An agreement between alternative investment platform Artivest and WM Partners will allow the middle-market, private equity firm expand its ability to reach qualified high net worth (HNW) investors and financial advisors.

WM Partners co-founder Jose Minski highlighted this opportunity as a key reason behind the collaboration. “Artivest provides us with the scalability and efficiency to broaden our exposure to a more diversified investor base,” Minski said. “We are eager to harness Artivest’s open architecture platform to engage with advisors and qualified investors who are looking to add a private equity solution that strives to generate diversified returns within their portfolios.”

A specialist in buyout investments in the health and wellness sector, WM Partners focuses on creating scalable businesses by acquiring, integrating, and consolidating tuck-in acquisitions, and driving operational efficiencies to boost growth. Based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the firm emphasizes companies in the natural personal care, natural remedies, and functional foods businesses, and features a senior team with more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, consumer, and health and wellness industries.

Chief Investment Officer for Artivest Matt Osborne underscored the growth of the health and wellness sector as an investment opportunity. “Health and wellness brands have been continuing to gain market share for over a decade, and now advisors and investors can attempt to improve the health of their products by seamlessly and cost-effectively accessing this unique alternative solution through our digital platform,” Osborne said.

Artivest’s latest partnership news comes just days after the company announced the appointment of new CEO, Martin Bealieu, who previously served as Artivest executive chairman. Bealieu takes over the top spot from former CEO and founder James Waldinger, who will take the role of executive chairman. Bealieu is only the most recent C-suite shift for the company, which hired Karl Jaeger as Chief Financial Officer in June, and appointed Paul Nobile as Chief Marketing Officer in May.

An alum of FinovateSpring, Artivest demonstrated its online platform for alternative investments in 2014. The New York City-based company began 2019 with news of a platform expansion that added product structuring and fund distribution solutions for asset and wealth managers. Over the course of this year, the company has forged partnerships with Sudrania Fund Services, institutional investment manager LaSalle, and alternative investment manager EJF Capital.

Artivest has raised $17 million in funding, and includes FinTech Collective and Signatures Capital among its most recent investors. The company was founded in 2011.

Curated online platform for alternative investments Artivest announced a major new partnership today. The firm has been selected by institutional investment manager LaSalle to help it enter the retail market for privately-held value-added real estate investment programs via a closed end fund.

“We are delighted to find a compelling platform to seamlessly connect financial advisors and qualified high net worth investors to our flagship, U.S. value-add investment strategy,” Jason Kern, CEO of the Americas at LaSalle Investment Management, said.

One of the largest real estate investment managers in the world with $65 billion in assets under management, LaSalle will leverage Artivest’s Open Network to make its offerings available for investment by advisors and qualified purchasers. In an investment environment increasingly characterized by passive management and low-fee ETFs, LaSalle sees Artivest as a partner to help it meet investor demand for alternative solutions that can provide outperformance.

Artivest combines expert insights, extensive due diligence, and a streamlined investor experience to improve the process of finding, evaluating, and investing in leading private funds for advisors and fund managers. The solution reduces the complexity of private fund investing, helping clients save time and more readily identify opportunities that are most compatible with their investment goals.

“Our platform brings together data-driven insights, proprietary technology, and robust diligence expertise to deliver a simplified, efficient experience and remove the barriers that have traditionally stood in the way of advisors and investors seeking access to alternatives,” Artivest founder and CEO James Waldinger said.

Artivest demonstrated its curated investment platform at FinovateSpring 2014. Headquartered in New York City and founded in 2012, the company completed a merger with alternative investment manager Altegris last summer that made the company one of the biggest independent alternative investment solution providers in the world.

Earlier this year, Artivest announced that was expanding its services to include both product structuring and fund distribution solutions for asset and wealth managers. Back in December, Chicago-based Northern Trust added private market capabilities to its ArcLine Alternatives platform for its wealth management customers courtesy of a partnership with Artivest.

With more than $17 million in funding, Artivest includes 500 Startups, RRE Ventures, Founders Fund, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and Signatures Capital among its investors.