About Us

Built at the Intersection of Thematics, Machine Learning, and Indices.

Thesis brings together thematic index experience, machine-learning specialization, and institutional market expertise.

Founder & Executive

Benjamin Feder, CFA, CPA

Founder & CEO

Benjamin is the founder of Thesis Machine Learning. His primary experience comes from his work on the Kensho Thematic Indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices, where he led the global development of the thematic index platform using natural language processing to create indices licensed to investment products with over $4 billion in assets under management. He brings experience translating machine-learning techniques into transparent, governed index methodologies designed for licensing and use in publicly available investment products.

Our Team

Artem Ponomarev, PhD

Head of Machine Learning

Artem leads Thesis’s machine-learning research and infrastructure. His background spans production AI and data engineering, enterprise MLOps, quantitative finance, and institutional backtesting. He earned a PhD in Applied Physics from Columbia University and spent more than 15 years at NASA in computational science and technical leadership.

Ben Scheinberg

Fractional Head of DevOps

Ben brings a rigorous engineering approach to complex technical challenges, with experience spanning aerospace, robotics, and financial technology. He previously served as Senior Platform Engineer at Exyn Technologies and Design Engineer at Stellar Exploration, with earlier engineering experience at ICEYE and UTC Aerospace Systems. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University.

Advisory Board

Daniel Giambrone, CFA

Lead Strategic Advisor

Dan advises on business strategy, capital formation, and institutional positioning. He is Managing Partner of Red Shirt Ventures and a Lecturer in Finance at MIT Sloan. He previously covered wealth and investment management as an analyst at S&P Global.

Tom Brigandi, CFA

Commercial Advisor

Tom advises on institutional distribution and investor engagement. He is a Managing Director at RisCura Solutions USA, a former Chair of CFA Society New York, and brings deep relationships across the global allocator and investment-consultant community.

Reid Steadman

Index & ETF Industry Adviser

Reid advises on index product and distribution strategy. He serves as CEO of Bountiful Financial, an index publisher focused on religious and faith-based products. He previously served as Global Head of Innovative Index Product Management at S&P Dow Jones Indices.

John Osland

Strategic Adviser

John advises the Founder on strategic growth, corporate development, and commercialization. He is Chairman and Managing Partner of JNO Technology & Science Accelerator, which partners with founders building technology, institutional-fintech, and data-driven businesses. Previously, John co-founded and led Gravity Investments and Gravity Capital Partners, and brings decades of CEO, chairman, board, private-equity, and institutional-finance experience.

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Let’s discuss how Thesis can help turn your existing thematic lineup into a new source of growth.