Opto Investments Partners with Merchant to Provide Advisors with Access to Comprehensive Private Market Investment Solution

Opto Investments Partners with Merchant to Provide Advisors with Access to Comprehensive Private Market Investment Solution

Opto’s private investment platform will empower RIAs to build customized private markets portfolios using funds from distinguished investment managers

By Joel Bruckenstein, CFP

Opto Investments (“Opto”) has announced its strategic relationship with Merchant. The engagement offers Merchant’s partner registered investment advisors (RIAs) access to Opto’s exclusive private market opportunities and comprehensive software, allowing them to better serve their high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients.

“Merchant is a major strategic investor in RIAs across the country, and we’re thrilled to partner with them as we advance our mission of simplifying advisors’ lives and increasing investors’ access to well-regarded private investments.”

The Opto platform provides an end-to-end solution for RIAs to craft tailored private market investment portfolios comprising funds from private credit, private equity, real estate, venture capital and infrastructure managers. Each RIA firm in Merchant’s ecosystem can now leverage Opto’s portfolio construction tools and access exclusive, pre-vetted funds while tapping its team of analysts and technologists to build customized investment strategies. Merchant partner firms will also have access to an exclusive, bespoke interface that will include additional product offerings and insights.

“Merchant’s strategic partnerships are centered around providing capital or solutions to help financial services firms achieve their growth potential,” said Marc Spilker, executive chairman of Merchant. “Allowing clients to include alternatives as part of their overall asset allocation is an essential building block for any high-quality and growing independent wealth management firm. Opto’s consultative, personalized approach, combined with their unparalleled technology, made Opto the perfect solution for partner firms.”

RIA practices in Merchant’s network of 60+ partner firms, which collectively manage more than $140 billion in assets as of the end of 2022, have already begun leveraging Opto’s offering. Michael Dolberg, founding partner and CEO of Apollon Wealth Management, added: “Advisors don’t just need help accessing private markets; they need help identifying the right opportunities and implementing them in client portfolios. Opto is a great platform that enhances our institutional investing process and gives tools and resources to further educate our clients about private investing.”

Since emerging from stealth in September 2022, Opto has grown rapidly, building relationships with more than 150 RIAs across the country. The firm will now provide Merchant’s advisors with an intuitive framework for private markets access, enabling them access to well-vetted managers.

“Merchant is a major strategic investor in RIAs across the country, and we’re thrilled to partner with them as we advance our mission of simplifying advisors’ lives and increasing investors’ access to well-regarded private investments,” said Mark Machin, co-founder and CEO of Opto. “We appreciate Marc, Scott, Tim and the rest of the leadership team at Merchant for trusting us to serve their partner firms. It’s clear that Merchant shares our vision of being long-term, strategic partners to RIAs and helping them provide better client outcomes.”

For RIAs who are interested in learning more about Opto, please visit optoinvest.com.

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