Straxen, a financial engineering firm that serves advisors, brokers, and investors, is bringing experts from across the money-management ecosystem to exchange big, impactful ideas. Founded by industry veteran Ron Piccinini, PhD, Straxen was created to help financial professionals maximize their returns on at-risk capital.

In February 2025, Straxen hosted a private three-day event in Puerto Rico to form a diverse network of finance, wealth management, technology, and AI experts. The event was designed to bring together a group of industry leaders who could identify key industry issues, educate the general finance public, and collaborate on innovative solutions.

Recognizing a pressing need in the industry for open dialogue and education along the entire trading path, from advisory to trading, clearing, and custody, Straxen developed its Summit event specifically for experts in their respective fields. The event served as a safe space to collaborate with open-minded professionals and engage in meaningful conversations, without the fear of offending a big sponsor. The Straxen Summit was created with these tenets, ensuring attendees had a worthwhile experience, seldom attainable at typical industry events.

“Straxen put on the best industry event I have attended. Most finance-related events are filled with fluff and lead to very surface-level connections. In stark contrast, our time was well-spent with a group filled with outstanding people,” said Sam Lawhon, Chief Investment Officer for Larson Financial Group. “I learned something new and interesting from every person at the event, making exceptional connections with some fantastic people. This group dynamic is compelling, and I am extremely excited about the next Straxen event.”

Eighteen founding experts participated in the first Straxen Summit. All attendees presented about a current challenge or area where they saw an urgent need for improvement. This led to lively, worry-free discussions about various issues and their potential solutions.

“The Straxen Summit was created to provide industry leaders with an opportunity to connect on a more personal level to learn, collaborate, and expand their understanding,” said Ron Piccinini, PhD, Founder of Straxen. “We had an incredibly diverse group of attendees, from tax experts to technologists, which led to valuable discussions about an array of important topics. Attendees took advantage of the small-group atmosphere to share information on a deeper level than is typically seen at conferences. This, combined with the one-on-one conversations, ensured everyone walked away from the event having gained important insights that will help them grow their businesses, and hopefully, for the betterment of the industry.”

“The 2025 Straxen Summit provided a unique opportunity to share ideas amongst practitioners from various disciplines in financial services,” said Michael Smith, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of 8sides. “The setting was informal, and the emphasis on collaboration spawned follow-up engagements with participants to drive financial services innovation forward.”

The Straxen Summit laid the groundwork for a more substantial effort to establish an online community for finance professionals, where they can collaborate, maintain momentum, and attract other like-minded individuals through a combination of online and in-person events. The Straxen Community, “The Exchange” is launching in 2025 and will bring together industry thought leaders and aspiring thought leaders to create engaging and valuable connections. This dynamic community is currently at its maximum membership. However, prospective members can join the waitlist. Visit www.straxen.com/community to learn more and to add your name to the list. Planning for the 2026 Straxen Summit is underway. Visit the website for more details and learn how to be considered for this event: https://www.straxen.com/straxensummitwaitlist.

“I recognized a huge need for this type of engagement within the financial community,” said Piccinini. “Our industry lacks the type of format many professionals are hungry for, where they can have frank, in-depth conversations with trusted colleagues while at the same time contributing to industry advancements and developing trends. Our online community will fill this void.”

About Straxen

Straxen innovates in the fields of quantitative risk algorithms, portfolio hedging, and portfolio optimization protocols. Straxen works with banks, broker-dealers, registered investment advisors (RIAs), portfolio managers, and the software providers who serve them.

For more information about Straxen, please visit www.straxen.com.

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Straxen, a financial engineering firm that serves advisors, brokers, and investors, is bringing experts from across the money-management ecosystem to exchange big, impactful ideas.