Doing Well by Doing Good: A UBS Breakaway on Building a $2.9B Mission-Driven Enterprise

Doing Well by Doing Good: A UBS Breakaway on Building a $2.9B Mission-Driven Enterprise

50:07 Aug 21, 2025
About this episode
With Ben Valore-Caplan, Founder of Syntrinsic Overview Ben Valore-Caplan, founder of Syntrinsic, shares how he built a $2.9B mission-driven RIA to serve foundations, endowments, and values-driven institutions, the evolution of impact and ESG investing, why he sold to IMA Financial Group, and more. Listen in… > Download a transcript of this episode… NOTE: The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Diamond Consultants. Neither Diamond Consultants nor the guests on this podcast are compensated in any way for their participation. About this episode… This episode serves as a powerful reminder that the best businesses are built not just on scale, but on intention and alignment with values. In a landscape where most RIAs are designed to serve wealthy individuals, Ben Valore-Caplan took a different path—one rooted in advising non-profits with a focus on mission and purpose. After a decade as an educator and nonprofit entrepreneur, Ben entered the wealth management world at UBS’s predecessor Paine Webber. As an institutional consultant, Ben saw an opportunity to become a bridge between the finance and nonprofit sectors. Yet, as he looked more closely at the conflicts embedded in the wirehouse model, he saw a greater opportunity to build something better: an RIA fully aligned with institutional clients’ missions. So, in 2008, Ben left the wirehouse world to launch Syntrinsic Investment Counsel—an RIA built to serve foundations, endowments, and values-driven institutions. What started as a niche business has since grown into a $2.9B firm, known for its conflict-free model and deep alignment with client missions. In this conversation with Louis Diamond, Ben sh
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