Key Takeaways
- • Christian Lamarco, a 31-year-old short seller who founded Culper Research after a two-year stint at an unnamed Chicago long-short equity fund, has gained attention following a short report on Nvidia published in May, according to eFinancialCareers.
- • Culper's Nvidia report alleged a "China problem" and an "uncomfortably close" relationship between Nvidia's CEO and an executive at one of its customers; per the article, Nvidia shares have fallen from over $220 to around $180.
- • Lamarco is reported to be staying with his own fund rather than pursuing a large multistrategy firm, as short selling is considered hard to scale institutionally.
- • Swiss headhunter Oprandi & Partner is courting Dubai-based managers with $500m or more in client assets, promoting Swiss private banking as a safe haven amid geopolitical risk.
Summary
Christian Lamarco, a finance major from a small Christian college who was not recruited by elite-school-focused hedge funds, has become a notable figure in short selling. According to eFinancialCareers, he finished second in a national stock-picking contest, took a job at an unnamed long-short equity fund in Chicago where he worked for two years, and then founded Culper Research, a short-selling operation. He won an award from Activist Insight in 2025 and runs a firm with two employees.
The firm's profile rose sharply after a May short-seller report on Nvidia, which cited a "China problem" and speculated about an "uncomfortably close" relationship between the CEO and an executive at one of its customers. The article states that Nvidia's stock has fallen from over $220 to around $180 and notes reports that the board is investigating another affair. Culper's research has since gone viral, and Lamarco has reportedly avoided social media and declined TV interview requests.
eFinancialCareers judges that Lamarco is unlikely to move to a major institutional platform, since Culper is established and short selling is difficult to deploy at scale, with targets typically much smaller than Nvidia, requiring heavy research and exposing managers to litigation. Returns can be strong and largely uncorrelated to the market but are described as lumpy and volatile.
Elsewhere in the same newsletter, Swiss recruitment firm Oprandi & Partner, through headhunter Jürg Knecht, is targeting Dubai-based professionals with $500m or more in client assets, promoting Swiss private banking's safety amid geopolitical risk. Knecht reportedly believes some managers with young families may consider relocating.
The firm's profile rose sharply after a May short-seller report on Nvidia, which cited a "China problem" and speculated about an "uncomfortably close" relationship between the CEO and an executive at one of its customers. The article states that Nvidia's stock has fallen from over $220 to around $180 and notes reports that the board is investigating another affair. Culper's research has since gone viral, and Lamarco has reportedly avoided social media and declined TV interview requests.
eFinancialCareers judges that Lamarco is unlikely to move to a major institutional platform, since Culper is established and short selling is difficult to deploy at scale, with targets typically much smaller than Nvidia, requiring heavy research and exposing managers to litigation. Returns can be strong and largely uncorrelated to the market but are described as lumpy and volatile.
Elsewhere in the same newsletter, Swiss recruitment firm Oprandi & Partner, through headhunter Jürg Knecht, is targeting Dubai-based professionals with $500m or more in client assets, promoting Swiss private banking's safety amid geopolitical risk. Knecht reportedly believes some managers with young families may consider relocating.
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