Singapore Trader Builds Mini Pod Shop to Attract Independent Talent
Kelvin Chiu, a former commodities trader at Goldman Sachs and Vitol Group, has transformed his family office into a mini pod shop in Singapore. He assembles a team of traders running different strategies, aiming to attract those who don't fit into traditional hedge funds or multi-strategy firms.
Chiu's solution to the limitations of passive investing was to spread his capital and learn from his traders through a multi-strategy model. This approach has allowed him to generate a 78% compound annual growth rate over seven years, despite market fluctuations.
The pod shop model is gaining popularity, even among those who made their fortunes in one asset class. Chiu's firm, SilverCape Investments, now has six trading pods alongside his own commodities book. One of the most successful pods is a Japanese activist investing team that managed over US$200 million in assets at the end of August.
Chiu's methods for finding talent include scouring social media and Substack to identify traders who don't fit elsewhere. He has also hired Clement Ang, a portfolio manager with 17,800 followers on X, who learned some of his techniques from live streaming site Twitch.