Meeting Summary
On 24 April 2026, Tom Hitchcock held an introductory meeting with Umut Sagir, CEO and Founder of ThetaSeek, a London-based AI infrastructure firm specialising in autonomous financial operations. The introduction was facilitated by Steve Babister, a mutual contact with longstanding relationships with both parties.
The conversation covered a wide range of topics including Umut's professional background in high finance and engineering, the AFX fixed bond product, the Gateway Master Trade (GMT) algorithmic trading strategies, and the broader Broadbranch Wealth investment platform vision. Umut demonstrated his own financial automation platform at ThetaSeek, which includes AI anomaly detection, compliance monitoring, and market signal intelligence systems.
Both parties identified significant synergies, particularly around compliance, due diligence, and the potential for ThetaSeek's intelligent systems to add an additional layer of transparency and investor confidence to the Broadbranch Wealth product suite.
Umut Sagir
Role
CEO & Founder, ThetaSeek
Location
London, United Kingdom
Background
Engineer & Finance Professional
Experience
15+ Years in Financial Infrastructure
Professional Background
Umut is an engineer by training who transitioned into high finance, building a career that spans investment management, fund management, quantitative solutions, and treasury operations. His dual expertise in technology and finance positions him uniquely at the intersection of both disciplines.
At Deutsche Bank, Umut served as an analyst in the equity listed options market-making team — a three-person unit responsible for multi-billion-dollar daily trading volume. This experience gave him deep exposure to derivatives, risk management, and the operational mechanics of institutional-grade trading.
Key Career Highlights
Deutsche Bank
Equity listed options market-making team — multi-billion-dollar daily volume
MasterCard HQ
Successful AI implementations at global headquarters
Deloitte Ireland
Hired externally for a tax optimisation case Deloitte could not solve internally
ML Institute, London
Deep learning neural network fellowship — received standing ovation from Google engineers
Bored Ape Yacht Club
Developed investigative algorithms and transactional analysis for the NFT project's creator
Hedge Fund Fundraising
Captured interest from 90% of 200–300 target charities in a fundraising campaign
"I'm an engineer by heart. My main chunk of experience is in finance — mostly high finance, investment management, fund management, quantitative solutions, treasury operations."— Umut Sagir, during the meeting
About ThetaSeek
ThetaSeek is a London-based AI infrastructure firm (established 2024) that builds GenAI systems to transform financial operations from reactive to autonomous. The company serves banks, asset managers, hedge funds, private equity firms, and fintech teams — precisely the ecosystem within which Broadbranch Wealth operates.
Core Services
Financial Automation
Automated reporting, investor relations, research, modelling, and fundraising workflows.
Strategy Consulting
Strategic guidance for buy-side and sell-side transformation.
Process Mining
Discovery and optimisation of reporting, research, fundraising, and investment decision workflows.
Intelligent Systems
AI-powered systems that learn, adapt, and operate autonomously across financial operations.
Platform Capabilities Demonstrated
During the meeting, Umut demonstrated several live features of the ThetaSeek platform that are directly relevant to our needs:
AI Anomaly Detector
Identifies correlation-based anomalies in market data — for example, flagging when oil and the US dollar exhibit mixed correlation patterns, or when the VIX rises during an equity downturn with a flat yield curve.
Compliance Radar
Tracks all compliance-related issues and new regulations in finance in real time, including EU AI Act deadlines, DORA operational resilience requirements, and FCA/PRA regulatory changes.
Signal Intelligence
Scans market information including indicators and price trends, surfacing anomalies that go beyond straightforward signals — such as the S&P 500 deviating from its 200-day moving average.
AI Cost Calculator
Estimates the impact of AI agent deployment on finance teams, including hours freed, FTE equivalents, and estimated value recovered.
The ThetaSeek Team
Umut Sagir — CEO & Founder
Former Deutsche Bank analyst, 15+ years in financial infrastructure, AI implementations at MasterCard HQ and Deloitte
Matt James — COO
30 years in operations across fintech, biotech, and publishing. Series B scaling specialist, ISO 9001/13485, GDPR & EU AI Act expertise
Nikolas Kuhn — Quantitative Research
Stanford PhD in Mathematics, Oxford Postdoctoral Researcher, Max Planck Institute. Deep expertise in quantitative research and AI modelling
Where Umut Can Help Us
The partnership opportunity with Umut and ThetaSeek centres on three core areas that align directly with the challenges we face as we build out the Broadbranch Wealth investment platform.
