Cowen Inc., is an American multinational independent investment bank and financial services company that operates through two business segments: a broker-dealer and an investment management division.[2] The company's broker-dealer division offers investment banking services, equity and credit research, sales and trading, prime brokerage, global clearing and commission management services. Cowen's investment management segment offers actively managed alternative investment products. Founded in 1918, the firm is headquartered in New York and has offices worldwide. As of 2018, Cowen managed US$11 billion in alternative investment strategies. Cowen is known for successfully identifying disruptive companies and emerging industries early on. Examples include Amazon.com, and the emerging US$75 billion cannabis[3] industry, having been the first Wall Street firm to publish cannabis research.