When Jacob Gottlieb was in the 7th grade, he won a school contest on stock selection. His father took note of is talent in investing and helped him set up an investment trading account. This event turned out to be a precursor to Gottlieb’s long career in finance.
He would go on to become the Chief Investment Officer of hedge fund Visium Asset Management and later establish Altium Capital, an investment company focusing on healthcare.
The Beginning Steps
Gottlieb’s father was an economics professor while his mother was a doctor. He inherited their interests and went on to get degrees in economics and medicine. Gottlieb graduated magna cum laude from Brown University with a degree in economics. He then went on to New York University Medical School for an M.D.
After completing his internship at St. Vincent’s hospital, he did a career pivot. He worked at Wall Street under Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. focusing on the global healthcare industries. in 2001, Gottlieb earned his CFA charter from the Association for Investment Management and Research.
Gottlieb continued working for several companies, including a short stint at Merlin BioMed Group. In 2005, he decided he was ready to start his own company and founded Visium.
Visium grew to be a large entity. It was valued at 8 billion dollars and had over a hundred employees at the height of its success. Accounts from former employees all point to a positive work environment.
However, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Visium with insider trading in 2016. Out of all the executives in the company, only Gottlieb emerged unscathed.
The Next Chapter
Visium did not admit or deny the charges brought against it by the authorities. However, it did agree to pay $10 million in fines.
The Securities and Exchange Commision did not charge Gottlieb with any legal cases. He stayed on as CEO at Visium and took on the role of returning investments and winding down the company.
In 2018, Gottlieb turned the page from Visium and started a new company. He called it Altium Capital. Again, he went back to his roots of economics and healthcare.
Altium Capital is a boutique hedge fund that aims to advance treatments for different conditions and illnesses like cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and diabetes. It shares its office space with Stuart Weisbrod. Gottlieb worked with Weisbrod at Merlin BioMed Group.
Philanthropy Work
Jacob Gottlieb is a known philanthropist and he is active in several non-profits. The first is Covenant House, an organization established int he 70s, to help homeless and trafficked children. It provides food and shelter as well as immediate crisis care.
Gottlieb is also involved in Math for America. The group was started in 2004 by billionaire Jim Simons after the gap in the education system in the US in the subjects of science, technology, math, and engineering.
Finally, Gottlieb supports the Robin Hood Foundation. Named after the fictional hero of the poor, the Robin Hood Foundation aims to address the issues associated with poverty. It runs programs in education, employment, and relief.