An Interview with Lane Mendelsohn, Vantagepoint AI President: ‘We Bank on Our AI-Powered Trading Software to Help Traders Preserve their Hard-Earned Capital and Create Real Wealth’

“We are constantly evolving our technology so that our customers can trade smarter, with more confidence, and for greater gains.”

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful disruptor in the Financial Services industry. Many institutional players have already hopped on to the AI bandwagon. In another couple of years, widespread adoption of cognitive systems and AI is expected to boost worldwide revenues. An IDC report predicts that revenue growth could touch $47 billion by 2020.

With this in mind, we’re thrilled to present Vantagepoint AI, headquartered in Wesley Chapel, Florida.

Vantagepoint AI is a leader in ai trading software research and development. It forecasts Stocks, Futures, Forex, and ETFs with proven accuracy of up to 86 percent. Thanks to Vantagepoint’s patented Intermarket Analysis, it can predict changes in market trend direction up to three days in advance, enabling traders to get in and out of trades at optimal times with confidence. The company is also recognized as one of the Top 10 Places to Work in Tampa Bay, a nationally certified great place to Work, and an Inc. 5000 company that employs a “family” of over 60 team members. Vantagepoint is also actively committed to giving back in the Tampa Bay community and donates a portion of its revenue to Shriners Hospitals for Children monthly.

Lane Mendelsohn, Vantagepoint AI President, spoke exclusively with The Silicon Review.

Q. Why was the company set up? And how did you expand your company and its offerings over the years?

The company was originally set up in 1979 as a way for my father to develop cutting-edge trading technology for himself. Back in the early ‘80s, it was very expensive, obviously, to develop software. Most people did not have computers, so consequently there weren’t very many software developers. My father chose to expand his research and development into this emerging powerful tool by licensing the technology to allow him to take it to another level. He figured with other people benefiting from his technology and paying him to license it –that would give him more financial resources to continue developing his AI-based software. Today, 40 years on, we continue to license the software and reinvest that capital into continued Research and Development with our on-site team.

Q. How successful was your first project roll on? Share the experience.

We launched our first product in 1983, and the software was very well received once people got it installed on their computer and they started utilizing it. There was a challenge though – it was the early 80s! Everyone didn’t have home computers back then compared to the current scenario. Computers didn’t have the computing power either. And, the people who did have computers often didn’t know a lot about how to use them. My father did a lot of “tech support” in the early days; even going so far as to help people find and purchase a computer to run the software they had just purchased. That level of customer support has become the foundation of how we treat our family of Vantagepoint traders. We still provide this white glove level of concierge service to our customer base so that not only do they have the most powerful tools available in leveraging the power of AI, but we also want to ensure that they’re successful with it.

Q. What do you feel are the reasons behind your company’s reputation?

There are two fundamental components of our success: our culture and our technology. Our culture starts with our people which dictates how we serve our customers. Our product provides a meaningful service that empowers traders with reliable technology and intelligence. These two things combine to create our reputation.

Reputation is how people view you; as a business owner, I want to make sure that I’m serving my customers and my team. So every decision that we make, we consider both groups of people. What good would it be to make a decision that’s in the best interest of our employees but maybe isn’t in the best interest of our customers or vice versa?

Q. Are there any factors that have played key roles in shaping your organization’s road map?

Our company mission is ‘Empowering Traders Daily’, so if it’s an enhancement to the software, if it’s something new that we’re coming out with, an indicator, some sort of technological advancement, we need to make sure that at the end of it, our customers are going to say, “That helped me. I’m benefiting from that.”

If that’s not what we’re hearing, then we’ve missed the mark and that’s not the path that we need to continue to pursue. After being in business since 1979, we have a 40-year track record with our customers; we really have a good idea of what our customers need, what they want, and what’s going to help them take their trading and investing to the next level. But we are also smart enough to remember that we don’t know everything, and we can still learn from our customers.

Q. Building a culture of sustainability inside an organization is very important to maintain a reputation in the global market. How is it true for your company?

For us, our organizational culture is paramount. We have eight core values that we do not waiver from – they drive our daily operations, our hiring, and all of our interactions. They include things like integrity, passion, teamwork, innovation, communication. We believe these are non-negotiable qualities we believe a company needs to be based on in order for it to grow and be successful. As a small company, we have the luxury of keeping our eye on our culture down to the last team member. A lot of companies, especially larger organizations, don’t or can’t invest in their culture; we spend a lot of time on it, and time is money – as you know. We’ve been voted one of the best places to work time and time again, and that resonates with our customers. Our commitment to giving back is also equally as important to our customers as it is to us.

Q. If you have to list five factors that are your biggest asset, what would they be and why?

Without a question, the number one asset in our organization is our people. We have a fantastic team. We have people that really are passionate, that are always innovating and looking for ways to better serve our customer base. We have a team that embraces and lives our core values.

Second is our technology. For over 40 years we have been refining and perfecting the technology so that it gives our customers an edge over the competition.

Our third asset is the support we provide to our customers and our dedication to their success. We put significant resources behind making sure we’re there for them, we’re helping them, and we’re serving them. Their success ensures our success.

Fourth, as we discussed, is our culture. We know that by being dedicated to and maintaining our culture, we will naturally ensure our success, be it internal or external.

Finally, the fifth would be our core values. When we do something we know why we’re doing it and who it’s going to benefit. That foundation guides everything we do and it allows us to make intelligent business decisions.

Q. Where do you see your company a couple of years from now?

We’ll continue to focus on AI technology even more since it’s bearing fruits for the industry we serve. We’ll also continue to evolve how we serve our customers while maintaining our culture and positive atmosphere of innovation.

That said, I expect our company to grow by leaps and bounds in the years to come. Equally as important, we will continue to give back to worthwhile non-profit organizations; we’ll continue to do well and do good.

“Our vision is to be the financial market forecasting software of choice for traders and investors around the world.”