Darren Solanki

MiamiTechnology executiveBitcoin evangelist since 2016Founder, Herd AppsEmbracing AI

Darren Solanki, technology executive, Bitcoin evangelist and founder of Herd AppsOne operator.Six streams.No 9-5. No single point of failure.

Darren Solanki spent 20+ years running technology and security for brokerages, insurers, lenders and a credit union. Now he is a Bitcoin evangelist, in crypto since 2016, and the founder of Herd Apps. He embraces AI, and the superintelligence that comes after it, to build the apps for what comes next.

Book a talk Get the free Bankable guide

FollowLinkedInInstagramTikTok

ask-the-stacktype help, or tap a chip
20+ yrsin global technology leadership
7 C-leveltechnology roles since 2011
Solo-builtNXSIG, an AI trading-signal engine
16.3KInstagram followers, @scotchracer
~/story

From the server room to the front of the room.

Twenty-seven years, five chapters. Each one handed him the tools for the next. Drag the year to travel through it.

2026

Every role, to scale.

Full record on LinkedIn
  1. BSc Information SystemsUniversity of Bedfordshire, 1999
  2. Information TechnologyKensington Mortgage Company, UK, 2000 to 2002
  3. Network AdministratorMaple Leaf Foods, Toronto, 2003 to 2005
  4. Storage Analyst, then Business AnalystDundee Securities, Toronto, 2005 to 2008
  5. Manager, Information Security, Privacy and ComplianceManulife Financial, Toronto, 2008 to 2011Business unit security officer across 20 business units.
  6. CIO and VP, Information TechnologyNCP Northland Capital Partners, Toronto, 2011 to 2012Technology vision, a $2M+ budget, SOX and IIROC/FINRA audits.
  7. Chief Information OfficerHybrid Financial, Toronto and New York, 2013 to 2015
  8. Chief Information OfficerTerrawatu, nonprofit, Tanzania, 2013 to 2015Technology for developing countries.
  9. Chief Information OfficerDover Federal Credit Union, 2015 to 2016Ran IT and led cyber security compliance.
  10. Chief Digital OfficerRational Point, Miami, 2016 to 2018Digital projects and cyber security risk for government clients across the Americas.
  11. Chief Information OfficerSherlockTalent, Miami, 2017 to 2018
  12. Interim Chief Information OfficerConfidential company in stealth mode, contract, 2018 to nowExecutive IT adviser: cost reduction, platform conversion, board-level technology.
  13. Founder and CEO, Exotic Car Society2016 to now
~/ai

Embracing AI. Ready for SI.

Darren spent two decades guarding the systems that run money. Now he treats AI as a tool to build faster, and keeps an eye on what comes after it: superintelligence. One person with the right tools can do what used to take a department.

daily

Build.

Founder of Herd Apps. NXSIG built solo. DYOR and ApedIn in development.

daily

Trade.

A mean-reversion signal engine, backtested across stocks and crypto, with machine-learning filters in validation.

daily

Run.

Several ventures, one operator. No department, no 9-5, no single point of failure.

Talks and podcasts

Keynotes, panels, podcasts and team sessions. Flip a card for why he can speak to it.

  • The one-person company

    How AI lets one operator run what used to need a whole team, and how to start.

    why darren

    He runs Herd Apps, NXSIG, Exotic Car Society and Scotch Racer as one operator, with AI doing the work of a team.

    Enquire

  • AI that trades

    What building NXSIG taught him about machine learning, backtesting, and telling a real signal from hype.

    why darren

    He built NXSIG alone: a validated mean-reversion engine, backtested across stocks and crypto, running on Cloudflare, Supabase, Discord and Stripe.

    Enquire

  • AI and security

    A CIO's view of the new risks AI brings, and the new defences it makes possible.

    why darren

    Security officer for 20 business units at Manulife. SOX and FINRA audits as a CIO. Cyber risk for government clients across the Americas.

    Enquire

  • No 9-5

    The future of work, and why several streams beat a single job when machines can do the rest.

    why darren

    It is his own rule: no 9-5, no single point of failure. Several streams, each able to run on its own.

    Enquire

  • Money's next chapter

    AI, Bitcoin and scarce assets: how people will build wealth in the next ten years.

    why darren

    A Bitcoin evangelist, property investor and rare whisky broker, who wrote that Macallan and crypto are both great stores of value.

    Enquire

  • Put him on your stage or your show.

    AI and the future, the one-person company, building credit. Keynotes, panels, podcasts and team sessions.

    Enquire about a talk

Speaker bio

For hosts and organisers. Free to use.

Connect on LinkedIn
Darren Solanki is a Miami-based technology executive, Bitcoin evangelist and multi-venture builder. Born and raised in London, he spent more than 20 years leading IT and cyber security for brokerages, insurers, lenders and a credit union, including seven C-level roles. In crypto since 2016, he founded Herd Apps, built the NXSIG trading-signal engine and is developing the DYOR and ApedIn social trading platforms, embracing AI and SI along the way. He also runs Exotic Car Society and Scotch Racer, and wrote Bankable, a free guide to building credit.
~/streams

Six streams. One operator.

Each stream runs on its own. If one slows, the others keep flowing. That is the whole point. Try it: switch one off.

