Opto and Conway team up for private-market partnership

Two TAMP providers have just joined forces to help RIAs provide a new level of diversification within their clients’ portfolios.

On Thursday, Conway Investment Solutions and Opto Investments unveiled a strategic partnership to enhance private markets access for registered investment advisors. The collaboration will focus on creating custom private markets funds backed by technology and extensive research, targeting broader adoption among wealth management firms.

Opto's platform serves more than 200 RIA firms, including nearly 40 that are building or launching their own custom funds. Among those, there tend to be between one and five custom funds, which range from $25 million to $300 million in AUM per fund.

Conway’s platform reportedly covers $1 billion in AUM.

“With decades of experience and deep connections across alternative asset classes, the partnership between Conway and Opto is aiming to not only drive a broader adoption of private markets but introduce a superior client experience,” Tom Margulis, co-founder and managing principal at Conway, said in a statement Thursday.

The alliance aims to address barriers that have traditionally made private markets inaccessible to RIAs, such as high fees, large minimum investments, and operational complexities in managing portfolios in asset classes like private equity, venture capital, real estate, and private credit.

By leveraging Opto’s technology platform, RIAs will be able to offer clients access to actively managed private markets funds at reduced minimums through a streamlined digital subscription process. The platform also provides a streamlined process for administrative tasks like capital calls and tax reporting, alleviating operational burdens for advisors.

The partnership starts off on strong footing with its first initiative: a private markets vintage fund strategy launched in collaboration with Andersen Tax. This fund, available to Andersen’s ultra-high-net-worth and family office clients, features a curated selection of private market opportunities tailored to evolving client needs.

“This powerful alliance between Andersen, Conway and Opto will equip our advisors with value-add investment strategies to complement existing equity and fixed-income portfolios,” said Brian Ullsperger, managing director at Andersen, who leads a team overseeing more than $2 billion for clients.

Opto CEO Ryan VanGorder emphasized the strategic alignment of the partnership.

“Opto believes that fiduciary advisors deserve a simpler, more scalable solution for investing in private markets. This partnership with Conway, which will expand our collective reach, exemplifies our willingness and drive to do things differently,” VanGorder said.