Leadership

Ross Stevens founded NYDIG in 2017, and serves as its Executive Chairman. Ross founded Stone Ridge in 2012, and serves as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Management Committee. Ross started his career at Goldman Sachs after receiving his PhD in Finance and Statistics from the University of Chicago (Booth) and his BSE in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton). Ross founded and serves as the Advisory Board Chairman of the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance at the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton).

Robert Gutmann is co-founder and CEO of NYDIG. He is also a co-founder of Stone Ridge, where he is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Prior to his role as CEO of NYDIG, Robert served as Head of Product Development and Execution at Stone Ridge, overseeing investment strategy formulation and serving as a portfolio manager on all Stone Ridge funds. Robert received his BA in Mathematics and Music from Columbia University.

Yan Zhao is President of NYDIG. She is also a co-founder of Stone Ridge, where she is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Prior to her role as President of NYDIG, Yan served as CEO of Flourish, a fintech platform started by Stone Ridge, and before that, Head of Reinsurance funds at Stone Ridge. Yan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in Economics from Harvard University.

Robert Gutmann is co-founder and CEO of NYDIG. He is also a co-founder of Stone Ridge, where he is a member of the firm’s Management Committee. Prior to his role as CEO of NYDIG, Robert served as Head of Product Development and Execution at Stone Ridge, overseeing investment strategy formulation and serving as a portfolio manager on all Stone Ridge funds. Robert received his BA in Mathematics and Music from Columbia University.

David B. Heller is a private investor. Previously, he was the Co-Head of the Global Securities Division at Goldman Sachs, where he also sat on the firm’s Management Committee. His current investment focus is on financial companies that benefit from regulatory and technological disruption as well as consumer brands that benefit from demographic and lifestyle changes. David’s current investments include stakes in Peloton Interactive, The Infatuation, Stone Ridge Holdings Group and NYDIG. Mr. Heller holds a BA from Harvard College.

Benjamin Lawsky is the Head of Regulatory Affairs and has been with NYDIG since its founding. He has also served as Head of Regulatory Affairs at Stone Ridge Asset Management since 2015. Benjamin was previously New York State’s Superintendent of Financial Services. In that role, Benjamin also spearheaded creation of the BitLicense, the first regulatory licensing scheme for digital currency businesses. Benjamin holds a JD and a BA from Columbia University.

Ted Mathas is Chairman and CEO of New York Life Insurance Company, the nation’s largest mutual life insurer with more than $600 billion in assets under management. The core business includes life insurance, retirement income, investment management, and long-term care insurance. New York Life is the leading provider of life insurance and income annuities in the U.S. Mr. Mathas has been a director of the company since July 2006. He became CEO on July 1, 2008 and was named Chairman on June 1, 2009. Mr. Mathas is currently serving as chair of the American Council of Life Insurers for the second time in his career. He also sits on the boards of the American Museum of Natural History, the Partnership for New York City, and the Law School Foundation at the University of Virginia. Mr. Mathas graduated with an A.B. from Stanford University, with distinction, in 1989. He received a J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1992, where he was a member of the Virginia Law Review and the Order of the Coif. 

Jacqueline Reses is the CEO of Post House Capital and Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She previously led Square Capital, part of Square Inc., and was a member of the board of directors of Alibaba Group, where she helped lead the company’s IPO.

Rob Stavis is a partner in Bessemer Venture Partner’s New York office. He focuses on investments in financial services, education and emerging technologies. Rob has been actively investing in venture backed startups for over 20 years and currently serves on the board of directors of several companies including 2U, Betterment, Gerson Lehrman Group, Brightbytes and Forever Oceans. Some of Rob’s historical investments include Skype (acquired by eBay); United Capital Financial Partners (acquired by Goldman Sachs); SiteAdvisor (acquired by McAfee); Kroll Bond Ratings, Yodle (acquired by Web.com); debit-card provider PRE Solutions (acquired by Incomm); India based financial services provider Motilal Oswal and Bermuda based reinsurance company PXRE. Rob entered venture capital after a 15-year career at Salomon Smith Barney, where he was co-head of global arbitrage trading and a member of the operating and risk-management committees. Active in a number of not for profit initiatives, Rob serves on the Board of New Schools Venture Fund, University of Pennsylvania and Crisis Text Line.

Ross Stevens founded NYDIG in 2017, and serves as its Executive Chairman. Ross founded Stone Ridge in 2012, and serves as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Management Committee. Ross started his career at Goldman Sachs after receiving his PhD in Finance and Statistics from the University of Chicago (Booth) and his BSE in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton). Ross founded and serves as the Advisory Board Chairman of the Stevens Center for Innovation in Finance at the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton).