Ex-Brinker execs launch firm catering to RIAs and foreign banks looking to start RIAs

A dozen alumni from Brinker Capital have joined forces to launch Ategenos Capital, a unique business that's designed to help foreign financial institutions enter the U.S. advisory space, and is also developing its own model portfolios for advisors to use.

More than a year in the making, the Berwyn, Pennsylvania-based firm is going live as the executives' noncompete agreements expire.

Of Ategenos' three business lines, its asset management solutions will compete most directly with the Brinker model of a turnkey asset management platform.

Once the company is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as a registered investment advisor, it will provide discretionary investment models to RIAs and broker-dealers via other investment platforms. But Ategenos won't operate its own TAMP, company executives said.

“Our primary business is what we’ve all done in the past, investment solutions,” said Chief Executive Jason Moore. “We’re looking to put our solutions on industry-leading platforms.”

The second business line, wealth management services, will cater to the concentration of foreign financial institutions setting up shop in South Florida, aiming to get a foothold in the U.S. wealth management market.

“There are over 200 foreign banks that have set up U.S. bases in Miami over the past two years, and they are looking to create SEC-governed RIAs,” said John Coyne, Ategenos chairman.

Coyne said the foreign banks and financial institutions want to establish RIAs in the U.S. to create an opportunity for their clients who want to send money to the U.S. for safety, but they're also seeking to capture growth from new clients in the U.S. marketplace. 

The third business line is OCIO services, which provides consultative and sub-advisory services to RIAs looking to outsource their investment management functions. This could include creating white-labeled investment portfolios, as well as providing advice on governance and fiduciary framework.

Ategenos may also work with asset management firms that would like to offer model portfolios on industry platforms but may not have multi-asset class investment teams to create those solutions.

“I am excited about the opportunities ahead for Ategenos Capital,” said Coyne, who co-founded Brinker Capital and spent most of the past five years as chairman of Spouting Rock Asset Management.