Mark Spitznagel (/ˈspɪtsneɪɡəl/; born March 5, 1971) is an American investor and hedge fund manager. He is the founder, owner, and chief investment officer of Universa Investments, a hedge fund management firm based in Miami, Florida. He is known as a pioneer in so-called “tail-hedging” or “black swan” investing, an investment strategy intended to provide “insurance-like protection” against stock market crashes.