About · Abraham Thomas

Abraham Thomas

👋🏼 Hi, I’m Abraham.

Previously:

🌱 I’m an active and successful angel investor in tech startups:

You can learn more on my investing page. I welcome cold pitches!

✍️ I write Pivotal, a well-regarded newsletter on data, investing and startups. Here are some recent essays:

You can find more articles on my writing page.

🚀 I advise high-growth software and data startups on execution.

I help founders execute more effectively, drawing on my years of experience as co-founder of a successful venture-backed startup, plus my subsequent work with dozens of founders as an active and involved angel investor.
I can help you with almost any tactical or strategic challenge you’re facing. I’m especially strong on growth strategy; building a world-class team and culture; fund-raising; narrative creation and positioning; and personal development.

I’m currently open to advisory opportunities, but am selective about who I work with. Learn more on my advising page.

💡 I advise institutional investors on data strategy.

I specialize in helping firms that have historically been more fundamentals-driven in their approach, use data – especially new sources of data and new use cases for data – more effectively across every aspect of their investing operations.
As a former buy-side portfolio manager at a large quant hedge fund, who then co-founded Quandl, the firm that pioneered “alternative data in finance”, I have expert-level knowledge of what it takes to excel as a modern data-driven investor.
I work primarily with large public markets investors – hedge funds, asset managers, pension plans – but have also consulted across PE, VC, and other asset classes.

To learn more, please visit my consulting page.

📚 Here’s a bit more about me:

🧭 Here are some things I believe:

ABL: Always Be Learning.
Every skill is a muscle to be exercised.
Changing your mind based on new data is a superpower.
- (Most people don’t ever change their minds)
Speed is under-appreciated in almost every context.
Tremendous outcomes require tremendous amounts of hard work.
- (Smarts are not enough)
Luck matters a lot, but you can help luck find you.
Do less to do more.
Be deliberate, and comfortable with risk.
- (Most people are impulsive, and risk-averse)
Combine optimism about technology with realism about humanity.
Life is too short to play zero-sum games.
If you’re not curious, what’s the point?
- (This is a good filtering function)
Discipline doesn’t restrict your choices, it expands them.
Excellence is a habit, and should be cultivated as such.
Be unfailingly kind, even when – especially when! – it’s hard.
- But recognize that kindness has multiple dimensions.
Character is grace under pressure.
- When the chips are down, who do you want to be?
Arguments about means are often arguments about variances.
Compassion, empathy and courtesy signal strength, not weakness.
Knowing your own preferences is the key to happiness.
No task is too small to do well.
If you don’t blow your own trumpet, it shall remain unblown.
- (I struggle with this)
Big dreams, sincerity and enthusiasm are all good things.
Cynics appear smart, but optimists change the world.