Lucas Schuermann

Lucas V. Schuermann is an entrepreneur, investor, software engineer, and roboticist. He studied Computer Science at Columbia University (2014–2019) as an Egleston Scholar — a distinction awarded to the top ~1% of the engineering class — where he also served as a teaching assistant for Computer Graphics (COMS 4160) and Advanced Programming in C (COMS 3157), and later as Entrepreneur in Residence at Columbia Engineering Entrepreneurship (2018–2021). He began college-level mathematics coursework at the University of Oklahoma at age 12 and completed part-time graduate coursework at Stanford University (2020–2021). Early in his career he interned as a quantitative strategist at Goldman Sachs (2016), worked as the first employee of Fero Labs (2016–2017), and interned in the robotics division at Google X (2017).

In 2017 Schuermann co-founded Qu Capital, a quantitative crypto trading firm, with Columbia collaborator Edward Yu. Qu Capital was acquired by Digital Currency Group in 2019, after which Schuermann became VP of Engineering at Genesis Trading, then one of the largest OTC crypto desks in the world, where the desk processed well over $250 billion in volume. The "qu.capital" domain behind his contact email traces back to that first venture.

In 2021, Schuermann and Yu left Genesis to build Variational, where Schuermann is Co-Founder and CEO. Variational is a non-custodial, Arbitrum-based peer-to-peer (RFQ) protocol for onchain derivatives, offering perpetual futures on real-world assets such as oil, silver, copper, and gold alongside crypto. The protocol has processed more than $200 billion in volume since launching and aggregates liquidity from both traditional and onchain markets to support 100+ perpetual contracts.

Alongside operating Variational, Schuermann is an active angel investor, drawing on his background in scalable software engineering, systems design, and quantitative finance to back and advise early-stage founders.

*Note: Schuermann has not published a formal thesis or a public list of angel checks; the above is inferred from his own background and stated interests.*

• Stage: Focuses on seed-stage companies, with selective participation at Series A.
• Sectors: Strong affinity for what he knows deeply — crypto/DeFi infrastructure, quantitative and algorithmic trading, fintech, and technical/deep-tech software.
• Founder-operator lens: As a two-time founder (Qu Capital, Variational) and former VP of Engineering at a top crypto desk, he evaluates opportunities through a builder's and quant's lens — systems design quality, engineering rigor, and market microstructure.
• Advisory posture: Public bios describe him as someone who has "founded multiple companies and advised early-stage startups," suggesting hands-on, technically engaged support rather than passive capital.