DAVID XIE
Builder · Trader · Creator
Building algo trading systems at Clockwork and co-founding Ambees.
BUILDER
About · Projects · Skills
About
“I build things — algorithms, startups, and beats.”
I build things — algorithms that trade precious metals, a startup that helps college students figure out what they actually care about, and the occasional beat that ends up on Spotify playlists. I'm at Georgetown studying finance and international relations with a CS minor, but most of what I've learned has come from shipping fast and breaking assumptions. Currently: writing trading algos at Clockwork Group and scaling Ambees.
Projects
Ambees
A platform helping people find their passions using agentic AI, a proprietary database of activities, and mindmapping technology. Hyper-localized to every student.
We built Ambees because every freshman we knew was lost. The career center gives you a pamphlet; we wanted to give you a map. We pulled together engineers from Stanford and UC Berkeley and built something that actually shows you where your interests can take you. We hit post-revenue traction with five U.S. partner schools, and we're currently raising to scale further. Won 3rd place overall and a track category at HoyaHacks.
Algorithmic Trading Systems
Quantitative strategies for precious metals using time-based price movement models.
Georgetown A&D Investment Fund
Student-run fund focused on aerospace, defense, and digital assets.
HoyaHacks
Georgetown's flagship hackathon — 72 hours of building something from nothing.
Skills
TRADER
Experience · Achievements
Experience
Algorithmic Trader & Developer
Clockwork Group
I joined Clockwork to figure out if I could beat the market with code. Turns out, with the right mentor and enough late nights, you can. I'm building time-based price movement strategies for precious metals — gold, platinum, zinc — under a former hedge fund manager who doesn't let bad logic slide. The craziest part? I helped brand and commercialize our proprietary algos, which contributed to a seven-figure outcome.
Contributed to seven-figure algo commercialization
Real Estate Investment Analyst
Tungsten Partners
Real estate was my crash course in how big money actually moves. I prepped research packets for the CEO, dug into a Philadelphia hotel acquisition (zoning law rabbit holes are wild), and stress-tested a Manhattan retail conversion against the firm's feasibility framework. Every week felt like a masterclass in asking the right questions about a deal.
Evaluated multi-million dollar acquisitions
Investment Banking Analyst
Sterling Business Capital
My first real taste of M&A. I ran valuation and diligence on a ~$4M sell-side mandate for a consumer fragrance business — the kind of work where you're reading through years of financials to tell a story about what a company is actually worth. I also managed the CRM to track how investors were engaging with our materials. It taught me that deals are won on preparation, not just pitch.
Led diligence on $4M M&A mandate
Private Equity Analyst
Cedar Oak Capital
PE from the inside, on a scrappy 10-person consumer retail team. I was the person cold-emailing founders, qualifying consulting opportunities, and figuring out which management teams were worth a deeper conversation. Small team meant I got to see every part of the deal process — not just my slice of it.
Consumer retail deal sourcing & outreach
Achievements
FTI IMPACT Leadership Consulting Program
Admitted to FTI Consulting's IMPACT program. Strategic consulting is a different muscle than trading, and I wanted to see how the other side of finance thinks about problems.
Seven-Figure Algorithm Commercialization
Helped turn our trading algorithms at Clockwork from internal tools into a product someone actually paid seven figures for. I did the branding and pitch work — turns out selling an algo is its own kind of challenge.
1M+ Streams as Music Producer
A million streams. No label, no manager, no playlist pluggers — just uploading beats and figuring out what hits. Started on GarageBand in middle school, now I produce in Ableton. The distribution game taught me more about marketing than any textbook.
HoyaHacks — 3rd Overall & Track Winner
72 hours, no sleep plan, shipped a product that took 3rd overall and won a track category. The adrenaline of building under pressure is genuinely addictive — I'd do it again tomorrow.
Nomura Summit Series
Selected for Nomura's professional summit. Being in a room with people who think about markets at that scale was humbling — and motivating.
D1 Club Squash — New Englands Champion
Won Class D and Class C at the New Englands championship in the same season with Georgetown's D1 club team. Two titles, one weekend.
CREATOR
Interests · Snapshots · Footprints · Contact
Interests
Music Production
Started making beats on GarageBand in middle school, somehow ended up on Spotify editorial playlists. Now I produce in Ableton — mostly making beats for rappers and experimenting with electronic sounds. Crossed a million streams independently with no label or manager. It taught me more about marketing and iteration than any class.
Club Squash
I play on Georgetown's D1 club squash team. Won Class D and Class C at the New Englands championships. There's something about a sport where you're trapped in a glass box with someone trying to outthink you that just clicks with my brain.
Drums
I play drums recreationally — it's my way of unwinding. Rhythm is the foundation of everything — music, trading, life. There's nothing like losing yourself behind a kit for an hour.
Formula 1
Became a McLaren fan after watching the movie — now I'm completely hooked. The intersection of engineering, strategy, and speed is endlessly fascinating. F1 is the closest thing to algorithmic trading on four wheels.
Celtics
Boston born and raised, grew up a Jayson Tatum and Celtics fan. Banner 18 and counting. There's no better feeling than watching a championship team that plays the right way.
YC Podcasts
I absorb Y Combinator content like it's oxygen. Founders talking about the worst days of building a company is somehow the most motivating thing I've ever heard. It's basically my version of a morning podcast routine.
Snapshots
Footprints
Select a city to explore memories from around the world.