Headquarters:
Charlotte, NC
Year founded:
2019
Number of employees:
18
Phone:
704 756 7160
Email:
allen.darby@alarisacquisitions.com
Website:
alarisacquisitions.com
LinkedIn:
linkedin.com/company/alaris-acquisitions
“We prioritise embracing cutting-edge technologies, creative problem solving and continuous improvement to enhance our premium funding solutions and provide exceptional value to our clients”
Brett Bastow, IQumulate Premium FundinG
Allen Darby
Founder and CEO
Jacqueline Martinez
Managing Partner
Nicholas DiLisi
Head of Technology
Leadership
Allen Darby has spent three decades in wealth management. He founded and sold a firm that pioneered helping accounting firms enter the wealth management business, then built a Charlotte-based RIA serving high-net-worth families, personally completing nine acquisitions as an owner before selling the practice in 2009 to focus on M&A.
From 2012 to 2019, he led United Capital’s outbound M&A activities as a buyer advisor, sourcing more than 30 acquisitions that culminated in United’s sale to Goldman Sachs. He launched Alaris in 2019 and leads origination, discovery, and deal strategy. He is also responsible for the firm’s thought leadership.
Founder and CEO
Allen Darby
Jacqueline Martinez helps buyers build repeatable, scalable acquisition programs, leads sell-side clients into a broader marketplace, and runs the back-office and close process in later-stage execution. Before joining Alaris in 2021, she served as head of acquisitions for Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management following Goldman’s 2019 acquisition of United Capital.
In the five years prior to that sale, she led United Capital’s analytical and legal efforts to close and integrate roughly 35 RIA transactions. She was named M&A Executive of the Year in Wealth Solutions Report’s 2025 Pathfinder Awards, selected among WealthManagement.com’s Ten to Watch, and co-hosts The Buyer’s Boardroom podcast.
Managing Partner
Jacqueline Martinez
As head of technology, Nicholas DiLisi oversees software development and IT operations for the company. As one of the pioneering employees who co-founded eMoney in 2000, he also served as chief information officer. DiLisi’s contributions to eMoney’s core products give them the “X” factor not found in other financial platforms.
Head of Technology
Nicholas DiLisi
Mark Mayo
Chief Financial Officer
Mark Mayo joined Orion as chief financial officer in September 2024 as a highly experienced senior leader with more than 30 years of finance experience. Prior to this role, he served as CFO for DISA Global Solutions, a leading consortium drug testing provider. His career also includes serving in CFO roles at Connect America, HireRight, and several divisions of General Electric.
Mayo’s career began at General Electric, where he achieved the status of Six Sigma Master Black Belt, underscoring his commitment to improving business processes and achieving world-class operational capability. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada.
Chief Financial Officer
Mark Mayo
Michael Blundin
President and Chief Operating Officer
Michael Blundin is president and chief operating officer at Vestmark, where he oversees core operations, client programs, and product strategy. A member of the leadership team since 2004, Blundin has held nearly every major executive role at the company, playing a central part in scaling operations, evolving the VestmarkONE® platform, and deepening client partnerships.
With a multidisciplinary background, he brings a balanced approach to leadership, grounded in precision, adaptability, and practical innovation. Prior to Vestmark, Blundin held executive roles at Savantis Systems and Vignette Corporation and co-founded Cirrus Recognition Systems. He holds a BA in physical sciences from Colgate University.
President and Chief Operating Officer
Michael Blundin
Stevens & Associates Lawyers is a leading and trusted employment law firm based in Sydney known for delivering high-quality legal expertise in the area of employment law and industrial relations across Australia, alongside a proven track record of effectively and swiftly resolving a variety of workplace law issues.
In the past year, the firm’s growth has been notable. It has:
• experienced a 213% growth in the number of client matters, increasing from 149 client matters in the 2022 financial year to 390 client matters in the 2023 financial year
• improved its online visibility, leading to over 50 online enquiries each month and a conversion rate of client leads of up to 40%
• significantly expanded the breadth and type of matters that it advises on day to day, which has increased the firm’s skillsets, diversity and resilience
• expanded its community outreach by collaborating with local Sydney venues for client seminars and continuing active participation in a Sydney small/family business group
Stevens & Associates Lawyers has adapted to digital trends by implementing an effective strategy with SEO and web design, resulting in a structural shift that has seen increased representation of employees where the firm previously mainly advised employers.
