Meet Elías: A Learner with a Purpose
Elías Andrés Gaete Fuenzalida, hailing from Chile, with years of experience in finance and teaching at the university level, he had built a solid career. Yet something was missing.
“I’ve always loved investment topics. Even in my first job, I was managing small accounts and I knew this was the field I wanted to grow in.”
With a degree in Commercial Engineering—a unique blend of business and finance—Elías had developed a strong foundation in financial theory, statistics, and Excel. However, when it came to stepping into the modern world of quantitative trading, he found himself on unfamiliar ground.
Searching for the Right Path
Like many driven learners, Elías turned to the internet in search of a structured and in-depth program that could help him transition from traditional finance to quantitative investing. He consulted ChatGPT for recommendations and narrowed it down to three potential courses.
“Out of the three, EPAT stood out. It had everything I was looking for: complete curriculum, strong faculty, and a truly global student community.”
Despite the clarity in curriculum, there was one big challenge ahead: Python programming. Elías had no prior exposure to coding—but instead of backing out, he embraced the challenge head-on.
“At first, programming in Python was totally unknown to me. But thanks to tools like ChatGPT and the support I received throughout the course, I was able to move past that initial fear.”
In fact, Elías believes that if he had taken the course a decade ago, it would have been much harder.
“Back then, we didn’t have tools like this to support us. Today, it’s easier—but only if you stay committed.”
Overcoming Challenges: Language, Workload, and Learning Curve
Elías didn’t just battle with programming. English wasn’t his first language either.
“The language barrier was real in the beginning. I struggled to follow some of the early classes, but over time, I improved.”
Alongside learning Python and quant strategies, Elías was also working full-time as an internal auditor in a company dealing with electrical projects. Balancing a demanding job with a rigorous academic program took a toll.
“In the last two months of the course, I was overwhelmed. I had a lot of work responsibilities. But I managed to make time to study and prepare for the final exam.”
And his efforts paid off.
The EPAT Experience: Structure, Support, and Community
Elías credits the structure and support of EPAT for making the journey manageable and deeply rewarding.
“The course was incredibly well-organized. The support from mentors like Lakshmi was amazing—every doubt was addressed on time. I never felt lost.”
He also spoke highly of the instructors, especially Jay Parmar, Faculty, EPAT, whose sessions on portfolio management made a lasting impression.
“Jay is an amazing teacher. He explained complex topics with such ease. Portfolio management quickly became my favorite subject because of him.”
Even while preparing for the final certification exam, Elías remained determined despite personal workload pressures.
“In the final months, I was overwhelmed with work. But I carved out time to focus. I didn’t study everything in depth—but I focused on what I understood best and leaned on the video content to fill in gaps.”
The Turning Point: A Passion for Portfolios
One of the key highlights of Elías’ journey was discovering his deep interest in portfolio management. Inspired by both the curriculum and extensive reading he did on his own, he decided to focus his final project on portfolio diversification and risk-based rebalancing strategies.
“I read many books from March to October. That helped me realize that portfolio management was the area where I felt the most comfortable and excited.”
Working under the mentorship of Ajay, Elías fine-tuned his strategy.
“Ajay was amazing. He solved a problem in my code that I’d been stuck on for two weeks. It completely changed the way I looked at certain elements of my project.”
Elías’ EPAT Project: Diversification of the Portfolio
Elías’ capstone project was not just a technical report—it was a practical strategy designed to make diversification more accessible and understandable. The foundation of the strategy was built on selecting 22 stocks across 11 different sectors of the S&P 500 index, ensuring a broad and balanced economic representation.
He then developed a risk-based rebalancing portfolio, where the allocation changed quarterly depending on the standard deviation (risk) of each asset. Riskier stocks received smaller weights, and less volatile ones were given more exposure.
“The idea was simple: help people understand how to reduce risk through diversification, and rebalance the portfolio regularly to maintain stability.”
One of the standout insights of the project was how his strategy performed during the COVID-19 period—a time of global financial volatility. Despite market turbulence, his portfolio showed strong resilience and better drawdown characteristics compared to the benchmark.
“It couldn’t beat the benchmark on returns, but the volatility was lower, and the Sharpe ratio was better. For me, that was a win.”
In the third part of the project, Elías introduced a hedging strategy by going short on the benchmark, proportional to the portfolio’s beta, further demonstrating his growing sophistication in portfolio construction.
You can access the full project. Access Elías’ complete project notebook and analysis here.
A New Chapter Ahead
Now that Elías has successfully completed the program, he’s looking ahead to the future with a lot more confidence and clarity.
“Before EPAT, I didn’t know how to create any kind of investment strategy. Now, I’ve built a complete one from scratch.”
Though he’s currently taking a short break to improve his English in the UK, he’s already exploring opportunities in the investment and quant finance industry.
“I’m passionate about this field. I want to build a career in quant. I know there’s still a lot to learn, but now I have the foundation and the support to take the next step.”
He also praised the EPAT alumni community and continued access to materials and mentorship.
“The resources are always available. I feel like I’m not alone. The support system and the environment you’ve built—this is what makes the difference.”
Final Words
Elías’ story is a testament to what can happen when curiosity meets perseverance. From Chile to the UK, from spreadsheets to Python scripts, from traditional finance to quant strategies—his journey with EPAT is nothing short of inspiring.
“This course opened my world. Everything I know now about quant, I owe to EPAT.”
Next Steps for you
Explore EPAT trading projects on various topics:
Elías’ journey is a powerful example of how determination, personalized mentorship, and practical learning can help anyone, regardless of background, step confidently into the world of quantitative finance.
Whether you’re a finance professional looking to transition into quant, a student aiming to future-proof your career, or simply someone passionate about data-driven investing, you can start your own journey today.
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- EPAT Project – Diversification of the Portfolio
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Disclaimer: In order to assist individuals who are considering pursuing a career in algorithmic and quantitative trading, this success story has been collated based on the personal experiences of a student or alumni from QuantInsti’s EPAT programme. Success stories are for illustrative purposes only and are not meant to be used for investment purposes. The results achieved post completion of the EPAT programme may not be uniform for all individuals.
The information in this project is true and complete to the best of our Student’s knowledge. All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the student or QuantInsti®. The student and QuantInsti® disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information. All content provided in this project is for informational purposes only and we do not guarantee that by using the guidance you will derive a certain profit.