Karel Janeček

Janeček was born in Plzeň. He graduated from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University in Prague in the field of probability and mathematical statistics. He is an MBA in finance graduate of Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois, US, and a PhD graduate in the field of mathematical finance of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US.

From 1998 to 2000, Janeček worked as a mathematical analyst for the hedge fund Market Research Ltd. He founded the financial company RSJ, which became known for algorithmic trading on international derivatives markets. RSJ's core trading activity is market making, using automated trading systems to provide liquidity by continuously placing buy and sell orders. The company focuses primarily on futures contracts and has traded on major exchanges in Europe, the United States and Asia.

RSJ's algorithmic trading became the main source of Janeček's wealth. He was for many years one of the company's largest shareholders but gradually reduced his involvement. In 2016, after having already left the company's management, he reduced his stake from 40% to 25%.

Janeček has two daughters from his first marriage to Michaela, and a son from his second marriage to Mariem. Since May 2017, he has been in a relationship with Lilia Khousnoutdinova, and they have a daughter and a son. They got married first in a Buddhist wedding ceremony in Bhutan in 2017 and officially on 21 December 2021 in Prague. He is a Buddhists.

In 2010, Janeček established a fund to support scientific research in the Czech Republic. In 2013, it became the Neuron Fund for Support of Science after additional private donors joined the initiative. The fund awards grants and prizes to Czech scientists and promotes private support for scientific research.

In November 2021, Neuron's scientific and governing boards ended their cooperation with Janeček after he criticized COVID-19 restrictions and the vaccination of children during the Český slavík awards. The fund said that some of his statements contradicted scientific evidence and distanced itself from his views.

In 2013, Janeček introduced the D21 – Janeček method, an electoral method in which voters can cast multiple positive votes and, in some versions, a negative vote. Janeček developed the system as an alternative intended to encourage broader consensus and reduce political polarization.

The method has mainly been used in participatory budgeting and other civic decision-making projects in the Czech Republic and abroad. Research has examined its effects on voter participation and electoral outcomes, although it has not been adopted for national parliamentary elections.