TerraManta

Market position

An early-stage fintech applying AI and machine learning to commodity price forecasting and futures trading, listed in the Orange County startup directory under AI & Machine Learning, Analytics & Big Data and FinTech categories.

The company positions its software as operating like a team of human analysts without biases, running continuously, and combining geopolitical event analysis with commodity market fundamentals rather than relying on either alone; it cites a claimed 85%+ accuracy on its 21-day WTI price forecast across the curve.

Technology

Proprietary natural language processing and machine learning technology analyzes thousands of articles and analyst reports per hour from professional data sources alongside structured fundamentals data, modeling relationships between events such as export sanctions and countries' behavior in response to them. Price actions in futures markets that follow fundamental shifts are captured as the basis of a proprietary approach the company calls "Reflection of Reality," under which recurring market behavior is recognized and used to generate price forecasts. Generative AI built on deep domain-specific models produces market assessments and recommended trading strategies. The company states it has processed and collected more than 10 years of data with this technology.

Go-to-market

Direct sales of a subscription product to commodity-exposed companies, supported by trials with energy companies, plus outreach to accredited and institutional investors for equity and trading capital via inquiries through the company website.

Companies exposed to multi-million dollar commodity price risk, traders and analysts working in crude oil and other futures markets, and accredited and institutional investors for its capital-management offering.

Geography

Headquartered in Irvine, California, United States, with an engineering team present in several countries.

History

TerraManta describes three validation milestones for its software: in early 2016, forecasting that the WTI front month contract would reach $28 per barrel by mid-January 2016 following an 18-month decline from $110; in early April 2020, forecasting three times that the WTI front month contract would turn negative in late April, ahead of the May contract closing at minus $37 on April 20, 2020; and in February 2022, a motivational analysis of oil producing and consuming nations that put the probability of a Russian invasion of Ukraine at near 100% ahead of the February 24, 2022 invasion. After the April 2020 milestone the company began paper trading. In February 2019 TerraManta joined the OC Startups Directory as a Bronze member of the Orange County Startup Council.

Risks & controversies

Performance figures, forecast accuracy claims and validation milestones are self-reported by the company; the site notes that past performance does not guarantee future results and that paper trading fund returns are limited by available computing power.