WEALTH MANAGEMENT
Secfi | September 28, 2022
Secfi, the leading provider of equity planning, today announced the launch of Secfi Wealth, offering personalized financial advice, investment management, and access to alternative investments opportunities for those with startup equity. As a registered investment advisor (RIA), Secfi will now expand on its equity planning expertise to provide comprehensive financial advice and ongoing investment management specifically for the startup community.
Equity is the most exciting yet daunting aspect of a startup employee’s financial life, and requires dedicated expertise and guidance to get it right. The startup community is underserved by today's wealth managers who lack extensive experience with stock options, advanced tax planning, and a deep understanding of venture valuations. In addition, they often require clients to have at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in investable assets. Secfi provides investment advice when it matters most early in one’s financial life which is why Secfi doesn’t require a minimum amount of investable assets to work with an advisor.
Secfi brought John Morrison on to lead the design and management of client portfolios, as well as educate clients on investing. John brings over a decade of portfolio management experience to Secfi. He was a portfolio manager of systematic active strategies at Dimensional Fund Advisors for several years. He also spent a number of years evaluating alternative investments from a risk management point of view at Goldman Sachs, and consulted at Bain and Company.
We listen to our clients and build a portfolio that suits them and their unique situation. Our goal is to save them money, make them money, and/or lower their risk by taking a systematic, data driven approach to investing while controlling what we can control in the structuring and management of their portfolio, Many of our clients reached their current level of financial wealth by taking a chance at a startup, working hard, and reaping outsized returns as a result. We help them grow that wealth in a way that avoids single points of failure so they can have the freedom to live the life they want to live and potentially take another chance on something with confidence,said Morrison.
“Startup equity is an important gateway to future wealth, which is why it’s key that it be incorporated into financial planning, Historically, access to this level of expertise and wealth management would be limited to startup founders. But the reality is that it’s needed by all levels of startup employees. We’ve been waiting for this day ever since we started Secfi to provide a holistic offering to our clients.”
-Frederik Mijnhardt, CEO and Co-Founder of Secfi
With this additional offering, startup employees receive access to specialized expertise in pre-and post-IPO equity planning, stock option exercise and selling strategies, tax planning, preparation and filing, secondary and tender offers, and investment diversification creating a one-stop shop for employees to understand their choices around their stock options and how this impacts their larger financial goals.
Since 2017, Secfi has been the startup community’s leading equity advocate, and has worked with employees from 90% of all U.S. unicorns including Airbnb, Palantir, and Doordash, helping them understand, maximize, plan, and provide cash to unlock the value of their stock options. More than 30,000 startup employees have used Secfi’s platform for equity planning, representing $48 billion in equity.
About Secfi
Secfi is trusted by startup employees for equity planning, stock option financing, and wealth management. We’re the first to provide a digital platform for equity planning, 1:1 financial advice, and ongoing investment management, as well as financing products that enable employees to own a stake in the company they helped build. We’ve worked with employees from more than 90% of all U.S. unicorns, and built more than 30,000 equity plans worth $48B in equity value. As an expert in valuing private companies, Secfi has studied and underwritten hundreds of high-growth startups.
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INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
GeoWealth | September 29, 2022
GeoWealth, a modern turnkey asset management platform (TAMP) built for registered investment advisors (RIAs), today announced several upgrades focused on providing RIAs with more personalization and choice in their investment management programs – including investment guidance, due diligence, service and support. To best serve their clients, contemporary advisors demand greater control, flexibility and customization when managing client portfolios. GeoWealth has responded by expanding its model marketplace, increasing its vetted manager menu by over 200 percent.
Advisors leveraging GeoWealth’s proprietary platform have always had the flexibility to build their own models, select third-party model portfolios, or combine the two via custom Unified Managed Accounts (UMAs). GeoWealth has also further enhanced advisors’ ability to customize on the platform by onboarding Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs) and single asset class or “sleeve-level” strategies to be used as building blocks in UMA allocations.
