Advisors who want to address clients’ desire to have their portfolios aligned with their personal values have a new software tool, according to the financial technology solutions company Seeds Investor.
Based in a New York City, Seeds is devoted to providing advisors with the tech they need to help clients with values-oriented investing. Earlier this month, it announced it had raised $2.7 million, primarily from venture capitalists, and was closing off an initial round of fundraising.
“The new capital will enable Seeds to further bolster its team and platform, helping to bring personalized, purpose-aligned investment solutions to a broader cross section of advisors and their clients,” said Seeds CEO and founder Zach Conway.
In a press release, he added, “As we enter this next chapter of our company’s evolution, we look forward to helping advisors elevate the emotional connection with clients.”
In 2019, he and his father, Michael Conway, who serves as Seeds Investor’s chairman, launched the company to address what they felt was an unmet and growing need. They were both advisors at Conway Wealth Group, an independent financial planning and wealth advisory firm serving the New York City and New Jersey areas; Michael Conway is still CEO there.
The idea was to provide software for financial advisors that would help them tailor portfolios that are aligned with clients’ core values and goals. By “values,” they had in mind socially conscious investing—i.e., investing in companies that embrace ESG principles. But it’s not limited to that.
“As an industry, we’ve created a lot of confusion by jamming a lot of complex ideas into that three-letter acronym,” said the younger Conway. “At Seeds Investor, we don’t think there are ‘ESG investors’ and ‘non-ESG investors.’ All of us have values. Surprisingly, few of us understand that we can bring those values to life in our portfolios.”
According to a statement, their aim was to enable “intentional, purposeful, and personalized” investing that focused on “not just wealth but also health and life.”
What exactly that means depends on each client’s ideals and principles. But overall, the Conways believed there is more to managing client portfolios than time horizon and risk tolerance.
“Advisors are increasingly recognizing the need to create a more engaging experience around investing, one that goes beyond the typical talking points,” said the younger Conway, in a separate press release.