

48. Mas Nakachi
OpenGamma

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-john-lehner-thumb.png

49. John Lehner
BNY Mellon Technology Solutions Group

2015-07-jeffrey-kutler-tech-50-jock-percy-thumb.png

50. Jock Percy
Perseus


Related