About me

I’m John Reilly, a Mathematics & Economics student at NYU with a focus on finance, product, and data-driven decision making. Over my college career, I've worked on building financial tools and understanding how people actually use them.

My background spans product, trading, and research positions; I've designed and managed features at The Block, launched a social trading platform, and ran quantitative strategies in live markets with real funding. I’m especially interested in products that sit close to markets and investing workflows, and love the complexity that they bring.

In the future, I would like to build and operate products in fintech or investment-related businesses. However, at the moment I’m focused on gaining more experience in financial products as well as searching for a full-time role.

What I’m doing

  • product icon

    Product development

    Working on new features and products, writing requirements, and coordinating with design and engineering to ship usable MVPs.

  • research icon

    Market research

    Studying market structure, trading strategies, and investment themes across equities, crypto, and alternative datasets.

  • startup icon

    Startups

    Building and iterating on Ports, a platform for creating and investing in curated stock portfolios.

  • data icon

    Data & analytics

    Working with Python, R, and BI tools to build models, dashboards, and analyses that support product and investment decisions.

Resume

Education

  1. New York University, College of Arts and Science

    Jan 2024 — May 2026

    B.A. in Mathematics & Economics — GPA: 3.33/4.0
    Relevant Coursework: Game Theory, Mathematics of Finance, Econometrics, Analytical Statistics, Probability

  2. University of Sydney, Faculty of Science

    Jul 2025 — Dec 2025

    Study Abroad
    Relevant Coursework: Advanced Statistical Time Series, Corporate Finance

  3. Purdue University, College of Engineering & Science

    Jul 2022 — Dec 2023

    B.S. in Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mathematics — GPA: 3.62/4.0
    Relevant Coursework: Linear Algebra I & II, Macroeconomics, Thermodynamics

Experience

  1. Product Management Intern — The Block

    May 2025 — Jul 2025

    • Managed a new review product, writing requirements and shipping an MVP with design and engineering
    • Implemented Google Ad Manager and configured inventory to streamline ad operations
    • Prioritized Jira tickets and refined specs for new revenue-driving features
    • Used Ahrefs to identify SEO issues and guide engineering fixes

  2. Founder & Product Lead — Ports

    Jun 2024 — Jun 2025

    • Designed and launched a social trading platform for curated stock portfolios
    • Led product development and feature expansion to improve engagement
    • Built financial models and revenue projections to guide growth strategy

  3. Quantitative Trader & Co-Founder — Zephyr Capital

    Aug 2023 — Dec 2024

    • Founded and registered a fund with $100,000 in initial capital
    • Reduced risk through machine learning-driven rebalancing and hedged strategies
    • Backtested equity and options strategies using simulated trading
    • Used LLM-based NLP techniques combined with data scraping

  4. Centralized Trading Intern — CAPTRUST

    May 2024 — Aug 2024

    • Assisted in institutional and fixed-income trade execution
    • Built PowerBI dashboards to track interval fund positions and reduce errors

Projects

  1. Research Specialist — Mathematical Finance Group @ NYU

    Jan 2024 — May 2026

    • Researched algorithmic strategies in emerging markets
    • Presented and implemented methods from academic papers

  2. Blockchain Algorithm Implementation Consultant

    Mar 2024 — Aug 2024

    • Worked on crypto data collection and blockchain arbitrage strategies using deanonymized wallet data

  3. Team Lead — ASA DataFest (Best in Show)

    Apr 2023

    • Built machine learning prediction models and visualized results using Tableau

Technical Skills

  • Python, R, SQL, Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, MATLAB, PowerBI, Tableau, Git, Jira, MS Office, G-Suite, LaTeX

Interests

  • Beekeeping, Cribbage, Mountain Biking, Jazz Piano, Chess, Running, Photography