All Things Fundraising

We cover new RIA launches as well as RIA breakaways, including the departure of Michael "Mike" Ellis from Sowell Management to launch Ellis Wealth Advisors, and Apella Wealth's split from Symmetry Partners following an ownership change. We also share updates on commitments from the Los Angeles Water & Power Employees' Retirement Plan and the Texas County & District Reti...

In this episode of the Dakota Insights Interview Series, hosts Chris Leroy and Alex DeMarco sit down with Marius Vigantis and Richard Banks, founding partners of Soling Partners, a boutique advisory firm focused exclusively on the Middle East. Together, Marius and Richard bring over 50 years of combined experience in the region, and they walk through everything a fund manager needs to know before...

Master sales with four game-changing principles: Focus on what matters, target the right people, craft the perfect pitch, and follow up like a pro. Packed with actionable tips, this guide helps you turn meetings into deals—fast! 💼🔥

In this episode, we cover new RIA launches as well as RIA acquisitions, including the acquisition of Mill Creek Capital by Pathstone and the acquisition of Jackson Wealth Management by Carson Group. We also share updates on commitments from the Firefighters' Retirement System of Louisiana, Sacramento County Employees' Retirement System, and Monroe County Employees Retirement System. On t...

We cover new RIA launches as well as RIA acquisitions, including the acquisition of Mill Creek Capital by Pathstone and the acquisition of Jackson Wealth Management by Carson Group. We also share updates on commitments from the South Carolina RSIC, New York State Common Retirement Fund, and Chicago MWRD. On the search front, we highlight activity from Cook County Annuity and Benefit Fund, Los Ange...

In Episode 44 of the Emerging Manager Growth Show, Gui Costin and Andrew O'Shea explore practical, high-leverage marketing tactics for small investment firms, covering where allocator capital is flowing — hedge funds, credit strategies, active ETFs, and private markets — heading into 2027. The episode focuses on content marketing consistency, from quarterly webinars as cost-effective brand-bu...

Master sales with four game-changing principles: Focus on what matters, target the right people, craft the perfect pitch, and follow up like a pro. Packed with actionable tips, this guide helps you turn meetings into deals—fast! 💼🔥

We cover new RIA launches as well as RIA acquisitions like the acquisition of Hoff Bujnoch & Associates by MCF Advisors, Sherpa Wealth Strategies by Wealth Enhancement, and Savant Wealth Management's two latest additions. We also share updates on commitments from Mass PRIM and the Los Angeles Fire & Police Pension System. On the search front, we highlight activity from the Cook County...

In this episode of The Rainmaker Podcast, Gui Costin sits down with Dan Amir, Managing Director of Investor Coverage at Crow Holdings, for a wide-ranging conversation on building a wealth distribution team, applying institutional rigor to the wealth channel, and leading a sales organization through a difficult fundraising environment. Dan grew up in New Jersey, spent the first 13 years of his care...

We cover new RIA launches as well as RIA acquisitions like the acquisition of Hoff Bujnoch & Associates by MCF Advisors, Sherpa Wealth Strategies by Wealth Enhancement, and Savant Wealth Management's two latest additions. We also share updates on commitments from the The City of Fresno Retirement Systems. On the search front, we highlight activity from the Iowa Public Employees' Reti...

In Episode 43 of the Emerging Manager Growth Show, Gui Costin and the Dakota team take on the pension channel and how emerging managers should think about Emerging Manager Programs (EMPs). Gui debunks four of the most common myths around marketing to public pensions — from track record and AUM minimums to consultant gatekeeping — and walks through how pensions actually define emerging managers acr...

In this episode of The Rainmaker Podcast, Gui Costin sits down with Dominica Ribeiro, Chief Marketing and Distribution Officer at Breckinridge Capital Advisors, the legendary asset manager based in Boston. The conversation covers Dominica's non-traditional career path, the structure and discipline of Breckinridge's distribution team, and the leadership philosophy that has shaped how she...

