ShanifDhanani

ENTREPRENEUR
Hey there! I'm Shanif - a young professional with a background in technology and a passion for investing and trading. I've been developing software since 1997 and have been trading options profitably since 2008.
I have a BS in Computer Science and Systems & Information Engineering, and recently earned my MBA, focusing on Quantitative Finance and Entrepreneurship. These days, I focus on generating high returns with options trading and building up a successful mobile software business.
The Gang Trading & oGolfing
One of the first days where everyone has been around… fun times
View comments →The Best Therapy

Image from mazwebs
Other than family, there are two people that, throughout the past 11 years, I’ve felt have always had my back unconditionally (and one other that was around for about 3 years). These are people that I’ve felt I can tell anything and everything about myself and I won’t be judged and will only be slightly made fun of. To those people, I owe my mental sanity, and they are more than friends – and this is something that I hope they know (especially since I’ve told them). Chatting with them is a great way for me to unwind.
But when they’re not around, I’m lucky enough to have had something to calm me down that’s been with me for even longer than they have (granted, only for a few months).
As you may have guessed from the picture, that something is the guitar. To be more specific, my electric Ibanez and my acoustic-electric Takamine Jasmine guitars.
For those that don’t play an instrument, I can only try to convey the zen-like state of mind that comes from picking up one of these old companions and getting in the zone while playing some old school favorites. If you’ve played the guitar (or really, any instrument you’re passionate about) in the past, hopefully you’ll know what I’m talking about.
I used to practice every day, particularly in college. I’ve gotten significantly worse now, and I usually only pick it up when I’m really upset (which, fortunately, isn’t very often these days), but it has never failed to be an incredible therapist.
Those two have gotten me through the worst times – breakups, a little bit of depression, school issues, work issues, friend issues, old-friends-turning-into-new-enemy issues, everything.
I’m just thankful to have been able to learn enough on them that I’m able to use them now as a way to get a little bit more centered. Unfortunately, I lost my guitar calluses a long time ago, so trying to play them now eases the mind and kills the fingers. Maybe I can build those back up though in the near future.
I’ve realized that I need to wear my heart on my sleeve – it’s just who I am. But that’s a dangerous game to play, and there are a select few that I can actually bring that out to, so for times when they aren’t around, it’s jammin’ time.
View comments →Shameless Plug
OK, two things:
- I have an international friend graduating with an MBA and looking for a job in consulting. If you know of anyone that’s hiring, please let me know.
- oGolf is looking for investors. If you know of anyone that may be interested, please get in touch, I can send you our investor materials.
Thanks!
View comments →Another Random Post That’s Not Worth Reading About A Song I Just Heard
Akon – Right Now
Been a long time since I’ve heard that one…
View comments →Joel’s Bachelor Party – Whew
What a ridiculous night…
I seriously think this is the latest that I’ve been out during my time at Stern (Italy notwithstanding). Not horribly late, I know, but still, late.
View comments →Stern Love – And Because I’m No Longer On Facebook…
Daughtry – No Surprise
Because, you know, it reminds me of a lot of stuff
View comments →So How’s Life?
I’ve been lax in my posting as of late. I’ll take that to be a good thing – a sign that I’m busy and have a lot of things going on. And I am, but that’s no excuse for not writing up something quick.
So, how’s my life?
Stern
School has been busy recently. Even though I finished up about 10 credits before spring break, I’m getting a lot of homework and tests from my remaining classes, and it’s all coming to a head in this last month before graduation.
Man, these past two years have gone by fast.
To be honest, it has all changed me. My life is completely different than what it was before. I’m a very different person. I can’t imagine going back to where I was in 2010. And it’s all for the better.
New York has changed me, also for the better. I love it here. I’ll be here after I graduate – hopefully in a sky-rise building, perhaps in Midtown.
It’s hard to imagine what life is going to be like after I graduate. For the past two years I’ve been living and breathing Stern – or at least, business school (as was the case in Italy). My social life has revolved around it. I’m hoping things don’t come to a crashing standstill after school finishes.
As for now, though, I still have to get through a ridiculous amount of work and exams. As much as I like the student lifestyle, I hate exams and I hate pointless assignments, and I can’t say I’m a big fan of pointless classes either. I usually like interesting projects and classes that teach me things I can use in industry, but even those are getting on my nerves now. Senioritis is here.
Work
As far as plans after graduation, I’m going to continue trading and working with oGolf, at least as long as we’re all up and running. We’ve gotten some solid momentum as of late, but right now we’re running up against a pretty debilitating time crunch and a lack of cash. We’re in serious financing and sales mode now, so if you know of any investors that would be interested in putting in some money, let me know.
