Samir Vasavada, Vise: Automating Wealth Management

The Investors First Podcast

Our guest today is Samir Vasavada, co-founder & CEO of Vise. Samir came up with the idea for Vise when him and Runik Mehrotra (fellow co-founder) were teenagers. Samir is responsible for Operations, Business Development and managing a team of Engineers and Ph.D. AI and Quantitative Finance Researchers at Vise. Vise is a venture-backed FinTech startup using Artificial Intelligence to revolutionize Portfolio Construction and Management for Financial Advisors. Vise has raised enough capital to be considered a unicorn (valuation greater than $1B) and is backed by Sequoia Capital, Founders Fund, & the Wharton School of Business (among other investors). Samir is one of the youngest FinTech founders I have ever met and was named in the 2021 Forbes list for top 30 under 30. In today’s episode, we go back to Samir’s time in high school and how he met his business partner and fellow co-founder Runik Mehrotra. We discuss what Vise is, what is unique about them and the venture backed fundraising process. We also talk about the all in cost of advice for investors, the future of the wealth management profession and much more. It is worth noting that this episode was recorded a short time ago and both the market environment and Vise’s strategy have shifted substantially since recording this episode. That said, it will be exciting to watch what Samir and Vise do next as they attempt to shape the future of investment management. Our host today is Steve Curley, CFA, current board member & most recent President of CFA Society Orlando. Please enjoy the episode. Follow us on Twitter & LinkedIn.