private-funds
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The Chicago Firm That Sold Wall Street's Playbook to Families Who Aren't Endowments
Two Chicago traders spent a decade turning hedge-fund tactics into a wealth business for families who aren't endowments. In 2026 they sold it - $5.6 billion later.
Equi
Equi is part hedge fund, part technology platform - an alternative investment manager that gives high-net-worth individuals, wealth advisors and family offices access to the kind of uncorrelated, absolute-return strategies that were historically reserved for institutions and billionaires. Founded in 2020 by Tory Reiss, Itay Vinik and Jeremy Smith, the company pairs Wall Street investing expertise with Silicon Valley software, screening thousands of private funds to build diversified portfolios designed to perform across market cycles. Equi reached roughly $100M in assets under management within its first year and has raised about $25M in venture funding.