Fortunately for me, I’ve been doing okay with my options trading, at least, well enough that I don’t have to go work for anyone else just yet. If I don’t keep doing oGolf, I’m going to work on building up a business around that. I’m also planning on moving further uptown, maybe around 50th. That should help me save a few hundred on rent while also giving me a nicer place to live. I’m probably going to room with a friend of mine from DC, who now lives and works up here in NY, so I’m looking forward to that.
Social Life
When I came back from Italy, I wrote a post on how I needed to start focusing on those friends and relationships that truly matter. So far, I think I’ve been able to stay true to that. I definitely don’t see or hang out with as many people as I did in the first year of school. Hell, my aim was to get to know about half the class, if not more. But the quality of my relationships this year, or at least after I came back from Italy, has dramatically improved. I feel good about who I’m spending time with. Less is more, quality over quantity, etc etc.
Everything Else
I’m in a weird spot right now, for me, at least. I have no idea about what’s going to happen in the future, I have no clue if I’ll be able to keep supporting myself with my trading, or whether I’ll be able to build a business off of it, or whether or not oGolf will succeed. I don’t know where I’ll be living in a few months. I don’t even know if my social life will still be fulfilling or if I’ll be hunched over a computer coding all day after I graduate.
But for the first time in my life, all of that doesn’t really bother me. I’m in a place where I’m happy, the opportunities are endless, the people are exciting, and life is good. Most importantly, I’ve gotten super close to my nuclear and extended family in the past few years, and I know that they’re going to be there; I’m incredibly lucky to have them, and I know that if worst comes to worst, I can fall back on them.
But for now, I’m looking forward, and I have to say, “the future looks bright for me.” (Name that song)
View comments →Experience
Options Trader
IndependentFounded an investment club focused on generating consistent, periodic income by using the aid of custom-developed analytic methodologies and computer programs to trade options
• Generated an average annualized return of 40%
• Coordinated the research and analysis efforts for myself and two partners
• Developed and automated several quantitative analysis algorithms that assist in the investment process by providing rankings of publicly traded companies based on financial fundamentals, listings of stocks with the highest options premiums, and predictions of stock movement based on trending and momentum criteria. Created the algorithms using the fundamental principles of weighted trade studies and later automated them using Ruby on Rails
• Created a website that enables the publication of investment articles and provides access to the aforementioned automated algorithms, a portfolio management tool, and educational resources
• Performed market research on publicly traded companies, focusing on industry standing, historical performance, competitive advantage, and future prospects
• Managed legal, financial, accounting, logistics, long-term strategy, and investment objectives
Software developer and member of founding team
oGolfMember of the management team on an early stage startup that developed technology to provide data analytics and game management software for golfers.
• Created a website allowing golfers to review a comprehensive set of analytics about their game
• Developed financial projections and investor presentations, presented the new business and software at conferences, pitched to potential investors, and demoed the product to customers
• Developed strategy and marketing plans for growing the business
• Recruited new talent to assist with software development, marketing, and operations
Associate
Booz Allen HamiltonProvided information and communications management solutions to public and private organizations as an IT consultant at a large, multi-national consulting organization.
• Managed timelines, resources, and a staff of up to 10 software developers and testers in the technical implementation of a project management application that allowed over 4,500 users on 500 projects to easily collaborate on key deliverables, organize project schedules, review budgets, and create financial projections. Coordinated the efforts of staff from multiple departments across the firm to implement a new development process that reduced the number of hours needed to create and test new software by more than 50%, eliminated the need for overtime work, and ensured the timely delivery of new functionality. Received a performance award for ensuring product quality, meeting deadlines, and effectively managing personnel
• Led and managed the technical implementation, logistics, timelines, and activities of myself and two other developers in the delivery of a web-based traffic simulation engine that provided a testbed for industry-specific application developers to test their proprietary algorithms. Received a performance award for “leading the team and ensuring critical deadlines were achieved without sacrificing quality.”
• Assisted in domain administration for a server farm consisting of SharePoint front-end web servers, Microsoft SQL Servers, domain controllers, and a SAN
• Lead developer for a Ruby on Rails and Flex-based application designed to automate the deployment of SOA-based military service offerings. Implemented a RESTful methodology for saving and delivering data to a Flex front end
• Participated in university recruiting and interview efforts for the firm. Provided recommendations that led to the hiring of approximately one-quarter of the total staff on sub-team, as well as the hiring of approximately 30 junior staff straight from college
• Progressively increased managerial responsibilities over the course of two promotions in three years
Software Developer
Wamily, LLCMember of the management team on an early stage startup that developed web-based group communication, management, and coordination software.
• Worked with a team of web developers to create an Internet business centered on a website that would allow its users to easily manage and interact with their real-life groups in an online setting
• Developed widgets for communication and collaboration, permission models and security implementations, and user interfaces for site features
• Created software using Ruby on Rails, CSS, HTML, JavaScript, Prototype, script.aculo.us, and MySQL
• Assisted in recruiting 500 alpha users and raising $20,000 in angel investments
• Participated in board meetings to determine long-term strategies
Intern Research Assistant
Booz Allen HamiltonProvided research and development support as a technology intern to a large, multi-national consulting firm.
