Aquatic Group

What Aquatic Group does

Aquatic Group is a privately held quantitative investment management firm that develops and deploys systematic investment strategies through a proprietary research and development platform targeting global financial markets. Founded by Jonathan Graham — formerly a Partner and Senior Managing Director at Citadel, where he led the Global Quantitative Strategies business for more than 13 years — the firm manages capital exclusively for accredited investors and qualified purchasers via private master-feeder fund structures. Aquatic commits its own capital directly alongside investor capital, aligning manager and limited-partner incentives, and markets itself as building "the world's best prediction machine" through a collaborative, research-focused culture.

The firm operates from three offices — Chicago (headquarters, 225 W Randolph Street), New York (461 Fifth Avenue), and London (1 Angel Court) — under a multi-entity structure: Aquatic Group LLC (parent), Aquatic Capital Management LLC (US investment adviser, SEC CRD# 307291; CFTC commodity pool operator; NFA member ID 0527750), Aquatic Capital UK LLP (UK operations hosted on ACA Mirabella's platform under FCA-authorized Mirabella Financial Services LLP, FRN 415559), and Aquatic Technologies LLC (technology and data services). Revenue is generated through management fees — and potentially performance fees — on assets managed across these funds, with Northern Trust Global Hedge Fund Services LLC serving as fund administrator.

The underlying technology is described as a high-performance R&D platform supporting systematic research, with complementary open-source contributions from the "aquanauts" team on GitHub and a stated emphasis on collaborative research environments. With 101–250 employees, the firm actively recruits experienced professionals and campus candidates, positioning itself as a focused, talent-driven systematic manager rather than a multi-strategy alternative asset platform. No AUM, revenue, or performance figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Aquatic Group

Legal name

Aquatic Group LLC

Website

https://aquatic.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Aquatic Group is a private quantitative investment manager founded by a former Citadel head of Global Quantitative Strategies, operating systematic strategies through a proprietary R&D platform for accredited investors and qualified purchasers across US and UK master-feeder fund structures.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Quantitative Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Owner & Executive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAO)

Keywords

• Systematic investment strategies
• Quantitative investment management
• Hedge fund management
• Predictive analytics platform
• Risk management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Investment Management Fees: Aquatic Capital Management LLC acts as investment manager and sub-advisor to private master-feeder investment structures, generating revenue through management fees and potentially performance fees from funds managed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Aquatic Group manages systematic investment strategies for accredited investors and qualified purchasers through private master-feeder fund structures, combining a proprietary high-performance research and development platform with disciplined risk management to pursue industry-leading returns. The firm operates as a quantitative investment manager and sub-advisor via Aquatic Capital Management LLC (US) and Aquatic Capital UK LLP (UK), co-investing its own capital alongside investors. Offerings are made only by prospectus or private offering memorandum.

Product overview

Aquatic Group operates as a quantitative investment management firm offering a unified suite comprising systematic investment strategies and a proprietary research and development platform. The core investment product combines systematic strategies with disciplined risk management, while the associated R&D platform provides the technological infrastructure for building and deploying prediction models. The company is not structured as a modular product suite but rather as a single investment operation with supporting technological capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Systematic Investment Strategies Quantitative investment strategies that combine a proprietary high-performance research and development platform with disciplined risk management, designed to deliver industry-leading returns. Offered exclusively to accredited investors and qualified purchasers through private master-feeder investment structures managed and/or sub-advised by Aquatic Capital Management LLC (US) and Aquatic Capital UK LLP (UK), with offerings made only by prospectus or private offering memoranda.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Northern Trust Global Hedge Fund Services LLCcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNorthern Trust serves as a fund administrator for Aquatic's investment funds, providing administrative services including processing investor transactions, maintaining records, and fund accounting. Northern Trust is a major institutional fund administrator serving the alternative investment industry.
• ACA Mirabella (Mirabella Financial Services LLP)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAquatic Capital UK LLP operates on ACA Mirabella's UK platform as an appointed representative. Mirabella Financial Services LLP is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (reference number 415559).

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Citadel: Citadel is one of the world's largest multi-strategy hedge funds, founded by Ken Griffin, with a major Global Quantitative Strategies business that Jonathan Graham previously led. Citadel is the most direct benchmark for Aquatic's founder pedigree and quantitative strategy ambitions, though Citadel operates at vastly greater scale and across multiple strategies.
• Millennium Management: Millennium is one of the largest multi-strategy hedge fund platforms, employing many former Citadel and other top-tier portfolio managers. While broader in scope than Aquatic, it is a key competitor for institutional capital and quantitative talent in the same ecosystem.
• Point72 Asset Management: Point72 is a large multi-strategy hedge fund founded by Steven Cohen, with significant systematic and discretionary capabilities. It competes with Aquatic for institutional mandates and for top research talent.
• Man Group: Man Group is a London-headquartered active investment management firm with significant quantitative strategies (notably AHL) and a global institutional client base. It is a strong comparable for Aquatic's London presence, systematic investment orientation, and global institutional footprint.
• Balyasny Asset Management: Balyasny is a large multi-strategy hedge fund with a strong focus on systematic and fundamental talent acquisition, including from Citadel and other top quant platforms. It competes with Aquatic for institutional capital and for experienced quantitative researchers and engineers.

Direct peers

• Two Sigma: Two Sigma is a large quantitative investment manager applying technology, data science, and engineering to systematic investing across global markets. It is a direct peer in the systematic/quantamental hedge fund space, with a similar technology-first culture, comparable institutional LP base, and overlapping talent pool.
• D. E. Shaw Research & D. E. Shaw & Co. DE Shaw is a pioneer quantitative investment firm combining computational finance with fundamental research across multiple strategies. It is highly comparable to Aquatic as a technology-led systematic manager with a research-and-engineering culture and institutional client base.
• Renaissance Technologies: Renaissance Technologies is the most successful systematic/quantitative hedge fund, founded by Jim Simons, operating heavily automated trading strategies based on proprietary mathematical models. It represents the apex of the systematic investment category in which Aquatic operates.
• AQR Capital Management: AQR is a large quantitative investment manager applying academic research and systematic strategies across equities, fixed income, and alternatives. It is a direct comparable as a publicly recognized systematic manager serving institutional and high-net-worth clients with factor-based and alternative strategies.
• Winton Group: Winton is a London-based systematic investment manager applying scientific, research-driven strategies across global markets. It is a relevant peer given Aquatic's London operational base and similar scientific, data-driven approach to global systematic investing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/aquanauts
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquatic/about

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aquatic Group