Bloomberg: Wall Street bikes for autism research in rain-soaked ride

Now in its eighth year, Wall Street Rides FAR has raised more than $3 million for the Autism Science Foundation. The fundraiser was the brainchild of Harkins, a former Cboe Global Markets executive, and his wife Melissa Moo Harkins, sales director at crypto company Blockdaemon and founder of the women’s triathlon apparel brand MooMotion. Some of their own extended family members were diagnosed with autism.

This year’s event brought in more than $1 million. Sponsors span traditional players such as trading firms Citadel Securities and GTS, banks including Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase & Co., and exchange operators Cboe, IEX Group Inc. and the New York Stock Exchange. Crypto firms are also in the mix, including FTX and The Block.

Talos Trading, the crypto company for buy-side institutions, uses the event as a team-building exercise. The firm flew in employees from Chicago and London to participate. “The rain helped us bond. We now have a good story to tell,” co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Ethan Feldman said. “Plus it’s a who’s who of fintech and crypto.”