“Our mission is clear: to empower advisors by offering the technology, infrastructure and back-office resources they can leverage and customize to meet any client’s needs, We are laser focused on building the most RIA-friendly TAMP in the market and these new developments are indicative of our commitment to offering advisors additional customization and investment flexibility.”
-Colin Falls, President at GeoWealth
Investment Consulting Division
For advisors looking for guidance and concierge-level support in building custom UMA solutions, GeoWealth is also announcing the launch of its internal Investment Consulting division. Following the recent hire of Jen Wing as Head of Asset Management in December 2021, GeoWealth has been shaping a hands-on, customizable service model for advisors who desire completely outsourced portfolio and UMA construction and maintenance while retaining their unique brand.
Already well known as the technology-forward, modern TAMP, GeoWealth has grown primarily by way of firms managing their own model programs as well as with firms making their own manager selections, My team will be focused on the segment of the market that desires complete asset management support, including manager selection, portfolio construction, maintenance and white glove service,said Wing.
New Manager Portal
To better enable efficient model-level rebalancing and reallocating, GeoWealth is also announcing the release of its integrated Manager Portal module on the platform. The Manager Portal will allow third-party managers, as well as advisors managing client portfolios, to seamlessly communicate portfolio updates to the GeoWealth trading team for ultimate execution. Additionally, the portal allows asset managers to load their collateral directly to the GeoWealth Model Center for easy access by advisors.
About GeoWealth
GeoWealth is a turnkey asset management platform (TAMP) and financial technology solution built specifically for the needs of modern RIAs. GeoWealth’s user-friendly, cost-efficient, integrated technology enables advisors to access a diversified lineup of model portfolios and fully offload mid- and back-office responsibilities, including performance reporting, billing, portfolio accounting and more. Via its customizable open-architecture platform, GeoWealth enables advisors and firms to grow faster and serve clients more efficiently. Founded in 2010, GeoWealth is headquartered in Chicago, IL.
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FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
Elwood Technologies and Matrixport | October 03, 2022
Matrixport, one of the world's largest digital assets financial services ecosystems, today announced that its prime brokerage business, Matrixport Institutional, has formed a flagship partnership with Elwood Technologies, an established global fintech providing institutional digital assets trading infrastructure.
Matrixport is a leading global provider of custodian and prime services for crypto hedge funds. This partnership reaffirms its commitment to offering clients early access to breakthrough financial services in the fast evolving digital asset space.
Under the agreement, Matrixport Institutional will utilise Elwood's market leading trading and execution software and roll out Elwood's crypto-native OEMS and PMS services to its global client base.
"In addition to today's exciting news, Matrixport will support Elwood with the development and adoption of an enhanced range of digital asset tokens to be used on the Elwood platform. Matrixport is one of the leading systemic players in the crypto ecosystem, founded by two seminal industry figures. We are extremely excited by this partnership and the value it will bring to both our firms."
-James Stickland, CEO of Elwood Technologies
Anthony DeMartino, CEO of Matrixport US said, We are absolutely delighted with the formalisation of this partnership and the immense value that Elwood's software will bring to our own execution and that of our clients. Elwood's contribution to the institutionalisation of digital asset trading is unique and reflects the exemplary DNA of its founders, management and shareholders. We will continue to focus on pushing the boundaries of what is possible in crypto prime services and further cementing our position as the industry's gold standard.
About Elwood Technologies
Elwood Technologies is an established global fintech building institutional digital assets trading infrastructure. Its seamless crypto-native OEMS and PMS platform provides low-latency connectivity to global crypto exchanges and deep liquidity via a single API. Built by industry experts with decades of combined experience in alternative investment management, Elwood Technologies provides market infrastructure at scale, enabling financial institutions, neobanks, and corporations to access the digital assets market quickly and efficiently.
About Matrixport
Matrixport is one of the world's largest and most trusted digital assets financial services ecosystem. The company's services include prime brokerage, Cactus Custody™, spot OTC, fixed income, structured products, lending as well as asset management. Headquartered in Singapore, Matrixport serves individuals as well as over 500 institutions across Asia and Europe.
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