Compliance & Due Diligence
Umut's background in institutional finance — particularly his time at Deutsche Bank in derivatives market-making — gives him a deep understanding of regulatory frameworks, risk management, and compliance requirements. ThetaSeek's Compliance Radar already tracks regulatory changes across the FCA, PRA, EU AI Act, and DORA. This capability could be leveraged to ensure both the AFX and GMT products meet the regulatory standards required for distribution to UK pension markets and institutional investors.
AI-Powered Analytics & Investor Confidence
ThetaSeek's intelligent systems — including the AI Anomaly Detector and Signal Intelligence tools — could provide an impartial, data-driven layer of verification for our investment products. As Tom noted during the meeting, having a third-party technology partner that can independently demonstrate managed risk and real value would significantly strengthen investor confidence. This is particularly important given the high-return nature of both AFX (1.5% monthly) and the GMT strategies.
Technology & Platform Collaboration
Beyond compliance, there is a broader opportunity to integrate ThetaSeek's financial automation capabilities into the Broadbranch Wealth platform itself. Umut's experience building decision-support tools, trading analytics, and investor-facing dashboards could accelerate our platform development. His team includes a Stanford PhD mathematician (Nikolas Kuhn) and a 30-year operations veteran (Matt James), providing depth across quantitative research and operational scaling.
"Not only have you got the regulatory framework which we've created, as well as the audited results and all the other information, but we've also employed ThetaSeek to help us demonstrate that what we're doing is something of real value with managed risk."— Tom Hitchcock, describing the vision during the meeting
AFX & Gateway Master Trade
The following is a summary of the two primary products discussed during the meeting. These are the products for which Umut's compliance and due diligence expertise would be most immediately valuable.
AFX Fixed Bond
| Return | 1.5% fixed monthly |
| Structure | Fixed bond with 30-day unlock period |
| Minimum Investment | £100,000 |
| Capital Protection | 85% of deployed capital sits with institutional liquidity providers carrying no trading risk |
| Risk Buffer | AFX funds a 15% risk buffer exceeding the 10% absolute stop loss |
| Strategy | Algorithmic trading — liquidity provision across forex, crypto, and commodities |
| Key Person | Lee Pastor — experienced trader with 15 years background in accounting, former pension company fund manager |
| Regulatory Status | In the process of obtaining regulatory codes for distribution to UK pension market (SIPP/SSAS) |
The AFX product is designed for investors seeking consistent monthly returns with capital protection mechanisms. The 85/15 split between institutional liquidity providers and the trading risk buffer provides a structured approach to risk management. The product is currently being positioned for regulated distribution to UK pension markets.
Gateway Master Trade (GMT)
| Strategy | Multi-strategy algorithmic trading with quantitative teams |
| Asset Classes | Forex pairs and diversified commodity types |
| Structure | Investment is spread across multiple sub-strategies for risk diversification |
| Verification | Independently audited — external auditors provide on-premise performance verification |
| Partners | Block Assets Management, Pioneer, and Pelican |
| Regulatory Status | In the process of obtaining licensing for institutional-grade investment platform access |
GMT offers a more diversified approach through multiple algorithmic trading strategies and sub-strategies. The independent audit trail is a significant differentiator, and the multi-strategy structure naturally spreads risk across different trading approaches and market conditions.
How Umut's Expertise Applies to These Products
Umut's specific value in relation to AFX and GMT falls into several categories. His experience in equity derivatives market-making at Deutsche Bank means he understands the mechanics of algorithmic trading, risk buffers, and capital protection structures from the inside. His work with Deloitte on tax optimisation cases demonstrates an ability to navigate complex regulatory environments. ThetaSeek's Compliance Radar and AI Anomaly Detector could provide ongoing, automated monitoring of both products' performance and regulatory standing.
