Predata Appoints Hazem Dawani as CEO
Accomplished fintech leader in trading and risk management technology solutions
Joel T. Meyer named VP, Government and Corporate Markets
NEW YORK, February 15, 2018—Predata, a predictive analytics platform that anticipates the
risk of future events, today announced the appointment of Hazem Dawani as Chief Executive
Officer. Predata also named Joel T. Meyer as Vice President of Government and Corporate
Markets.
Jim Shinn, co-founder and CEO for the past three years, was elected Chairman of the Board and
will continue to be fully engaged with the company. “We’re really fortunate to have Hazem join
Predata as our CEO. He’s an accomplished entrepreneur, a talented software engineer and has a
sophisticated mastery of finance,” said Shinn. “Hazem co-founded and led a successful financial
technology company and Joel built the government business of a data company. With Hazem’s
risk management and trading expertise and Joel’s experience in the public sector, Predata now has
the talent and leadership to succeed in our next stage of growth.”
“Predata has opened the doors to harnessing alternative data to understand human behavior online
in order to anticipate market moves and risk events. We’ve assembled a team of experts from
machine learning, technology, and across industry sectors to create a powerful platform. I’m
excited and honored to have the opportunity to lead the company now,” said Hazem Dawani.
Predata builds models of human behavior online using alternative data and machine learning
techniques to identify and map patterns that precede major global macro events. The data and
models are then transformed into risk signals, market indicators, and political and economic event
predictions. Clients across financial, commercial and government verticals leverage the Predata
platform to discover, quantify, and act upon the risk of future events.
For example, Predata recently used its platform to predict a move in the Japanese Yen one week
in advance of the actual USD/JPY drop. In 2017, Predata also used its platform and algorithms to
help its clients accurately anticipate the attacks on UN peacekeepers in Mali, PKK violence in
Turkey, and flare-ups in tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
“I’m excited to be working with Hazem again. He successfully built and sold OptionsCity, an
Edison Partners fintech investment. Predata is at the forefront of alternative data and machine
learning and poised to be the leader in predictive analytics,” said Chris Sugden, Managing Partner
at Edison Partners, who serves on Predata’s Board of Directors.
Based in New York, Dawani will be responsible for setting go-to-market strategy, vision, and
managing all aspects of the business. Meyer, based in Washington, D.C., will be responsible for
managing and developing business with corporate and government partners, including corporate
security officers and public-sector agencies.
“There are so many organizations that can take advantage of Predata’s robust technology platform
and unique anticipatory signals. I welcome the opportunity to bring Predata’s capabilities to more
corporate firms and government organizations,” said Meyer.
About Hazem Dawani
Dawani joins Predata having spent the past 10 years as co-founder and CEO of OptionsCity
Software, a global electronic trading platform with offices in Chicago, New York and London. He
led the business through various growth stages, managing multiple investments rounds, ramping
to over $10 million in recurring revenue, and overseeing product vision and business development
efforts. The company was acquired in June 2017 by Vela Trading Systems in an all-cash deal.
Following the acquisition, he joined Vela as Chief Product Officer to focus on go-forward
strategies for its products.
Previously, Dawani served as a director in the software department at Chicago Trading Company,
where he led the design and creation of their main electronic trading and market-making system.
He also worked at SSI as a software engineer and built real-time embedded systems solutions.
Dawani grew up in Jordan and moved to Chicago to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology,
where he was a scholar in their Leadership Academy. He has a B.S. in computer engineering from
IIT.
About Joel T. Meyer
Prior to joining Predata, Meyer was a Senior Vice President at Dataminr, working with public
sector clients. He previously served in the U.S. Government in several capacities, including as a
Director on the White House National Security Council staff focusing on countering violent
extremism online and at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in the Office of the Secretary
as Senior Advisor to the Coordinator for Counterterrorism focused on countering terrorist threats
to the Homeland emanating from abroad.
Following his government service, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson appointed Meyer to
serve as a member of the Countering Violent Extremism Subcommittee of the Homeland Security
Advisory Council. He is a Term Member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Meyer previously practiced law at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP. He has a B.A. in
International Affairs from Johns Hopkins University and a J.D. from the American University
Washington College of Law.
About Predata
Predata uses alternative data and predictive analytics to identify and map human behavior online
to anticipate the risk of future events. The company is building the world's smartest platform for
political, financial, and market risk intelligence. Predata's platform enables customers to discover,
quantify and act on dynamic shifts in online actions about topics of interest to them. Combined
with a proprietary event database, Predata's signals provide users with early warning for different
types of risk events in any given country, operational footprint, or area of interest. For further
information, visit www.predata.com.
