Walleye Capital

New York Hedge Fund From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Walleye Capital (Walleye) is an American multi-strategy hedge fund management firm headquartered in New York with additional offices outside the US in London and Dubai.

Company typePrivate
Founded2005; 21 years ago (2005)
Founders
  • Irvin Kessler
  • Pete Goddard
Quick facts Company type, Industry ...
Walleye Capital LLC
Company typePrivate
IndustryInvestment management
Founded2005; 21 years ago (2005)
Founders
  • Irvin Kessler
  • Pete Goddard
HeadquartersNew York City, U.S.
Key people
Will England (CEO & CIO)
AUMUS$7.7 billion (January 2025)
Number of employees
350 (January 2025)
Websitewalleyecapital.com
Footnotes / references
[1][2]
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Background

In 2005, Walleye was originally set up as an options market making firm in Minnesota by Irving Kessler, Peter Goddard, and three others.[3][4][5] Prior to this Kessler who was an experienced floor trader had founded Deephaven Capital Management.[3][4]

The founders of Walleye intended for it to perform electronic trading that used data and fast computers to earn profits for its clients.[3][6] Goddard oversaw the development of a system called Deephaven that enabled Walleye analysts to query large amounts of fast-moving data in real time which gave its clients competitive advantage.[6]

According to Walleye's own disclosures, as a trading firm it has been fined multiple times for breach of regulatory rules.[2]

In 2016, Goddard spun out Deephaven Data Labs as its own company to use the Deephaven system to solve data challenges in other ways.[6]

In 2017, Walleye started accepting outside capital and restructured to become a hedge fund. Walleye changed its strategy with aims to shed its Midwestern image and become the best midsize multi-strategy platform. It limited capital managed so it could put more of its risk into its volatility and quant strategies.[7][5]

In 2023, Walleye launched Dockside Platforms which connects investors to smaller Money Managers that charge lower fees and offer more liquidity and transparency. This was considered a method to provide more options to investors and chip away at the bargaining power that larger hedge funds such as Citadel LLC, Millennium Management, LLC and Point72 Asset Management held.[8]

In March 2024, Walleye laid off 12 employees (4% of employees) as part of its restructuring process.[5] In August 2024, Walleye laid off a further 12 employees and closed its office in Houston.[9] In October 2024, further cuts were made with 8 traders leaving the firm.[10]

In July 2025, Walleye stated it would no longer be accepting money from new investors.[11]

References

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