Maria Irene
Starting as a popular tutor in physics and math, Eric never envisioned himself in finance. His world was one of algebraic topology, noncommutative geometry, and the fascinating universe of computational electromagnetics. But it seems life had other plans. Spurred by his then-wife, Eric delved into finance and discovered uncanny parallels between his academic work and financial markets. Not one to shy away from complexity, he immersed himself in stochastic calculus and even pioneered the use of noncommutative geometry for derivative pricing.
Over the years, Eric’s career trajectory has seen him engage with diverse roles—from a “risk quant” at Citigroup to a Head of Risk Management in Hong Kong. He’s worked on the ground during financial crises and has navigated the labyrinthine bureaucracy of the insurance sector. Entrepreneurial stints in Hong Kong and Bangkok have been mixed bags of soaring opportunities and debilitating challenges. Eric’s Coherent period, for instance, ended in internal conflict and strategic divergences, leaving him to walk away from a venture that eventually found its own legs.
All of these experiences have culminated in CavalRe—a DeFi-based platform promising unprecedented fluidity in asset management. It recently broke barriers by swapping a staggering 340 tokens in a single transaction that concluded in a mere two seconds, thanks to Multiswap. More than a technical marvel, Multiswap serves as the first stepping stone in CavalRe’s ambitious plan to replace monoliths like the New York Stock Exchange. Eric firmly believes that NYSE will migrate to a blockchain within the next 5 to 10 years. And he wants CavalRe to be at the center of this seismic shift.
What sets CavalRe apart is its foundational science. It deviates from the conventional Automated Market Maker (AMM) model, opting for value-based pools that can accommodate any number of tokens. Eric describes the trades as “self-financing,” in that they neither create nor destroy value but enable massive rebalancing opportunities for traditional asset managers. It’s not just about tweaking an existing model; it’s about going back to first principles and redrawing the blueprint. He’s collaborated with a virtual “hive mind” comprising names like Dave White from Paradigm, Leo Lau, and Dan Robinson, to ensure that his models are nothing short of groundbreaking.
The CavalRe initiative has also won the endorsement of late financial scholar Peter Carr, adding a layer of academic gravitas to the venture. Yet, Eric remains an “unusual animal” who relishes challenging norms, values dissenting opinions, and leans into the power of collective intelligence. One could argue that his most significant asset is not just his technical prowess, but a career philosophy that blends the artistic and mathematical elements of numerical algorithms. Eric describes himself as deeply intrigued by the idea of a universe that is fundamentally discrete, adding an almost metaphysical flavor to his fintech endeavors.
On the technical side, CavalRe currently operates on the Avalanche blockchain, selected for its robust capabilities. With the support of Ava Labs, the project targets trillions in Total Value Locked (TVL) and aims to evolve capital markets and rebuild financial services on Avalanche. As for the future, Eric sees a spectrum of trillion-dollar opportunities from futures and options to reinsurance. This roadmap, he claims, is not just clear but “beautiful.”
Eric Forgy’s CavalRe is a melting pot of astute financial engineering, groundbreaking technology, and almost a poetic love for the complexities of the universe. It stands as a testament to a journey rich in highs, lows, intellectual rigor, and emotional resilience. And if Eric’s past is any indication, CavalRe could well be the harbinger of the next frontier in global finance, one that seamlessly combines the theoretical with the practical, and the mathematical with the mystical.