We cover new RIA launches like SagePoint Capital Partners and Kintra, as well as RIA acquisitions like Fiducient Advisors' deal for Sellwood Investment Partners and Cerity Partners' acquisition of Covenant Partners. We also share updates on commitments from the City of Knoxville Pension Board, The Boston Retirement System, and The Indiana Public Retirement System (PRS). On the search fro...

We cover new RIA launches like Hesmer Wealth Management LLC as well as RIA acquisitions like Covenant Partners LLC and Corient. We also share updates on commitments from Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System (SCERS), The Virginia Retirement System, and California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). On the search front, we highlight activity from Taunton Contributory Retirement...

In this Dakota Insights interview, Chris LeRoy and Alex deMarco sit down with Ben Easterlin, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager at Infinity Capital Partners, to explore the firm's commercial real estate credit strategy and what makes it stand out in today's market. Infinity Capital Partners has been around since 2002, originally built as a hedge fund-of-funds platform serving RIAs,...

In this episode of The Rainmaker Podcast, Gui Costin sits down with Stephen Tiller, who joined Sterling Global Financial roughly 13 years ago after a 35-year career across some of the most respected names in real estate finance and investment banking. Sterling, founded by David Kosoy more than 50 years ago, manages roughly $7–8 billion in assets across six countries and runs a platform that includ...

Master sales with four game-changing principles: Focus on what matters, target the right people, craft the perfect pitch, and follow up like a pro. Packed with actionable tips, this guide helps you turn meetings into deals—fast! 💼🔥

In Episode 42 of the Emerging Manager Growth Show, Dakota's Tim Dolan breaks down why the RIA channel is the #1 priority for emerging managers looking to raise capital. With roughly 6,500 RIAs in Dakota Marketplace actively using outside managers, Tim explains how to identify the right targets — particularly nimble $200M–$5B firms eager for differentiated strategies. He covers key custodians,...

In this episode of the Rainmaker Podcast, Gui Costin sits down with Mike Castino, President of Sound Capital Solutions, for a deep dive into the mechanics of ETF creation, distribution, and the accelerating structural shift reshaping investment management. Mike's career began on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where he spent 12 years as an independent futures trader before trans...

We cover new RIA launches like Soulence Wealth Management, as well as RIA acquisitions by firms such as Maridea Wealth Management and Creative Planning. We also share updates on commitments from The New Mexico State Investment Council (SIC), Seattle City Employees Retirement System, and Boston Retirement System. On the search front, we highlight activity from The Tulare County Employees’ Retiremen...

We cover new RIA launches like Maridea Wealth Management and Soulence Wealth Management as well as RIA acquisitions by Creative Planning. We also share updates on commitments from North Dakota State Investment Board (SIB) and City of Phoenix Employees' Retirement System. On the search front, we highlight selections from The Firefighters’ Retirement System of Louisiana, The Chicago Teachers’ P...

Gui Costin and Tim Dolan make the case that investment sales teams are leaving enormous analytical value on the table by not fully leveraging their CRM data alongside AI tools — specifically Claude. Using Formula 1 racing as an analogy, the episode frames the gap between how professional sports use granular performance analytics and how most sales organizations still operate. The core argument: Sa...

Master sales with four game-changing principles: Focus on what matters, target the right people, craft the perfect pitch, and follow up like a pro. Packed with actionable tips, this guide helps you turn meetings into deals—fast! 💼🔥

In this episode of the Rainmaker Podcast, Gui Costin sits down with Paul Stanton, a partner at Thesis Driven and PTB, a real estate investment banking boutique. The conversation spans Paul's career journey, the power of content marketing in the investment world, and the transformative potential of AI for business builders. Paul's path into real estate began after college at the Universit...

In this Dakota Research Interview, Chris Leroy and Alex deMarco sit down with Phil Durr, Co-founder and Managing Partner of PeakSpan Capital, a growth equity firm with $2.6 billion in AUM focused exclusively on bootstrapped business software companies. Phil shares his journey from ROTC and Morgan Stanley to founding PeakSpan in 2015, and explains how the firm's pragmatic, founder-first approa...