Aequitas Capital Launches RIA Support Division

Portland, Ore.-based Aequitas Capital, an alternative asset management firm focused on private credit and private equity, has launched a new division serving registered investment advisors.

Aequitas Capital Partners will support growth-oriented RIAs with “intellectual, financial, and human capital to fuel succession planning and firm mergers or acquisitions,” according to the company.

In particular, ACP will target RIAs in the 55 to 62 age group, professionals who have weathered the 2008 financial crisis and “need to accelerate growth to meet their retirement objectives and improve their business valuations.”

ACP—with support from its parent company, Aequitas—will ACP—will provide RIAs with “equity, cash flow lending, or asset-based lending to fund merger and acquisitions, lift-outs and expedited recruiting of advisors.”

"We are broadening the scope of Aequitas' services to address the challenges of mid-sized RIAs. This is the fastest-growing segment of advisors, expanding at a rate of 20 to 30% each year," said Bob Jesenik, CEO and co-founder of Aequitas, in a statement. "Unfortunately, these firms are often too large to qualify for government-backed small business loans, yet too small to attract private equity firms. We hope to become the dedicated growth partner they need, and provide them with the right resources to grow from a small- to mid-sized firm to a thriving enterprise."

Founded in 1993, Aequitas Capital is an alternative investment management company specializing in finance, management, and technology with a focus on undervalued, high-yielding strategies.