Overview
- Dan Ives announced his exit from Wedbush this week, saying he will found an unnamed "modern merchant bank" that unites research, advisory, capital raising and investing under one roof.
- The firm is being pitched as a platform to help companies and investors seize opportunities from artificial intelligence, with initial sector focus on technology, energy, infrastructure and financials.
- Ives said he plans to continue covering technology stocks in a research capacity while he builds the new business, and he expects a formal launch and details on partners and capitalization in the coming weeks.
- Reporting notes Ives’s public profile and past calls on Apple, Microsoft and Nvidia, plus advisory roles and a brief chairmanship at Eightco, as the credibility and network the new firm will leverage.
- Near-term questions include the firm’s name, funding sources, regulatory structure and potential conflicts from overlapping analyst and advisory roles, changes that could reshape how Wall Street packages research and capital for tech clients.