Matt Brown, CAIS: A Fintech Unicorn Democratizing Alternatives & Educating/Empowering Financial Advisors.

Our guest today is Matt Brown. Matt is the Founder, CEO, and Chairman of CAIS. Found in 2009, CAIS, a fintech leader, empowers over 4,000+ unique advisor firms/teams who oversee more than $2T+ in network assets. Founded by a financial advisor, CAIS considers itself the first truly open marketplace for alternative investments, where financial advisors and asset managers can engage and transact directly. CAIS offers access to alternative strategies ranging from hedge funds to private equity/credit to real estate, digital assets, structured notes and more. CAIS is unique in that all funds on the platform undergo Mercer’s due diligence and ongoing monitoring. They also offer an education platform called CAIS IQ, which helps educate advisors on alternative investments. In today’s episode, we start in 2009 and discuss how difficult it must have been to launch CAIS during the great financial crisis. We then discuss the CAIS platform, competition, the democratization of alternatives and CAIS’s value proposition. We later get into distribution (and why it isn’t a negative term), their recent high profile fundraise and what they plan to do with the money to grow. Other topics range from artificial intelligence to the power of data, the accredited investor rule, CAIS IQ education platform, the importance of reporting and the value of soft skills. Our hosts today are Steve Curley, CFA & John Bowman, CFA of CAIA Association. Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.

Om Podcasten

The award* winning Investors First Podcast is a service of CFA Society Orlando. Subject matter experts from our Society interview Founders, Chief Executive Officer’s, Chief Investment Strategists, Fed Presidents and more to discuss timely and relevant topics in finance. Our mission is to educate investors and investment professionals in Florida, the Americas and beyond, with a focus on making you a more informed investor and/or advisor. *The CFA Institute awarded CFA Society Orlando the 2020 Impact and Innovation Award for the Investor’s First Podcast. Previous guests include Patrick O’Shaugnessy, Liz Ann Sonders, Barry Ritholtz, Federal Reserve Bank President Raphael Bostic, Dr. David Kelly, Mark Yusko, Annie Duke, Morgan Housel, Peter Zeihan, and Meb Faber. CFA Society Orlando is a member of the CFA Institute's Network of over 150 societies globally. The majority of its members hold the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, which is considered the most respected and recognized investment management credential in the world. Fewer than 1 in 5 candidates who begin the program end up successfully earning the CFA charter. Successful candidates take an average of four years to complete the program.