The pianist who kick-started a hedge fund
mainLarry Richards studied music at the University of North Texas and went to Japan to research pre-1939 jazz history and play gigs. ‘I realised where I was in the pyramid, and if I were to pursue a career as a performer, I would be doing Bar Mitzvahs and weddings for $100 a night for the rest of my life,’ he told Bloomberg.
So Larry took an online course on equity derivatives, set up a trading software company and sold it a couple of months ago to Gammon Capital, staying on as chief technology officer. He still lives in Japan.
Lesson here, somewhere?
Well, he didn’t start a hedge fund. He started a software company and sold that to a hedge fund where he is now CTO.
How to make a small fortune: invest a large one in a hedge fund.
I remember someone once saying that “musician” isn’t something you decide to become, but something you find out you are.
Since people evolve in many areas of their lives over time, there’s no reason someone couldn’t come to find out that they’re not actually a musician.
I did; very early on.