TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research Analyst, Obex Capital Research

Aaron Gabin

I have over 20 years’ experience investing in the TMT and Consumer sectors, almost entirely on the buyside. Started at Bernstein covering software in 2001, moved to the buyside at Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) in 2003, covering hardware, software, and media. 

After getting an MBA at NYU in 2008 and a CFA, I spent 8 years at Coburn Ventures (a market neutral TMT/Consumer hedge fund). In 2015, I joined Deimos Asset Management, a low net multi-strat, where I managed a  TMT/Consumer portfolio.

I've spent the past few years at Obex Capital Management providing independent investment research to TMT and Consumer investors.

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research Analyst

Snowflake 4Q21 Earnings: Their Revenues ARE Worth More Than Yours

Snowflake 2Q22 Earnings: Stay Tuned to Analyst Day

Snowflake 3Q22 Earnings: The Abominable Snowman

Snowflake – Extremely Pretty, but Liable to Melt in Amazon’s Sun

Battle Lines Drawn As BABA Builds Out First/Last-Mile Capacity; But Who Will Fund 75+ Bn CNY CapEx?

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research

Obex Capital Research

“Obex” is Latin for Barriers to Entry. Obex Capital Management’s investment philosophy is driven by an intense focus on which business model’s Barriers to Entry are able to withstand the ever increasing competitive disruption in the TMT and Consumer Sectors.

Equity Bottom-Up

<p>Snowflake had a good quarter…it was a bit above expectations that were well telegraphed from the IPO, and their guidance was only inline (though likely conservative)….so what does one do with a stock that is the single richest multiple in the stock market (100x+ sales)? Buy a lot more? We can’t pretend to understand why this stock was up 16% today. And we can’t pretend to understand why the market values its revenues at 3x!!! the rest of high valuation software. We don’t short on valuation alone. But we certainly couldn’t justify owning Snowflake.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><div class="content-highlight"><p>Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.</p></div>

Snowflake had a good quarter…it was a bit above expectations that were well telegraphed from the IPO, and their guidance was only inline (though likely conservative)….so what does one do with a stock that is the single richest multiple in the stock market (100x+ sales)? Buy a lot more? We can’t pretend to understand why this stock was up 16% today. And we can’t pretend to understand why the market values its revenues at 3x!!! the rest of high valuation software. We don’t short on valuation alone. But we certainly couldn’t justify owning Snowflake. Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.

Snowflake 3Q21: Our Revenues Are Worth More Than Your Revenues