During the meeting, Umut emphasised the importance of honest risk communication — noting from his Deutsche Bank experience that high-risk products require clear categorisation and responsible positioning. This ethical alignment with our own approach is a strong foundation for collaboration.
Strategic Alignment
The conversation revealed several areas of natural alignment between Broadbranch Wealth and ThetaSeek that extend beyond the immediate compliance and due diligence needs.
Shared Ethical Framework
Both parties independently emphasised the importance of honest risk communication and investor protection. Umut's reflex towards responsible disclosure — shaped by his engineering training and finance ethics education — mirrors our own commitment to transparency.
Wealth Management Automation
Umut noted that wealth management automation has been on his radar for over a decade, citing robo-advisory and sophisticated advisory as a natural evolution. ThetaSeek is already built for this space.
Institutional Credibility
ThetaSeek's client base includes institutional-grade entities. Having their technology and expertise associated with Broadbranch Wealth would add a layer of credibility when approaching institutional investors and pension funds.
Complementary Client Bases
Our client verticals — SMEs/fintech, high-earning UK contractors, and high-net-worth surgeons and doctors — represent exactly the type of sophisticated investors who would benefit from the additional due diligence and analytics ThetaSeek can provide.
Tax Optimisation Angle
Umut's Deloitte experience in tax optimisation aligns with our strategy of helping business owners invest surplus corporate funds to offset tax liabilities through strong investment returns.
"It's really important to be responsible to avoid those situations where people lose. But if you're a gigantic fund, a pension fund, and you have a little allocation for high-risk assets, then yeah, it's amazing. That distinction is really important."— Umut Sagir, on responsible risk communication
Next Steps for Tom & Mike
The following action points outline what needs to happen next to move the partnership conversation forward with Umut and ThetaSeek. These are ordered by priority.
Prepare the Broadbranch Wealth Briefing for Umut
Create a comprehensive, bespoke web page outlining everything we are doing with Broadbranch Wealth / Broadbranch Capital. This should include the full product suite (AFX, GMT), our vision for the investment platform, our client verticals, regulatory progress, and the partnership opportunity. This is the document Umut needs to fully understand our business before he can assess where he sees a potential fit.
Compile Detailed Product Documentation
Mike to provide Tom with the detailed technical and commercial information on both AFX and GMT — including risk management frameworks, regulatory status updates, audited performance data, and partner details (Block Assets Management, Pioneer, Pelican). This information will feed into both the briefing for Umut and the broader platform documentation.
Review ThetaSeek's Platform and Capabilities
Both Tom and Mike should review the ThetaSeek website (thetaseek.com) and the platform capabilities demonstrated during the meeting. Particular attention should be paid to the Compliance Radar, AI Anomaly Detector, and Signal Intelligence features — these are the tools most directly relevant to our compliance and due diligence needs.
Define the Scope of Engagement
Before the next conversation with Umut, Tom and Mike should align on what the initial scope of collaboration would look like. Is it a consultancy engagement for compliance review? A technology integration partnership? A broader strategic alliance? Having clarity on this will make the next conversation more productive.
Arrange Introduction Call: Mike & Umut
Tom mentioned during the meeting that he would like to introduce Mike to Umut in due course. Once the briefing document is prepared and Umut has had a chance to review it, schedule a three-way call for Mike and Umut to discuss the technical and operational aspects of a potential collaboration.
Research Umut's LinkedIn and Professional Network
Review Umut's LinkedIn profile and professional connections to identify any additional mutual contacts or potential introductions that could support the partnership. His network in institutional finance and fintech could open doors for Broadbranch Wealth beyond the immediate collaboration.
Reference Links
ThetaSeek Website
Umut's AI financial infrastructure platform — review services, solutions, and case studies
Umut Sagir — LinkedIn
Umut's professional profile, career history, and network
ThetaSeek — About Page
Team bios, company mission, and principles
ThetaSeek — Services
Full breakdown of financial automation, strategy consulting, process mining, and intelligent systems
Broadbranch Wealth — Confidential
Prepared 24 April 2026 — For internal use by Tom Hitchcock & Mike Cook