TechRound got the chance to speak to Dr. Armen V. Papazian, the CEO of Value Xd™ , which has created the very first analytical ecosystem worldwide for sustainable impact investing. We spoke about his inspirations, challenges and future ambitions for his highly promising company.
What led you to create Value Xd™?
The original insight that led to the eventual creation of Value Xd™ actually occurred to me during a lecture I was delivering in Paris, at Sorbonne University, in 2011. The lecture was about the global financial and credit crisis and addressed the money creation methodology currently used across the planet.
More specifically, I was discussing the necessity to transform money mechanics, and our financial value framework. While introducing a new principle of value and its associated metrics, the Space Value of Money, which later in 2016 was shortlisted for the Finance for the Future Awards (Finance for the Future, CISI RFM, Value Xd), I kept thinking to myself that this change needs a new software capable of executing such a multidimensional analysis.
Throughout my professional life, I have always had many serious reservations about the commonly used analytics software in the industry and the key architectural features of existing tools for creating, publishing and sharing analytical output globally.
So, the journey began, developing the models on the one hand, fine-tuning the key conceptual features and architectural changes on the other, as well as searching for funding and partners that could make this dream a reality.
As the founder of Value Xd™, what is the best part of your job?
Since the very first day when this project became a reality, the best part of my job has been the process of innovation and the discovery of unique and effective solutions to the main architectural and flow issues that students, researchers, analysts, and investors encounter.
I enjoyed and still enjoy the creative process involved, thinking outside known parameters, and developing modules that achieve an entirely new analytical process, transforming our existing analytical value chain to its core.
Naturally, I am not the only one involved in this process, and as we grew and expanded the functionalities of our platform, our growing team has been central to this process. Specifically, I would like to mention our CTO, Alex Grigoryan, and our COO, Akram Ojjeh, who have been central in bringing this product to light.
Was becoming an entrepreneur always your ultimate ambition?
Throughout my academic and industry experience, I have continuously changed location, subject, field, and focus, always seeking a deeper and multifaceted understanding of the topics and realities that were of interest to me, like the nature of money and prosperity, and the creative essence of imagination, beyond culture and language. Indeed, I have spoken and published about money creation methodology, monetary policy, and financial value models, reflecting my search for a deeper understanding of these issues.
My true passion is innovative thinking and the creative implementation of new ideas, bringing new thoughts and new realities to life. I have been a student in six different educational systems, studying economics, politics, development, and finance. I earned my PhD at the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School, King’s College, in Financial Economics.
I have been a lecturer in finance, a stock exchange executive, a consultant, an investment banker, and finally an entrepreneur. Having embarked on this entrepreneurial journey, I discovered that my character and personality fit the requirements and challenges quite well. Value Xd is a culmination of my analytical work over a couple of decades, but on a more personal level, I consider myself to be an innovative financial economist with a passion for real global change.
What was the process of starting Value Xd™ like, any surprising challenges that came up?
The process of starting Value Xd began in 2015. Initially, the project was incubated under Finoptek Ltd, which is now one of the major shareholders of Value Xd Ltd.
After the first two years of intense design and innovation, and the completion of two demo prototypes, the product took a life of its own, and grew bigger and larger than what was its initial starting vision.
The Space Value of Money technology became the seed of a much deeper and wider transformation in analytical technology, to the point of radically reinventing our analytical value chain, in terms of flow and structure, as well as specific features that are unique to Value Xd.
This process has often stretched our resources and capabilities over the last few years, and it is through the invaluable contributions of our team that we have managed to complete the challenge successfully.
Is there anything you wish you knew before starting Value Xd™?
Yes. I would have liked to know that the process of creating such a revolutionary product was going to continuously challenge our deadlines and timelines, and more importantly, it was going to challenge us all, personally, professionally, financially, and spiritually. The stretch and commitment needed to continue sacrificing and believing in this project, in a world that seems to be ever more distant from facts and truth, has been quite unique.
I also wish I knew that the second decade of the 21st century was going to take us back to the regressive rhetoric of populist nationalism, to a revaluation of borders and the political map. You see, 2015 was an inflection point thanks to the Global Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and also, the US Senate resolution H.R. 2262, which states that: “any asteroid resources obtained in outer space are the property of the entity that obtained them….” I was expecting a continued trend towards a wider and more global consciousness that would help us address our planetary challenges as well as spatial expansion. Somehow, 2016 surprised us all on many levels.
Having said the above, I am now convinced that sometimes we need to take a few steps back, before we can adjust our direction and momentum towards a brighter future. Also, I am now convinced, more than ever, that Value Xd is a global necessity to enhance environmental responsibility, as well as collective intelligence creation and sharing on a planetary level.
What is the achievement Value Xd™ is most proud of to date?
Value Xd owes its past and current progress to its people and partners who have tirelessly worked for its continuous development, often against all odds and doubts. There are many achievements of which we are proud, and I would like to mention a few of them here.
- To be shortlisted as one of Top 33 UK Tech Startups by Tech Nation has been a crowning event for us that has restored our drive and commitment and has strengthened our team’s spirit and determination to stay the course, and continue the journey. (Sifted, Tech Nation, Fintech Alliance)
- To be mentioned in top industry news by Open FIGI at Bloomberg who have recognised the innovative platform and interface we have built that allows our users to use their open data API for global security identification, which is then used to import data from Bloomberg Data License straight into Value Xd. (Open FIGI Q4 Newsletter, Open FIGI News)
- To have managed the above in a politically and economically challenging environment, while delivering a truly transformative platform that can act as a harness for collective intelligence on a planetary level.
What does the future look like for Value Xd™?
Bright, global, responsible, and successful!
We are committed to servicing our clients at the highest possible standards, and as advocates of responsible investing, we are determined to deliver real value.
We are now launching our first edition, Value Xd Impact, which is an entire analytical ecosystem dedicated to sustainable and impact investing. Naturally, one can do all sorts of analytics on Value Xd, but we believe current global priorities and climate-related emergencies warrant this strategic approach.
Very soon, we will launch our Value Xd Planet edition (SaaS platform), which will bring our innovative and transformative tool to single users across the planet, enabling and enhancing responsible analysis and decision making in business, finance, and other organisational fields.
As a UK based and HQ-ed tech startup, we are keen on being part of the new wave of growth that Britain is embarking on, and we are proud to begin this new chapter as one of top 33 UK Tech Startups.
What is the ultimate goal of Value Xd™?
To introduce efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, learning, and fun into the analytical process, while bringing mathematics back into analytics. Unlike other software in our sector, where equations are built with coder invented abbreviations that sit behind data, inside cells, Value Xd allows its users to create equations in the mathematical language they learned at school and university, thus making the creation and build up of personal and organisational intelligence a proactive and natural process.
Value Xd is a unique cloud-based analytics platform. It reimagines all the key elements of the analytical value chain within its own technology, thus allowing a seamless process from data gathering to structuring, from modelling, analysis, and simulation, to reporting, publishing, presenting, and sharing, with live fine-tuning capabilities during presentations.
Our goal is to transform the way millions of analysts, scholars, students, and business and investment executives prepare, create, publish and share their analytical work; we believe that we will, over time, transform the way we do analytics for the better.
