Flirting with Models Podcast | Data as the True Competitive Moat
February 09, 2026
In this episode of Flirting with Models, host Corey Hoffstein speaks with Angana Jacob, Global Head of Research Data, Bloomberg Enterprise Data.
They talk about Angana’s career path through quantitative research and data platforms, and how the industry has evolved from a world dominated by bespoke models and backtests to one where many models have become increasingly commoditized. A central theme of their conversation is the idea that while models are easier than ever to replicate, data — how it’s sourced, cleaned, standardized, linked, and delivered — has become the true competitive moat.
They discuss what it means to “do data correctly,” how Bloomberg decides which datasets to build or sunset, how modern quants think about their data pipelines and tech stacks, and why aligning research data with production and back-office systems matters more than most people realize. Throughout the episode, they focus on Bloomberg’s goal of shortening a client’s time to alpha, and what that looks like in practice.
At its core, this episode is about a simple but powerful idea: when everyone has access to similar models, durable edge increasingly comes from the data beneath them.
>> Listen to the full interview on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube.
Episode Chapters
0:53 – Guest introduction and career journey
5:13 – Evolution of quant research and the importance of data
12:28 – Bloomberg’s approach to data and shortening time to alpha
16:17 – Building vs. buying data sets and their life cycle at Bloomberg
20:37 – Building a company geographic exposure data set
23:21 – Evolution of quant data pipelines and alignment across offices
29:13 – Modern tech stack and challenges in data platform development
38:15 – Balancing raw data with value-added modeling
42:02 – Surprising trends in data usage and strategy convergence
46:28 – Future trends in data needs and the next frontier
49:03 – Common mistakes and lessons in data wrangling
51:25 – Advice for quants on leveraging data
54:08 – Guest’s current obsessions outside of work