Perscient reveals AI-powered human insight into the narratives driving your business. Now empowering transformative leaders to master the past, seize the present, and shape the future.
Ben Hunt, PhD | Co-Founder | Dr. Hunt has researched narrative and unstructured data for more than 30 years, from his doctoral research at Harvard University (Ph.D., 1991) through a ten-year career as a tenured professor of political science and the subsequent co-founding of two technology companies built on his research. Hunt began his investment career in 2003 in venture capital and subsequently served as Portfolio Manager for long short equity hedge funds at Iridian Asset Management (2006-2011) and TIG Advisors (2012- 2013), where he was responsible for all elements of fund strategy and operations. In 2013, Hunt launched Epsilon Theory, a newsletter and website read by more than 100,000 professional investors and allocators for its fresh perspective and novel application of narrative and game theory to market dynamics. Dr. Hunt most recently worked with Rusty Guinn at Salient Partners as Chief Risk Officer and Chief Strategist before the two co-founded Second Foundation Partners in 2018.
Rusty Guinn | Co-Founder | Rusty has spent his entire career in the investment industry as portfolio manager, business executive and allocator. Most recently, he led the retail and institutional asset management businesses at Salient Partners, where he also served as a portfolio manager on multibillion-dollar strategies. Guinn previously served as Director of Strategic Partnerships and Opportunistic Investments at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, where he directed a $12 billion portfolio spanning public and private investments. He also served as a portfolio manager for TRS’s externally managed global macro hedge fund and long-only equity portfolios and served as a member of the Management Committee for the $100 billion plus pension plan. Guinn is a graduate of the Wharton School and lives in Fairfield, Connecticut, where he is a member of the Easton Volunteer Fire Company, a board member of the Houston Youth Symphony, and patron of the Houston Shakespeare Festival.
Chris Whatley | CTO | Chris has spent over three decades as an entrepreneur, manager, and hands-on software engineer across technology, entertainment, and financial services. As CIO and VP Engineering at DipJar, he designed and built a secure payment facilitation platform around a custom point-of-sale device for the charity and tipping markets. Previously, at Viacom’s Kids and Family division, Chris led multiple teams that evolved major digital properties including Nick.com, NickMom, Noggin, Addicting Games, and Shockwave, successfully implementing the company’s first responsive website while improving site performance. Earlier in his career, Chris worked at NeXT Computer and Apple before co-founding CodeFab in New York, developing pioneering e-commerce and content management systems. Before joining Second Foundation Partners, Chris co-founded Alpha Drive, a cloud simulation provider for the autonomous vehicle industry. Chris studied mathematics and computer science at the University of Texas at Austin.
Jeremy Radcliffe | Chief Product Officer | Jeremy has nearly three decades of experience as an entrepreneur, executive, investor, and business leader of client-first businesses. Today he serves as the Chief Product Officer for Perscient and is also focused on business development, marketing, and client relationship management. Prior to re-joining Ben and Rusty at Perscient in 2025, he worked with both of them at the asset and wealth management firm he co-founded in Houston in 2012, Salient Partners. In between Salient and Perscient, he co-founded and led Valedor Partners, a private investment firm that worked on behalf of individuals and institutions in private equity and venture capital. Jeremy graduated magna cum laude from Princeton with a degree in Classics, and enjoys reading, traveling with his wife and children, playing sandlot baseball and his guitar, and watching sports.
Jessica Rutland | Senior Product Manager | Jessica brings over ten years of SaaS expertise, contributing to product development, strategic positioning, launches, user adoption, and iteration. With experience in both product management and product marketing, she offers a practical, cross-functional approach to creating tools that users love. Jessica holds a degree in Government and English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin and lives in Lockhart, Texas, with her husband, Corey.