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Persona
Persona is a New York RIA built by Leo Shklovskii for technology founders, investing alongside clients in venture-stage companies like SpaceX and...
Persona
Persona launched in 2012 as a digital advisory platform before pivoting into a high-touch registered investment advisor focused on the technology sector's emerging wealth. The firm is led by CEO Leo Shklovskii and CFO Christophe M. Capron, who joined from AllianceBernstein. Its client base is concentrated — public record suggests under 100 relationships — drawn from the founders, executives, and venture capitalists who create liquidity events at companies including Airbnb, Snowflake, and Stripe. The firm operates from New York. The investment strategy spans three distinct lanes. Public equities are managed in-house with a long-biased, concentrated mandate favoring durable compounders in technology and consumer sectors. Private investments access mid-to-late-stage venture and growth equity through direct allocations — confirmed positions have included SpaceX, Databricks, and Plaid — often syndicated alongside top-tier venture firms. A third lane covers private credit and real assets, including specialty finance and select real estate partnerships. Persona does not run commingled funds; each client relationship operates through separately managed accounts with tailored exposure to the firm's house positions. Persona's scale is lean by design. Headcount is not publicly disclosed but industry peers at comparable RIAs report teams of 15 to 25 professionals. The firm has not disclosed a formal AUM number, but regulatory filings and industry estimates place aggregate assets under advisement in the $100 million to $300 million range. The firm maintains a single office in New York. No separate philanthropic vehicle or multi-family office spinout has been announced. The firm's structural distinction lies in its concentric client model — Persona invests its own balance sheet alongside clients in the same venture deals, creating an unusual alignment mechanism for an RIA. This is closer to the partnership architecture of a family office than the broker-dealer heritage of most registered investment advisors. Succession planning and long-term governance remain private, but the firm's ownership appears concentrated with its founding team.
General information
Firm type
RIA
Year founded
2012
AUM
$100M - $300M (Altss estimate)
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Leo Shklovskii
Chief Executive Officer
Christophe M. Capron
Chief Financial Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Persona?
Investment decisions are led by CEO Leo Shklovskii, who founded the firm in 2012. The firm maintains a lean investment team and does not publicly disclose a separate CIO. Public equity selection and venture allocations appear to be directed by Shklovskii with support from the firm's research staff.
How does Persona source proprietary deal flow?
Persona's deal flow is sourced primarily through its client network, which includes founders, executives, and venture capitalists at major technology companies. The firm's concentrated client base — built around liquidity events at companies like Airbnb and Stripe — gives it access to venture-stage allocations that are typically reserved for top-tier venture firms. Persona syndicates alongside established VC funds rather than competing for lead positions.
Is Persona a family office or a registered investment advisor?
Persona is legally a registered investment advisor (RIA), not a single-family office. However, its operating model — concentrated client base under 100 relationships, balance-sheet co-investment alongside clients, and direct venture allocations — functions more like a multi-family office or outsourced family office for the technology sector than a conventional wealth manager.
Does Persona participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Persona primarily pursues direct co-investments in venture-stage companies rather than committing capital to third-party venture funds. Confirmed positions include SpaceX, Databricks, and Plaid, typically accessed through syndicates or direct allocations alongside lead investors. The firm may use fund vehicles for exposure to private credit and real assets where direct origination is less practical.
What investment stages does Persona typically target?
Persona targets mid-to-late-stage venture and growth equity rounds in technology companies. The firm does not appear to invest at the seed or early Series A stage, preferring companies with established product-market fit and clear paths to liquidity. Public equity holdings tend toward large-cap technology and consumer compounders held with a long-duration bias.
Does Persona maintain philanthropic structures for its clients?
Persona has not publicly announced a dedicated philanthropic advisory division or donor-advised fund platform. For clients with philanthropic objectives, the firm likely coordinates through external structures and advisors, consistent with its lean operating model and focus on investment management rather than ancillary family-office services.
What is Persona's posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
Co-investment is central to Persona's venture strategy. The firm invests its own capital alongside client accounts in the same deals, creating economic alignment that is rare among RIAs. Persona acts as a syndicate participant rather than a lead investor, relying on relationships with top-tier venture firms to access allocations.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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