John Cornish Email & Phone Number

Greater Boston, Massachusetts, United States

As an independent consultant, I work with companies on a range of needs, including business development, strategy, due diligence, and product development. Current projects include: • Developing business for a boutique geopolitical and macroeconomic advisory group• Serving as a growth advisor for an early-stage VC firm• Leading investment due diligence and advising on business strategy for a start-up alternatives fund-of-funds• Overseeing product development for a start-up software platform offering digital networking, messaging, and secure document storage. • Advising start-up companies involved in crypto analytics and artificial intelligenceIn 2022, I led a project to develop an investment reporting and business intelligence strategy and platform for a multi-billion-dollar digital assets holding company.

Greater Boston Area

Novus is portfolio intelligence business providing institutional investors and asset managers with detailed risk and attribution analytics via data integration into a software platform. The company was acquired by SEI. As Head of Manager Relations and Chief Compliance Officer at Novus, my responsibilities increased over time to support the evolving needs of the business. These functions included: • Cultivating and maintaining relationships with fund managers to ensure the quality and depth of data reporting on behalf of clients• Securing new business from hedge funds and institutional investors, from initial prospect engagement to contract close• Leading legal contract negotiations for sales and with data providers• Managing the employee compliance program for securities tradingI also established a strategic partnership with industry leaders, Dick Elden and Frank Meyer, to develop a quant strategy managed by a spin-out entity from Novus.

Greater Boston Area

I co-founded FDN in April 2012 as a SaaS business to streamline due diligence between asset managers and institutional investors through a permissions-based data and document storage network. After growing the business to over two thousand users, we sold the company to Novus at the end of 2014. My responsibilities included:• Developing the business plan, securing $3 million in private capital to fuel operations, and establishing a distinguished Board of Advisors• Recruiting a highly skilled design and engineering team to build the platform from initial UI/UX mockups and road-mapping to fully realized software system • Collaborating on product development and design, utilizing my industry expertise to craft detailed feature specifications• Managing the legal, operational, and financial aspects of the business, including client and investor relations

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

• Conducted detailed investment due diligence and monitoring of hedge funds including regular in-person interviews with portfolio managers, data analysis, long form reports, ad hoc calls, and research notes. • Co-authored and contributed to published white papers on topics including an introduction to the hedge fund industry and a primer on activist investing.

New York City Metropolitan Area

Monitored portfolios of managed accounts and drafted SEC regulatory filings. Reviewed and organized documentation for PE & RE deals.

English Teacher - taught specialized English classes to university studentsPrinceton-in-Asia program

A.B., English, Summa Cum Laude

Charles William Kennedy Prize awarded for senior thesis on essay tradition from Montaigne to Emerson

English Literature (British And Commonwealth)

St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, UK Read complete works of Shakespeare during half-year study abroad program, 1999

Education record