An idea still needs a plan
An investor can have a view about the world and still face a series of jobs: research the idea, compare investments, check existing exposure and decide what to buy.
Volaren brings those jobs into a personal investing agent. It connects the investor’s accounts, explains portfolio moves and turns questions into research and proposed trades. [1]
The investor chooses the permissions. Trades can wait for individual approval or run through an agent within the rules and budget the investor sets. [1]
Start with the portfolio you already own
Volaren connects bank and brokerage accounts so the investor can see holdings together. It explains what changed and answers questions using that broader picture. [1]
A market move that looks small in one account may matter across several holdings. Volaren helps the investor investigate the exposure behind the change instead of reading each account separately. [1]
The same conversation can lead to a new idea, a strategy to follow or a proposed trade. Investors can use the web, the app or text to work with the agent. [1][2]
Volaren also supports practice strategies, letting people explore an approach before choosing whether to put real money behind it. [1]
From a thesis to a proposed portfolio
One scenario the founders shared starts with a thesis about demand for computing power and electricity. The investor wants to explore the companies and assets affected by it.
Volaren can research the idea, propose a portfolio across relevant asset classes and examine exposures the investor may want to hedge. The investor can then review the proposed trades.
The same process lets an investor ask what could undermine the idea or how it overlaps with current holdings. Research and portfolio questions stay in the conversation.
After reviewing the strategy, the investor decides how much authority to grant. A tap can approve an individual trade, or an agent can operate within an explicitly chosen budget and rules. [1]
Proactive, within the investor’s limits
Volaren can keep watching the market and bring the investor an explanation or a new idea. Agents can also follow selected strategies and act within the permissions they have been given. [1]
Those permissions make the operating model practical: the investor can decide where to stay involved and which recurring decisions to delegate. [1]
Volaren is available as beta software, with a free starting plan and practice accounts for simulated strategies. Trading support depends on the connected broker and asset; money stays with the broker. [1][3]
Built by investors and engineers
Martin Pestana and Akshat Mittal met at the University of Chicago and worked at Goldman Sachs. Pestana also brings experience from quantitative investing at AQR. [2]
They founded Volaren in 2026 and joined Y Combinator’s Fall 2026 batch. Their goal is a personal investing agent that stays with the investor across research, monitoring and action. [2]
The product starts with a conversation about the investor’s own money and ideas. The connected accounts and chosen permissions give that conversation somewhere to go. [1]
Where Volaren ranks
Volaren isn't in a numbered ranking yet. Products get a position once enough companies compete on the same task.
Current rankings. Positions come from public evidence, and no company can pay for a place. How we rank
The bigger picture
An investing idea becomes useful when someone can examine it against the portfolio, choose an approach and keep following it. [1]
Volaren is building an agent for that whole process, with the investor setting the boundaries. [1][2]
Written by SOTA2 from Volaren’s public materials and information its founders provided. Customer experiences and product plans are reported by Volaren.