Basin Zikanov Capital Management
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Basin Zikanov Capital Management, often abbreviated as BZCM, is a conglomerate founded in 2001 by entrepreneurs Gary Basin and Kirill Zikanov. The headquarters are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States with a secondary office in Durham, North Carolina. Originally formed as a financial trading and private wealth management firm, BZCM quickly grew as it attracted affluent Russian and Scandinavian investors interested in their low-key but high risk approach to seeking alpha. Its current focuses include, but are not limited to, utility trade, aviation manufacturing, and the financial markets.
Going off of sparse media releases and insider information from suspected shareholders, BZCM's total AUM are rumored to be in the range of $160 Million to $5.8 Billion; with an estimated $62 Billion in Assets (estimated using market values of various BZCM firms' close competitors), BZCM is leveraged quite highly. (Note: This leveraging has apparently decreased since early 2003 after the sale of a large tract of Iraqi oil drilling rights to undisclosed buyers)[citation needed].
It is currently privately held with the holding company's equity split between the two founders.
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[edit] Current Ventures
- Military Technology - BZCM is currently developing military applications for its research on bioluminescence and insect flight. It is currently under contract with the Israeli army as well as that of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Labor Cost Arbitrage - BZCM has developed proprietary models to assist the analysis of opportunity cost and expected value inherit to outsourcing of labor to third world locales. BZCM played a major consultant role in the development of General Motors production line operations in Mexico.
- Proprietary Options Trading - BZCM participates in a wide variety of options markets through its proprietary trading operations, including exotic agriculture and debenture swaps where they have been successful in abrogating path-dependent pricing assumptions through the discrete turnover of diametric-outliers in their long gamma exposure.
- Scrotum Follicle Arrangement - BZCM is currently undergoing extensive research in an effort to better innovate in the field of scrotum follicle arrangement. With literally millions of hair follicles being either planted, removed, or weaved throughout the scrotum, an effect so incredible develops that it cannot even be explained. It must be seen in person. A volunteer by the name of Selwan Barbat has had the hair on his scrotum shaped and arranged into what looks like the Mona Lisa.
[edit] Private Equity Department
- BZCM's newest enterprise, Private Equity, was launched February 12, 2007. It was announced that BZCM has tapped John M. Brockardt (no relation to the noted Stanford primatology Ph.D.)to head the new endeavor. The private equity fund has opened up to accept capital from family members and close friends. It is rumored that they may extend this to all qualified investors in the future - the PR department had no comment when inquired. Several deals are already rumored in the works, including but not limited to:
- Merkin Manufacturing - After decades of stagnation, BZCM sees the merkin industry as poised for strong growth in the coming years. Several Merkin manufacturing and distribution firms are rumored to be in negotiations with BZCM for full take-over as well as large capital placements. BZCM's interest in the merkin markets is no surprise to industry insiders, as Mr. Brockardt's past involvements with the industry (see also Shetland Merkin Debacle of 1986) have caused considerable consolidation and revolutionized the production cycle of merkin technology.
[edit] Criticisms
Local media in the various overseas areas where BZCM operates have been known to criticize them for their business's practices as well as their attitude towards regulation (mostly legislative). Indeed, legal filings indicate that the firm has retained legal counsel from a cryptic entity referred to only by the initials JA, who is believed to be affiliated with the University of North Carolina School of Law and a rising star in the legal scene, in response to current lawsuits and legal proceedings levied against the firm in several countries (including Iceland and Guatemala) as a result of the nature of many BZCM owned companies operating on the cusp of legality.
