Joel Palathinkal and Harshad Lalit explore Harshad's transition from engineering to finance, delving into the role of machine learning and AI in the financial sector. They discuss Rockefeller Capital's shift towards quantitative strategies and provide advice for tech professionals moving into finance. Harshad shares insights on his PhD journey, impact investing, and the evolution of corporate social responsibility. They examine how ESG metrics influence investment decisions and performance, especially during COVID-19, and discuss trends in private equity for environmental and social impact. The episode concludes with an audience Q&A on algorithmic approaches and social stock exchanges, followed by closing remarks and upcoming events.

Harshad U. Lalit, Ph.D., is a Vice President and ESG Quantitative Analyst within Rockefeller Asset Management. Prior to joining Rockefeller in 2019, Dr. Lalit spent two years as a Research Engineer at Caterpillar Technical Research Center working on developing quantitative models and C++ libraries for their in-house engineering solver. Dr. Lalit is a frequent speaker at international conferences and has authored several research papers. Dr. Lalit received a Ph.D. in Combustion Physics from the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Purdue University, a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Southern California, and an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Information Technology. Dr. Lalit is a CFA® Level 3 candidate.

This discussion will be moderated by Dr. Joel Palathinkal.  Joel s part of a network of Global Family Offices / Endowments and leads Direct VC Investments. In the past, he’s invested in unicorn companies like Robinhood and Carta. He's the General Partner at Sutton Capital and also is an LP / Advisor to emerging investment managers. He was also a Partner at Hemi Ventures focusing on Deep Tech. In the past, he ran Fintech/Investment Platforms at large Fintech focused firms, and lead Senior Product Leadership roles at prominent media firms like NBCUniversal, CBS, & Hearst Magazines. Starting out his career, he was a program manager for the Department of Defense building flight simulators for the NAVY & did his Ph.D in Modeling & Simulation.

Music credits:  Clouds by MBB | https://soundcloud.com/mbbofficial , Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com , Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en_US

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This web series and podcast is intended for informational purposes only. The views expressed are not, and should not be construed as investment advice or recommendations. Recipients of this should do their own due diligence, taking into account their specific financial circumstances, investment objectives and risk tolerance (which are not considered in this web series and podcast) before investing. None of this information communication is an offer, nor the solicitation of an offer, to buy or sell any of the assets mentioned herein.

(0:00 ) Introduction to the episode with guest Harshad Lalit
(1:18 ) Harshad Lalit's career journey from engineering to finance
(4:06 ) Machine learning and AI in finance
(7:46 ) Shift towards quantitative strategies at Rockefeller Capital
(10:28 ) Advice for tech professionals transitioning to finance
(16:35 ) PhD journey, challenges, and tech transfer
(24:17 ) Harshad Lalit on impact investing and ESG metrics
(27:19 ) Perspectives on corporate social responsibility and its evolution
(31:27 ) Integrating capitalism with socially responsible investing
(34:03 ) ESG metrics' role in investment decisions and performance analysis
(36:07 ) ESG focus and performance during COVID-19
(39:09 ) Trends in private equity for environmental and social impact
(43:42 ) Audience Q&A: Algorithmic approaches and social stock exchanges
(49:30 ) Closing remarks and upcoming events