Hey Hackers! I’m Rad, and I’m a technologist with extensive international finance and business experience.
First of all, a huge thank you to the HackerNoon community and staff for nominating me for a 2021 Noonies award! I’ve been nominated in the following categories; please do check out these award pages and vote:
HackerNoon Contributor of the Year - BANKING
As someone at the intersection of the finance and tech industries, I believe that the most exciting technology at present is decentralized finance because it has the potential to emancipate the little people. Learn more about my thoughts and opinions on decentralized finance and my journey in the tech industry via the interview below.
1. What do you do, and why do you do it? (tell us your story)
Most of the time, I’m an engineer, but I also talk, liaise with investors on business ventures, and consult with companies on anything from system implementation to fundraising to dispute resolution.
I have a wealth of experience in software engineering, project management, business and investment negotiation, and finance. Right now, I am focused on a financial forecasting product that I have built with my brother, it has been about a year now, and we have seen exceptional user uptake.
I love helping small businesses and also managing and training people. This is my main motivation, to see people succeed and achieve some kind of independence and freedom in their lives.
2. Tell us more about the things you create / write / manage / build!
Mostly writing is a hobby for me. It helps me clear my thoughts on important or technical issues, as well as provide for an intellectual outlet. Mostly I write about the tech I am using, but also around more philosophical topics that impact us all. I studied politics and finance at university, and both of these fields remain at the forefront of my interests.
When it comes to building, I love all kinds of apps and have built both mobile and web-based applications. They are usually related to things like blockchain or data analytics. I especially enjoy working with the latest frameworks and playing around with databases and networks.
3. How did you end up on your current career path? Do you like it?
That’s a really great question and actually how I ended up on HackerNoon on account of the career decisions I wrote about. I worked in banking for years across New York, Hong Kong, and of course, in Australia, where I am originally from. While I love the international lifestyle, I felt banking had become stale and didn’t make the most of our human potential - you can check out my post on it here!
Start-Ups are much more challenging but equally, provide for more upside in terms of improving people’s lives and learning. These days I work with my brother on our own venture, RT Reporting. I really love working with code on financial software as well as managing and building products. I couldn’t be more grateful for the career path on which I ultimately ended up.
4. What tech are you most excited or passionate about right now and why?
I think that DeFi (Decentralised Finance) is the greatest opportunity of our generation. Financialisation of the western economies - and especially the Anglo-Sphere - has
cannibalized productive sectors of the economy.
Fundamentally, access to financing is critical to any business or a good idea, and DeFi could revolutionize how we allocate capital, meaning that financial intermediaries would no longer be necessary or their role would at least be significantly reduced.
No matter what the function, I am extremely excited about disruptive fintech opportunities.
5. What tech are you most worried about right now and why?
By its very nature, tech isn’t really good or bad, but the implementation or use of it could be. There are many concerning aspects in terms of the direction of the world right now. I believe social media probably does more damage than good.
6. If we gave you 10 million dollars to invest in something today, what would you invest in and why?
Right now, I would be inclined to invest in a few assets. Real estate outside of the Western markets is interesting because the pandemic has allowed us to generate an income anywhere. Precious metals, farmland, and some cryptos are attractive too. Mostly right now, I am focused on the shift from east to west that has been gaining pace for some time.
7. What are you currently learning?
Good question! The thing I love most about tech is that you really never stop learning. I have been using Python a lot more for recent projects but also getting into some lower-level languages like Rust. IT Security is also something I have been getting into lately.
Other than that, I am an amateur sailor and going for my motorcycle license!
8. What’s the best advice you’ve ever given someone?
Difficult for me to say!
9. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I ever got was, “you’re too old to spend time doing things you don’t like.” I think this is a fact of life. Time is the only commodity even the rich can’t buy, and we need to be more disciplined about how we spend it. That piece of advice I owe to an ex-colleague and good friend in Hong Kong. If there is something you want to do, then there is no better time than the present!
10. Please give us the links to all your relevant social media profiles so we can use them to promote this interview! (Twitter and LinkedIn would be a huge plus)
11. Would you also be interested in joining us on the HackerNoon podcast? If so, what would you like to chat about?
Sure! Right now, I am really interested in the digital nomad scene, DeFi, Start-Ups, and setting up second residencies and business incorporation in non-traditional markets.
About HackerNoon’s 2021 Noonie Awards
The annual Noonie Awards celebrate the best and brightest of the tech industry, bringing together all who are making the Internet and the world of tech what it is today. Please be sure to check out our award categories, nominate, and vote for the people and companies who you think are making the biggest impact on the tech industry today.
The 2021 Noonies are sponsored by: bybit, Dottech Domains, and Avast. Thank you so much to these sponsors who are helping us celebrate the accomplishments of all our nominees.