The firm’s recognition as a “Fast Firm” attests to its momentum in the employment law space.
“IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started”
Wayne Tower,
IQumulate Premium Funding
Brandon Flinchum
Chief Financial Officer
Oliver Travieso
Senior Vice President, Commercial Lines
David Wilson
Senior Vice President, Specialty Markets
Pam Chhabra
Manager – Residential Strata
Brandon Flinchum joined Smart Choice as CFO in August 2024. He previously worked with a national CPA firm, serving various industries ranging from insurance to manufacturing and distributing. Flinchum received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting from Appalachian State University. He is a licensed CPA in North Carolina.
Chief Financial Officer
Brandon Flinchum
Oliver Travieso was named senior vice president, commercial lines in January 2024. He joined the Smart Choice team as vice president of commercial lines in October 2015. His background is mainly in commercial insurance, both in sales and underwriting.
Prior to Smart Choice, Travieso was sales director at CNA Insurance, where he led a group of sales representatives for the Southeast. He is primarily responsible for overseeing commercial line carrier partner relationships and setting the commercial strategy for the field.
Senior Vice President, Commercial Lines
Oliver Travieso
David Wilson was named senior vice president, specialty markets in January 2024. He joined Smart Choice as vice president of sales in August 2017 and is primarily responsible for overseeing the express markets carrier relationships.
Formerly, he was personal lines practice leader at Regions Insurance Group from 2013 to 2017, and prior to that, senior national account executive at MetLife from 2004 to 2013. Wilson also worked as a local market manager in Florida from 1999 to 2004, and began his career as an agent in 1996, writing PC and life.
Senior Vice President, Specialty Markets
David Wilson
Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Commercial Manager
Stephen McMillan
One culmination of these efforts has been the real-world, needs-based IQEdge solution. A one-stop online quoting tool designed for both the Australian and New Zealand markets, IQEdge delivers quotes in under 60 seconds. Plus, the solution offers quote comparison and quote versioning capabilities, enabling users to review vital historical and financial data in a single page view.
IQEdge can streamline and automate application processing, underwriting document verification and payment collection, cutting the need for manual labour and minimising processing errors. A digital “self-service” platform, IQEdge, reduces the need for customer and administrative support. Meanwhile, borrowers can access their accounts, make payments and manage their policies independently and through sales and support teams, which are always available for further assistance.
“We’ve created a quality platform that simplifies the quoting process yet amplifies the customer experience,” says Gordon. “It’s a real game changer.” IQumulate offers an online digital quoting tool to clients. The best-in-market solution enables IQumulate to tailor funding offerings to brokers that align with their prefered distribution channel.
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What does IQumulate have in mind for the future?
“IQumulate is on a technology journey, and we’re just getting started,” says Wayne Tower, CEO. “Through continuous engagement with our clients, partners, marketplace and industry, we will listen to the needs as they arise and position our business to be agile and respond to changes as they occur.
“Faster decision-making innovations such as AI-powered decision support systems can expedite the underwriting and approval process, leading to quicker responses to clients. This can improve client satisfaction and potentially attract more business, with the potential to allow IQumulate to capture a larger market share, whilst continuing to deliver service excellence to clients.”
“As forward-thinkers with a digital and ‘do it better’ mindset, we collectively and proactively look to learn and improve on our customer experience for our clients, paving the way for successful business outcomes for our clients and our business in the coming years ahead.
“We’re excited for the future and look forward to what’s on the horizon.”
Adam Basaldella
Manager – Claims
Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Product Manager
Claire Watson
Stephen McMillan first entered the financial services Industry when he joined GE Capital as a finance analyst in 2008, from which he progressed through roles working both onshore and offshore. From there, he moved into Pacific Premium Funding as a financial planning and analysis leader in 2012 and was a key resource in the evolution of the business, first with the successful sale to Macquarie Pacific Funding and then the following progression into IQumulate Premium Funding, where he is now the commercial manager.