No single point of failure

Tap a switch to cut a stream.

Darren6 of 6 streams flowing
AI trading signals, founded and built solo

NXSIG

AI-powered trading signals for stocks and crypto. A validated mean-reversion signal engine, backtested across both markets. Machine-learning filters are in validation.

mean Diagram of the idea. Not live data, not performance.
CloudflareSupabaseDiscordStripe
nxsig.io
Founder · building for the future

Herd Apps

Darren founded Herd Apps, a privately held holding company for a herd of consumer apps and games built for where tech is heading: AI, crypto and play-to-earn.

  • SOL Invaders: a Space Invaders-style game where players earn SOL.
  • A play-to-earn arcade, solarcade.app, in development.
herdapps.com
Social trading · in development

DYOR & ApedIn

Twin social trading platforms for crypto's next generation. Follow traders, see what people are buying, and trade the moment, together. DYOR is named for the oldest rule in crypto: do your own research. ApedIn is for the ones who already went all in.

joindyor.comgetdyor.appapedin.app
Illustration of the idea. Not real users or trades.
Founder and CEO since 2016

Exotic Car Society

Exotic car content and community. Lunch in 2018 with legendary Lamborghini test driver Valentino Balboni.

exoticcarsociety.com
Real estate investor

Property

A property ladder from a first apartment bought with 5% down to buying a home outright in cash.

How he did it: Bankable
~/crypto

In crypto since 2016.

A Bitcoin and crypto evangelist for a decade. He doesn't just hold it. He builds for it: signals, games and social trading. Tap a block.

Not financial advice. Crypto is volatile; do your own research.

~/scarcity

Scarcity drives value.

The same idea runs through his whisky, his Bitcoin and his property. A short file from the Scotch Racer years, told only with what he has shared in public.

1of 600

The Macallan 72 in a Lalique decanter. One of 600 made. He offered one in 2019. Move across the field to find it.

$10K

The call, 2021. He said the Macallan 30 was heading to $10,000 on scarcity, at a time the Macallan 40 was over $20,000.

The whisky log

  1. A day with George Grant of Glenfarclas.
  2. Sold a bottle Christie's couldn't sell.
  3. Offered the Macallan 72 in a Lalique decanter, one of 600 made.
  4. Posted the Macallan Red Collection 78 and 40.
  5. Wrote that Macallan and crypto are both great stores of value.
  6. Ardbeg Fermutation.
  7. Collaborated with artist Brian Polidixon on one-of-one Macallan Editions artwork.
  8. A Sir Peter Blake display stand.
  9. Macallan 60.

Also in the collection, shown in public: Lalique decanters and Macallan Folio 6. Follow along at @scotchracer.

ruleScarcity drives value.

ruleBuy what's unloved.

ruleA network beats a famous name.

ruleEarn on both ends of a deal.

~/bankable  free guide at bankableyou.com

Bankable

Build credit. Use leverage. Climb any ladder.

A free, plain-English US guide. Build credit from zero, use cards and the bank's money wisely, and climb, whether your next rung is a first property, a business or a bigger life. Darren used the same playbook to go from 5% down on a first apartment to buying a home outright in cash.

Read the free guide Book a Bankable Session
from rung 3, play the reporting date

Reporting-date planner

Your card reports your balance once a month. That number sets your utilization. Keep it under 30%, ideally under 10%.

$
$
Reported utilization40%
Hurting

Pay $1,550 before the statement date to show under 10%.

  1. Set upMonth 0
  2. Get on the boardMonths 1 to 6
  3. Widen the baseMonths 6 to 12
  4. Get mortgage-readyMonths 12 to 24
  5. ClimbYear 2+
  1. Get on the board
  2. Feed the scorePayment history 35%, amounts owed 30%, length of history 15%, credit mix 10%, new credit 10% (Experian/FICO).
  3. Play the reporting dateUtilization under 30%, ideally under 10%. Try the planner above.
  4. Two credit filesPersonal and business. A PAYDEX of 80 means on time, 100 means early.
  5. Use the bank's money, keep yours
  6. Make the mortgage workBi-weekly payments make 13 a year. Experian: on a $400k 30-year loan at 6.5%, that saves about 6 years and about $119k.
  7. A small key, a big doorThe leverage of 5% down.
  8. Make your salary work twice
  9. Let the equity climb
  10. Be the customer banks want
~/work

Work with Darren.

Talks on AI and the future. One-to-one help with credit, mortgages and deals. Executive technology advisory for companies.

For organisations

Talks and podcastsEnquire

AI and the future, the one-person company, building credit. Keynotes, panels, podcasts and team sessions.

Technology and CIO advisoryEnquire

Interim CIO, security and compliance, platform and cost transformation. Day rate or retainer.

For individuals

Bankable Session$250 to $400

A 60-minute call. Your reports reviewed together. A written 12-month plan.

Mortgage-Ready Sprint$1,000 to $1,500

Four sessions over three months.

Business Credit Setup$750 to $1,500

EIN, D-U-N-S, net-30 vendors and your first business card.

Deal Review$500 per deal

A second set of eyes on a deal before you commit.

Get in touch

Compose a request here, copy it, then send it to Darren as a direct message. Nothing is sent from this page.

Message on LinkedInDM @scotchracer