Early Life and Education
David G. Kabiller was born on July 2, 1963, in Chicago, Illinois, to a Jewish family. He displayed a passion for academics from an early age. Kabiller earned a B.A. in economics from Northwestern University, where he received an athletic scholarship to play tennis and was named to the Big Ten's Academic All-Conference team. He later obtained an M.B.A. from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.
Rise to Success
Kabiller's career began with a role as Vice President at Goldman Sachs & Co.. He is best known as the founder, founding principal, and head of business development of AQR Capital Management. Kabiller played a pivotal role in initiating AQR's international growth and the introduction of mutual funds. He spearheaded the creation of the AQR University symposia series and the AQR Insight Award. Kabiller established AQR's QUANTA Academy program, an employee development initiative.
Key Business Strategies
At AQR, Kabiller has been instrumental in adopting systematic, research-driven approaches to investment, offering both traditional and alternative investment strategies. AQR focuses on factor-based investing and has expanded to include both hedge funds and mutual funds. Kabiller's focus has been on creating innovative investment products and building educational initiatives, such as the AQR University symposia series, to engage with and educate investors.
Philanthropy
Kabiller is a member of the Northwestern University Board of Trustees and a large donor to academic and athletic scholarship programs. He is involved with the Advisory Council of the AQR Asset Management Institute at London Business School and serves on the board of the Terra Foundation for American Art. He created the Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine, a $250,000 biennial award and the $10,000 Kabiller Young Investigator Award. In 2021, he endowed the Kabiller Science of Empathy Prize at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. In 2023, Kabiller helped conceive the Longevity Transitions Salon series at Stanford University's Center on Longevity.
