April 30 2020, New York 08:30

Schroders has named the latest firm to join Cobalt, its global in-residence start-up programme with the addition of Sentieo, a financial and corporate research platform which harnesses market-leading technology to support the investment research process. This entails, for example, using natural language processing driven document search to uncover unique insights and machine learning to automatically discover key insights from financial documents. 

Schroders’ Cobalt programme was launched in 2018* to help fintechs collaborate with the firm to assist their development and tackle today’s investment industry challenges.

Charlotte Wood, Head of Innovation and Fintech Alliances, Schroders, commented:

“Schroders’ Cobalt programme continues to demonstrate that we are a natural home for fintech start-ups, giving us direct access to a pipeline of innovators in investment management. We are very excited about Sentieo joining Cobalt.”

Additionally, Schroders has rolled out Sentieo’s integrated research management platform across its global equity research desks. This switch enables Schroders’ global team to work together seamlessly and make investment decisions faster.

Chris Taylor, Head of Equities Management, Schroders, added:

“Our team is dedicated to building and protecting our clients’ assets — we don’t have time to waste on anything that detracts from that mission, especially inefficient research processes. Sentieo research workflows just work, streamlining document management and collaboration so our team can concentrate on what’s most important: our clients.”

Alap Shah, Chief Executive Officer of Sentieo commented:

“We know only too well the challenge that investment analysts face: working through overwhelming information to find that one key data point that may make or break an investment thesis. Our platform provides AI-driven tools and a research management system that enable analysts to spend less time searching and more time using insights to deliver better investment strategies.

“Innovation and technology is a key focus for Schroders. We are excited by the prospect of working alongside the firm and continuing to develop our market-leading technology. Schroders is a great match for us.”

The Cobalt programme specifically targets tech companies which have progressed beyond the conceptual or early-growth stage that offer solutions relevant to investment management. Selected firms benefit from direct access to appropriate business divisions within Schroders, resources and potential investment. 

*In late 2018, Schroders confirmed it had taken a minority stake in Qwil Messenger – a safe and compliant chat platform which enables firms and clients to communicate directly through one app – which had been the first fintech start-up to join Cobalt.

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