Gregory J. Blotnick, a former portfolio manager with stints at Citadel LLC and Brattle Street Capital, has launched market intelligence and analytics firm Valiant Research LLC.
Why Gregory Blotnick Launched Valiant Research: Leveling the Playing Field for Retail Investors
[Source: Hedgeweek/California Business Journal]
Over the past five years, the investing landscape has undergone a profound shift. Everyday individuals, like students and small business owners, have entered the stock market in unprecedented numbers. With smartphones and brokerage apps at their fingertips, investing has become more accessible than ever before.
Gregory J. Blotnick, a veteran hedge fund portfolio manager, views this democratization of investing as a long overdue and largely positive development. But he also believes it comes with a critical downside: a flood of misinformation.
Social media platforms are saturated with unqualified voices, like finfluencers promoting meme stocks, YouTube traders offering paid advice with no credentials, and Reddit threads filled with hype rather than substance. Retail investors are increasingly making decisions based not on facts or fundamentals, but on emotion, speculation, and poor quality information.
Blotnick, who spent more than a decade at firms like Schonfeld and Citadel LLC before launching his own hedge fund Brattle Street Capital, felt compelled to act. Rather than sit on the sidelines and watch retail investors fall victim to bad advice, he started Valiant Research; a firm dedicated to bringing professional-grade investment research to individuals.
A Deep Divide Between Institutional and Retail Investors
According to Blotnick, the average retail investor is at a significant disadvantage compared to institutional players. While hedge funds and asset managers benefit from proprietary data and access to top-tier analysis, most individuals are left with surface-level newsflow, old headlines, social media chatter, and content from self-anointed experts. This imbalance creates a dangerous environment, particularly during volatile periods. Some retail investors might get lucky in speculative trades, but many lose money, or worse, become disillusioned with investing altogether.
Blotnick’s experience at Citadel showed him what rigorous, data-driven investing really looks like. His goal with Valiant Research is to make that same level of research accessible to individuals, particularly in the consumer discretionary and retail sub-sectors, where Blotnick has long-standing expertise. Valiant avoids short-term calls and instead emphasizes discipline on investing principles and risk management framework. The firm does not sell trade alerts or claim to offer “quick wins.” Instead, it aims to instill the mindset of a professional investor, focused on developing a repeatable process.
A Track Record of Experience
Before launching Valiant Research, Gregory Blotnick built a career in institutional asset management. At Citadel, he was part of a long/short equity team managing over $1 billion in gross market value. Earlier roles at Exis Capital and Doubloon Capital helped shape his analytical foundation and long-term investment philosophy. Blotnick also holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, where he studied behavioral finance and further refined his understanding of investor psychology. Across his career, he has experienced multiple market cycles, and learned that everything boils down to having a disciplined and repeatable process that fits the temperament of the individual.
The Mission Behind Valiant
Valiant Research was born from Blotnick’s belief that the playing field shouldn’t be so tilted in favor of institutions. Retail investors deserve better tools, better data, and better thinking. With the right guidance, he believes individual investors can make smarter, more strategic decisions, and avoid the pitfalls that come from chasing the wrong advice. For those looking to move beyond the noise and adopt a more professional, process-driven approach to investing, Valiant Research offers a compelling alternative.