Starting a fund often means having just one or two people driving the entire operation. That also means that having the right technology platform, coupled with dedicated service, is critical.
“Start-up funds tend to run lean, so it’s very important to find the partners that you trust, and that would give you the attention that you need,” said Joseph Weiss, co-founder and senior analyst at Natare Capital Management.
Natare is a U.S. long-short equity fund focused on opportunities arising from capital markets events. It launched in June 2017, with Eze Eclipse as the platform for its investment management operations. Weiss and his partner use the platform to electronically route orders, monitor the portfolio, send end-of-day trade files to counterparties, reconcile the NAV, conduct compliance checks, and other core functions.
“It’s tough to pinpoint a single feature that’s been most valuable to us, because we really do utilize the product in so many different ways that are critical to running our business. It would be difficult for me to do my job without it,” Weiss says.
Natare was among the early adopters of Eze Eclipse, and has actively participated in the development of the platform. The born-in-the-cloud front-to-back investment management platform officially launched in October 2017. Features are being rolled out continually, 15-20 times a day, many of them based on customer requests for functionality.
“The key requirement for us, when considering an investment technology platform, was really a large, well-capitalized OMS provider that provided good client service and had deep resources. Eze had already invested heavily in the Eclipse product, so it was clear the organization was committed to fully supporting this next-generation cloud-based platform,” Weiss said of his choice. He continues to provide valuable input into the development of the product as it evolves.
During 2018, the Eze Eclipse client base grew to 55 firms. It is now supported by 85 top-tier broker-dealers.
Natare has also grown since launching on Eze Eclipse, adding a number of separately managed accounts. Eze Eclipse simplified that process.
“Eze has helped minimize the incremental work required on our end to manage these accounts. The product was built in such a way that my daily process doesn’t change much after adding a new account, which makes it much easier for us to scale despite a lean infrastructure,” Weiss said. “We’ve been extremely pleased with our experience with Eze, and highly recommend it to other hedge funds.”
To learn more about Eze Eclipse, check out our Solutions Finder, and for a comprehensive guide to getting your fund up and running, check out, How to Start a Hedge Fund: Setting Your Firm up for Long-Term Growth.