• Provided a fully functional, database-backed web application for use by overseas military personnel in a shortened timeframe of 3 weeks as part of a 3-person development team
• Created a collaboration site that provided Navy leadership with near-real time critical information to streamline the decision making process in the Navy Gulf Coast Region in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
• Designed and created several web part solutions using APIs from Active Directory, Microsoft MapPoint, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Microsoft SharePoint
• Created a Macromedia flash proof-of-concept dashboard for a status reporting application integrated with SharePoint
Researcher and Lead Developer
University of VirginiaDeveloped software, created algorithms, and analyzed information management processes that would optimize the battery life on micro-sensor hardware devices as part of a university thesis project.
• Coordinated the efforts of a five-member team focused on developing an approach to optimize the use of resources on wireless sensor networks
• Designed, implemented, and maintained a simulation engine capable of simulating enemy solider movement and sensor network functionality in customized, loadable, user-defined scenarios. The application was written in C#, supported XML-based loadable scenario files, and utilized various optimization algorithms (such as Dijkstra’s algorithm and A*). The simulation engine provided users with an intuitive graphical user interface for simulation control as well as the ability to view and report on simulation progress
• Performed statistical and quantitative analysis on results to determine optimal resource allocation policy for the tested scenarios
• Lead author and presenter of a paper at the IEEE Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium describing results
Researcher and Developer
Personal and Academic ProjectsDeveloped a variety of software for a myriad of purposes on several different platforms and programming languages.
• Developed and tested a C# desktop weight management application using Access as the database backend, and later migrated it to the Internet using PHP and MySQL
• Lead developer on a team that created, documented, and tested robot control and communication software for the Evolution ER1 robot. The software allowed users to remotely control the robot by way of a specially created communications protocol
• Developed a prototype for an interactive Macromedia Flash map that retrieves external data and allows users to easily view them in a geographically organized format
• Created a discrete event queuing model simulation of a dining facility located on campus using Rockwell Arena, based on data gathered and interpreted by the project group
• Created a prototype Peer-to-Peer application based on the Gnutella search and communication protocol in Microsoft Visual Studio .NET using C# and TCP/IP socket programming
Branch Manager
College Works PaintingParticipated in an internship designed to hone and cultivate the entrepreneurial skills of college students by allowing them to run their own local branch of a large, nationwide business.
• Operated a local house painting business, which generated over $15,000 worth of gross revenue in contracts with 25+ clients
• Responsible for sales, payroll, recruitment, operations, customer relations, and marketing
Volunteer
American Red CrossVolunteered as a member of the executive management board of the youth community service organization of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the American Red Cross.
• Served as president (2001-2002), vice president (2000-2001), and member of a local youth community service organization as part of the National Capital Chapter of the American Red Cross
• Managed and coordinated the execution of various community service projects and their logistics, including fund-raising, logistics, marketing, and management of personnel
• Served as one of five United States youth representatives to the international Youth Exchange in 2000
• Received various formal volunteer recognitions
• Gained skills in leading multi-person projects, effective communication, and time management
Education
Master of Business Administration
NYU Stern School of BusinessCompleted two years of a rigorous MBA program at a top business school, focusing on acquiring the skills required to improve my trading activities and start a new business.
• Graduated with specializations in Quantitative Finance and Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• First Year Activities: Associate Vice President of Technology for the Stern Hedge Fund Association and Associate Vice President of Communications for the Entrepreneurs Exchange Club
• Member of the Technology and New Media Group and the Association for Investment Management and Research
• Completed one course on Doing Business in China at the Guanghua School of Management at Peking University
• Studied abroad at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy
Bachelor of Science
University of VirginiaCompleted four years of study in the engineering school, focusing on acquiring software development, statistical analysis, modeling, simulation, and data analytic skills.
• Received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and double majored in Systems and Information Engineering
• Received a minor in Math
• Part of a team-oriented effort to improve resource usage in sensor networks. Main author of a paper published at the IEEE Systems and Information Engineering Design Symposium
• Graduated with distinction
• Achieved Dean's List in 3 different semesters
Personal

Contact info
- Name: Shanif Dhanani
- Address: New York, NY, USA
- E-mail: shanif.dhanani@gmail.com
- Phone: 703.477.1438
























































































mate, sounds like you need another holiday in Oz.. ;)