By Nick Pantages
@nick_pantages22
In the new world where artificial intelligence grows in use, figuring out a proper way to utilize its resources is paramount to reap the benefits it can offer. Springfield College senior computer science and finance major Tofael Hossain is doing just that.
Hossain is the founder of a startup company called SigmaPointPi, a quantitative hedge fund research company that uses artificial intelligence to help make statistical predictions and decisions.
SigmaPointPi uses a combination of artificial intelligence and machine learning, programmed with over 450 micro and macro factors that use mathematical equations and models. Hossain says this process helps take the human emotion out of trading, focusing only on the market analysis of the stocks. It can also help the common person take advantage of their money in a better way.
“We do have a lot of platforms like Robin Hood and things like that,” Hossain said. “You need to pick those stock prices for the long term or short term. But here, the machine learning artificial intelligence automatically selects those things to get the higher returns every time.”
One thing Hossain is currently working on is the risk mitigation algorithms for the platform, designed to help yield positive returns as much as possible.
The idea from SigmaPointPi started with Hossain’s research into neuromarketing systems as a part of the honors program at Springfield. He had previously entered into the CFA Institute Research Challenge, designed to give university students around the world a hands-on approach into what it is like to be a research analyst. These two experiences helped inspire Hossain to pursue this project.
“I used machine learning over there, like some complex algorithms,” Hossain said. “And I thought, ‘I can do that.’”
SigmaPointPi is a FinTech company, which involves using technology to help improve financial services. This perfectly encapsulates both of Hossain’s majors, computer science and finance, and combines them both into a single project.
Hossain uses his knowledge and passion for finance to help drive the company, while using his skill and experience in computer science to help form models and equations for the machine learning and coding aspects of the website and app.
“Computer science is full of complex algorithms, and I love mathematics, so I invented some equations,” Hossain said. “I need new equations and models from my mathematical perspective, and the coding sections from my computer science majors. My high school was full of science, like no finance background. But here I learned from my professors, and they encouraged me to do the finance section.”
Hossain’s math and science proficiency comes from his time in his home country of Bangladesh, where he hails from Satkhira.
In Bangladesh, Hossain studied at Bangladesh Navy School and College, which is equivalent to a high school level education in the United States. Of the three areas of learning, which are arts, commerce and science, Hossain chose the latter, dedicating his studies to learning math and science. This has paid off with the advancement of SigmaPointPi.
He also keeps himself busy on campus. In addition to being a part of the honors program and a double major, Hossain is the president of two clubs. He leads the Springfield Speech & Debate Society as well as the Springfield Founders & Entrepreneurs Club, a group that Hossain founded at the beginning of the spring 2025 semester. He combines this with being a student-athlete, as a member of the golf team.
Juggling all these responsibilities with trying to develop a start-up FinTech company is obviously challenging, but Hossain’s background at the Navy school gave him the skills necessary to thrive in this situation.
“I’m from that kind of environment,” Hossain said. “Like in my high school, I was in the military, it’s called Bangladesh National Credit Corps. I was a Credit Corporal over there, so I’m really a disciplined guy, like I know how to manage time. It’s all about disciplines and minimal sleep, of course.”
One of the struggles Hossain has faced with the development of SigmaPointPi is the element of adapting to human emotion.
Although the machine learning models try to make informed decisions without the emotional aspect, trying to mimic human behavior and human language through an algorithm is very challenging.
Hossain has used a form of machine learning called natural language processing (NLPs) to help quantify human language. From there, he uses the BIRCH algorithm, a complex formula designed to find trends through cluster patterns.
This is a model used by some of the largest companies in the world, including Amazon, that Hossain uses to find things such as reaction to positive or negative tones.
“One of the algorithms of SigmaPointpi’s platform is called BIRCH,” Hossain said. “It’s so we can understand seeing your emotions. But it’s really hard to measure those things. So I’m working on the BIRCH algorithms, which are really complex, because it’s really hard to measure the emotions and what will happen if I say [something positive or negative], and what kind of reaction I get from the CEO or markets. So that’s the main challenge, human behavior to algorithms.”
Ethical use of artificial intelligence has been a big debate lately, and especially when it comes to the financial sphere, there are big implications regarding the use of this technology. Hossain’s belief is that there are advantages to using this, and claims that many top business and finance schools are using this technology to help efficiently analyze data and form equations.
“The world is full of AI right now, and we need to integrate in my opinion,” Hossain said.
“I talked to some professors from other top universities, like [The University of Pennsylvania’s] Wharton Business School professors, and I think the newspapers say that Wharton Business is the top business school today. The students there are using artificial intelligence for their academic purposes, not to write anything, but to get information and data. So I think we need to go with the current world. So I think it’s best to get this artificial intelligence in our day-to-day life so that we are not behind.”
The program derived directly from Hossain’s coursework, and he credits the Chair of the Business Management Department, Laura Katz, and Director of Alumni Relations Maria Crawford as major resources in the process of developing SigmaPointPi.
“This college is full of friendly people,” Hossain said. “If you reach out to a professor, they’re willing to help. And as an international student, I faced, and I’m facing a lot of different things, and ongoing situations, and the professors from every course, they are helping a lot.”
Photo courtesy of Springfield College Marketing