Hightower Holding

Private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners has held a majority stake in Hightower since 2017. Day-to-day operations are run by CEO Bob Oros, who replaced founder Elliot Weissbluth in 2019. The board includes both THL representatives and independent directors.

Hightower targets breakaway wirehouse teams and independent RIAs seeking scale without giving up operational control. The firm acquires a minority or majority equity stake, integrates the practice onto its centralized technology and compliance stack, and provides access to a curated alternative investment platform. Advisers retain local branding and client-service autonomy.

Hightower's investment office sources institutional private credit funds, direct real estate partnerships, and hedge fund allocations that are then made available to advisers on its platform. By aggregating client commitments, the firm negotiates lower minimums and fee structures typically unavailable to individual RIAs. Managers have included Golub Capital and other institutional credit providers (per the firm's public disclosures).

Hightower is a holding company that owns equity stakes in over 130 independent advisory businesses. Each practice operates under its own brand and retains discretion over client portfolios, but benefits from Hightower's shared compliance, technology, and investment platform. This is distinct from a roll-up model where all practices are eventually rebranded into a single entity.

Unlike Focus Financial, which typically buys practices outright and operates a fully integrated multi-boutique structure, Hightower often takes minority stakes and allows firms to retain greater day-to-day independence. Compared to Dynasty, which is primarily a service provider without equity ownership in its network firms, Hightower's model ties both parties through permanent equity and shared economics.