Former Goldman Sachs Digital Assets Exec joins Talos as Head of Strategy

New York — April 7, 2021 —Talos, an end-to-end technology infrastructure provider that supports the institutional trading of digital assets, today announced the hire of Justin Schmidt as Head of Strategy.  

Schmidt comes to Talos from Goldman Sachs, where he served as Head of Digital Asset Markets since 2018. While there, he spearheaded the company’s crypto trading desk in global markets and overall digital asset strategy.

“I have known Justin for years and feel very lucky to have him part of the Talos team. Justin’s experience on the institutional side of digital assets combined with his background in capital markets could not have come at a more relevant time for our firm,” said Anton Katz, Talos’s co-founder and CEO. “We continue to see rapid growth of our business as a direct result of more institutions taking part in the digital assets ecosystem, and it is more important than ever to ensure that we deliver a complete suite of digital assets trading solutions to fund managers and the providers that service them. Justin’s addition to the Talos team exemplifies our commitment to enable larger institutions to participate meaningfully in the crypto asset class.”

As Head of Strategy, Schmidt will be responsible for developing, executing, and sustaining Talos’s strategic initiatives and managing business operations. In this role, he will also assist in recruiting talent and will drive the company’s growth internationally. The Talos platform, which has been live since early 2019 and was publicly announced last fall, has been steadily expanding both its capabilities and its user base, reflecting the rapid pace of institutional digital asset adoption across the globe. Talos’s extensive suite of solutions supports clients through the full crypto trading lifecycle, from price discovery to execution through clearing and settlement and across spot, futures and FX markets.

Schmidt comes to Talos with a 17-year track record in financial services that included serving as a senior vice president at an investment management firm and a quantitative equities portfolio manager for hedge funds in New York and London. Schmidt is a graduate of MIT with degrees in computer science, focusing on artificial intelligence and decentralized applications engineering.

“Global adoption of digital assets has continued into 2021. Traditional financial institutions are joining the fray in various capacities, including custody, markets, asset management, financing, and venture. I’m honored to join Anton, Ethan, and the entire Talos team and help build modern financial market infrastructure for digital assets. I will focus extensively on our clients, growth, and supporting the team as we continue to deliver institutional-grade operational excellence,” said Schmidt.

About Talos

Talos provides an institutional-grade technology infrastructure that supports the full lifecycle of digital assets trading, from price discovery to execution through to settlement. Engineered by a team with unmatched experience building institutional trading systems, the Talos platform connects the diverse group of participants involved in today’s crypto-asset market structure – institutional investors, prime brokers, exchanges, OTC desks, lenders, and custodians – through a single point of entry. This streamlines the entire trading process, eliminates unnecessary intermediary risk, and provides institutions a clear path to best execution. For additional information, visit www.talos.com.

Media Inquiries

Richard Franco
Forefront Communications for Talos
917.309.8951
media@talos.com