A tech focused stock team from Steve Cohen’s investment firm is readying for launch.
KCL Capital, founded by Chris LaSusa and Kevin Cottrell, plans to open November 1 with 11 people on staff, people familiar with the situation said.
The New York-based firm’s name is a combination of the founders’ initials, the people said. The firm, which has been making the rounds at hedge fund investor events, is expected to raise hundreds of millions of dollars over the coming months, though an exact target is unclear.
The people asked to go unnamed because the information is private.
KCL plans to invest in global tech, media and telecommunications stocks, which the founders specialized in at Point72 Asset Management, Steve Cohen’s family office. LaSusa worked at Cohen’s firm for 14 years, and Cottrell worked there for 12, according to one of the people close to the situation.
That included the duration of the transition from hedge fund SAC Capital, which was forced to shut to outside money for insider trading.
LaSusa, who is acting as the portfolio manager of KCL, and Cottrell, who is director of research, have brought on several staffers who previously worked at Point72. They include:
- Braxton McKenzie, data scientist
- Shayne Dolden, analyst
- Craig Cerone, analyst
- Thomas Li, analyst
Other hires include chief operating officer Jon Schlafman, previously managing director at Alcentra, and chief financial officer Charlie Murphy, who was previously the CFO at Jamie Zimmerman’s LiteSpeed Partners. The firm has also hired a junior analyst who is starting Monday and a trading operations clerk.
The firm has appointed Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan as prime brokers.
Cottrell and LaSusa didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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