As commercial manager, McMillan leads a team that is responsible for commercial analysis and business support, identifying and reporting improvement initiatives, and the securitization and treasury functions of the business.
Commercial Manager
Stephen McMillan
“With Vestmark, clients can expect a partner, not just a vendor: a team that anticipates operational gaps before they arise and builds solutions accordingly, backed by a platform they won’t outgrow as their business scales”
Karl Roessner, Vestmark
“A process is something you repeat. A platform is something that learns. Everything Lens has learned points the same direction: conviction comes from compatibility, and conviction is what makes buyers stretch on price. Our 101st deal is smarter than our 100th and that advantage compounds”
Allen Darby, Alaris
Ivan Verescuk
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Shaun O’Brien
Head of Underwriting
Emily Walker
Head of Strata and Development
Rex Oakman
Head of Operations and Risk
Sandy Newton
Head of Underwriting
Andrew Mitchell
Manager – NSW
Michael Prokopis
Manager – Southern Region
Pam Chhabra
Manager – Residential Strata
Jeffrey Valdivia
Manager – Commercial Strata
Adam Basaldella
Manager – Claims
In wealth management M&A, buyer selection has long run on generic buyer lists, an advisor’s memory, and broad outreach. Alaris Acquisitions treated that as a problem worth solving before its clients even named it.
The Charlotte, NC-based boutique works exclusively as a sell-side RIA M&A advisor, representing owners of Registered Investment Advisors. Every seller arrives with a version of the same question: how do I sell my RIA to the right partner without sacrificing economics? Alaris answers it by pursuing compatibility and economics together.
Alaris’ answer is Applied Buyer Intelligence, a solution powered by the firm’s proprietary platform, Lens. Rather than run a blind financial auction, Alaris measures compatibility across roughly 90 percent of the buyer universe before a single introduction is made, then concentrates on the buyers who are genuinely compatible. The logic is that conviction comes from compatibility, and a convinced buyer will stretch on price and terms, so prioritizing fit enhances valuation rather than sacrificing it.
Lens is a decision model. A list tells you which buyers match certain criteria; Lens tells you which buyers to engage, in what sequence, with what likely objections, and with what risk of mismatch. Its edge is behavior data: not only what buyers say they want, but what they pursue in live deals, where they pay up, where they retrade, and where they win or lose. That intelligence spans roughly 90 percent of the buyer universe, structured across nine data categories per buyer, and Alaris argues it cannot be replicated without years of the same structured access. Built entirely in-house, Lens pairs its analysis with human judgment rather than relying on algorithms alone.
The firm measures the platform’s value by outcomes rather than usage. Across more than 100 completed acquisitions, no Alaris deal has resulted in a post-close breakup. Behind that figure sit more than $2 billion in seller proceeds and a referral rate above 30 percent from past sellers, which the firm considers its most honest measure, since it is rendered only after a seller has lived with the result.
The approach reflects leadership that has sat on both sides of the table. Founder and CEO Allen Darby spent three decades in wealth management, led United Capital’s outbound M&A through its sale to Goldman Sachs, and launched Alaris in 2019. Managing partner Jacqueline Martinez previously served as head of acquisitions for Goldman Sachs Personal Financial Management. Vision and origination sit on one side, disciplined execution on the other.
Over the past five years, Alaris has turned that experience into infrastructure. Its roster now includes more than 90 buyers, each completing a structured onboarding process, while insights from every deal feed back into the platform, making each successive transaction smarter than the last. For sellers, Alaris operates Lens to deliver a focused, informed process grounded in a deep understanding of each firm. Building on this foundation, Alaris is investing further in Lens, widening the gap between Applied Buyer Intelligence and a traditional auction with every transaction.
Disclosure
Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. (“VAS”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Vestmark Inc., is an investment advisor registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). VAS acts as a paid sub advisor and/or overlay portfolio manager offering VAST and tax optimization services. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. VAS has its principal place of business in Wakefield, MA.
Investing involves risk. The value of an investment will fluctuate over time, and an investor may gain or lose money. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns and individual investor results will vary. Please consult our full disclosure document for a discussion of risks related to the services provided by VAS.
