A pair of US offshore investment industry veterans have launched a new Miami-based fund distribution and business development consulting firm called Tigris Investments.
Founded by Jose Castellano, the company chairman and former head of international distribution for iM Global Partner, and Jimmy Ly, the new firm’s CEO and ex-head of US offshore and Latin America for Robeco, founded Tigris Investments will provide advisors and broker-dealers access to a range of high-alpha managers and investment products, according to an announcement published Tuesday.
As well as fund distribution, Ly said his new firm Tigris will also provided fintech solutions for wealth and asset managers, alongside a number of business consulting services.
Overall, Tigris has three business lines which include fund distribution, technology and consultancy.
‘Each vertical will have a comprehensive range of strategies managed by highly specialized partners,’ the firm said in its announcement.
It will also provide new mutual fund and portfolio building tools through its independent MaterFunds and MaterInvest services designed for asset and wealth managers.
‘What we’ve seen over the last 20 years or so in our industry is a need for not just investment solutions, but solutions overall,’ Ly told Citywire.
‘We’re not just trying to go out there and be another third-party distributor. We’re looking at different ways we can provide added value for all our partners, if it’s an asset manager, broker-dealer or whichever client.’
Tigris Investments has already broken ground on three ‘main offices’ following its launch as part of its initial focus on the US offshore and Latin American markets, the firm said, with locations in Miami, Uruguay and Mexico.
‘We’re starting out in the US offshore and Latin America, but this will be a global business eventually. We’re expanding out as we speak – possibly to Europe and to Asia which is the eventual plan,’ Ly added.
Tigris has signed six partnerships for its fund distribution business, and has looked to focus on providing access to specific asset classes like fintech companies, long-only strategies and insurance-linked products, for example.
‘We won’t have overlapping classes and strategies,’ Ly said.
His co-founder Castellano added: ‘With the increasing need for highly-specialized managers, product differentiation, and advanced technology, we aim to pioneer this pivotal movement by creating a multi-strategic organization with exceptional partners with pustaint investment and client serving cultures.’
New hires
So far, the duo have recruited a total of five additional employees, who include:
- Paulina Esposito, head of sales for Latin America based in Uruguay who manages its retail channel;
- Peter Stockall, head of sales for US offshore who joined this month from iM Global Partner based in Miami;
- Manuel Cortina, Mexico country head based in Mexico City;
- Ana Ines Diaz, head of marketing and communications and co-founder of MaterInvest who is based in Uruguay with Esposito;
- and Carola Schiavi was also hired as an executive director based in Uruguay who also served at MaterInvest.
According to Castellano, the company is currently hiring more people and will look to recruit more as it grows across Latin America and expands internationally.
