San Francisco Wealth Advisory Firm Gets Off The Launchpad

Tom Burroughes

9 January 2018

A US firm focusing on entrepreneurs operating in areas such as technology, Catalyst Private Wealth, has launched its financial advisory business, operating out of San Francisco.

The team running the business are Brendan Connaughton, managing director; John Dodd, chief investment officer; Mitch Sands, wealth advisor, and Bryan Wilson, wealth advisor.
Connaughton has spent 25 years in senior level positions at firms such as BlackRock, HSBC Private Bank, Deutsche Bank Private Wealth, and Wells Fargo.

The firm aims to serve entrepreneurs facing considerable risks and whose wealth is often tied up in illiquid forms, such as in the firm of founder equity and stock options, creating the need for sophisticated solutions, Wilson said in a statement about the new business. “Our goal is to be life advisors, thoroughly planning for all the hurdles and decisions entrepreneurs face, in both their careers and personal lives," he said.

His colleague, Sands added: "Too often innovators find themselves working with financial professionals whose primary focus is investment management, without adequate consideration for the rest of the picture including critical areas such as estate planning, cash flow and liquidity management, tax implications, and stock option counsel. Our clients can expect us to be by their side through all aspects of their financial lives.”

The firm made a point about how two of its founders are from the Millennial population cohort, younger than the financial advisor average age of more than 50.

Catalyst has partnered with Mutual Advisors and Mutual Securities. The new firm is located in San Francisco's Montgomery Street.

The US business has no connection with a Sydney, Australia-based organization called Catalyst Private Wealth.