Smart Money Circle

Alan Strauss

Senior Partner, Director of Investor Relations at Crystal Capital Partners with $1B in assets

Website

https://www.crystalfunds.com/

Bio

Alan has been with the firm since 2009. During that time, he has helped lead the firm’s investor relations department and continues to focus on client relations, sales, and marketing initiatives. He earned both his M.S.Ed. in Sport Administration and his B.S. in Broadcast Journalism and Spanish from the University of Miami.

Crystal has over $1bn of AUM on its platform

This $3B Money Management Firm Shares Timeless Lessons & Takes A Holistic Approach To Investing

Guest

Daria Victorov – Financial Advisor and Partner at

Abacus Wealth Partners with approximately $3B in AUM

Website:

https://abacuswealth.com/

Bio

Daria graduated from Virginia Tech's CFP undergraduate education program. Shortly after graduating she relocated to the Bay Area and worked for a small RIA in Silicon Valley. There she kick started her career working primarily with young professionals in tech. After a year the company merged with another RIA where she gained experience working with a transcontinental team and focusing on transitioning clients to the new firm.

In 2016 she moved to Abacus Wealth Partners where she is now a relationship manager and partner. Abacus is a national RIA that serves ~1,600 households. She has been on FPA Silicon Valley's board of directors and the NorCal committee. Currently she is involved with NAPFA's DEI committee. In 2018 she was named one of Financial Advisor's 10 Young Advisors to Watch. Lastly, in 2024 she was named one of InvestmentNews' Rising Star recipients.

Disclaimer:Abacus Wealth Partners, LLC (‘Abacus’) is an SEC registered investment adviser. SEC registration does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the SEC nor does it indicate that Abacus has attained a particular level of skill or ability. This material prepared by Abacus is for informational purposes only and is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. Abacus’ website and its associated links offer news, commentary, and generalized research. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information and should not be considered as a recommendation or solicitation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. It is not intended to serve as personalized tax, legal, and/or investment advice since the availability and effectiveness of any strategy is dependent upon your individual facts and circumstances. Abacus is not a legal or accounting firm. Please consult with your tax and/or legal professional regarding your specific tax or legal situation when determining if any of the mentioned strategies are right for you. Nothing on this website should be interpreted to state or imply that past performance is an indication of future performance. All investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed.

Name: Tom Hulick

Title: CEO – Strategy Asset Managers

AUM: $850M

Website: https://strategyassetmanagers.com/

Bio:

Tom Hulick is CEO, CCO and Managing Partner of Strategy Asset Managers. He is the founding partner of Hulick Capital Management, LLC ─ the parent company of both Strategy Asset Managers and Holly Street Wealth Advisors. Mr. Hulick has worked for 25 years as a senior wealth advisor and investment manager for some of the largest financial and investment firms in the world.

He is an active member of the Tulane University Fund Advisory Board and serves on the board of the WildlifeNOW ─ Tony Fitzjohn / George Adamson African Wildlife Preservation Trust. Mr. Hulick previously served on the advisory board of the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center in Pasadena, California and the Neighborhood Youth Association, serving underprivileged youth in Los Angeles, CA. He has been a member of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses volunteers since 2007.

Mr. Hulick received a B.A. in political science from Tulane University and his MBA from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business. He is also a graduate of The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Aresty Institute of Executive Education, Senior Consultant’s Program, through which he received the designation of Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA).

Guest

Gleb Budman, Cofounder, CEO, Chairman of Backblaze [NASDAQ: BLZE]
Website

https://www.backblaze.com/

About Gleb Budman

Gleb Budman is the co-founder and CEO of Backblaze (NASDAQ: BLZE), the cloud storage company trusted by over 500,000 customers in 175+ countries. From home-built servers to taking the company public, Gleb has led Backblaze with a rare mix of long-term vision, transparency, and scrappiness. Turning a bootstrapped startup into a global cloud platform. Before Backblaze, Gleb led product at two technology startups from beginning through successful acquisitions.

Name: Chris Lo

Title: Founder & CEO

Website: https://ir.jiguang.cn

Company Name: Aurora Mobile

Ticker: JG

Bio:

A serial entrepreneur, founded Aurora Mobile in 2011. Secured multiple rounds of investments from Mandra, IDG, FOSUN, Fidelity, Goldman Sachs, and led Aurora to a successful IPO on NASDAQ in 2018.

Guest:

Scott A. Goginsky, CFA ®

Partner & Portfolio Manager

Biondo Investment Advisors, LLC

AUM: $1.1B

Website:

www.TheBiondoGroup.com

Disclosure:

Neither the information nor opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation by us of the purchase or sale of any securities. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

Bio:

Scott was drawn to the value of a small firm culture and local emphasis when he joined Biondo Investment Advisors in 2010 as a Research Analyst & Portfolio Manager. He finds managing the money of individuals rewarding, as he can help make a significant impact to them and their families. He became a Partner in 2020 and is responsible for equity research and portfolio management.

Scott has provided expert commentary on financial markets and investment strategies, appearing on platforms such as NASDAQ TradeTalks, TD Ameritrade, and Business Insider to share insights with investors.

He began his career at Metropolitan Life in 1996, and later became a securities analyst at ING Investment Management. He then joined Wachovia Securities as a sell-side research analyst, covering the consumer sector, before moving to Schwartz Investment Counsel as an analyst

and portfolio manager.

Scott graduated from University of Kansas with Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Business Administration. He has an MBA from Oakland University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®). He is also a member of the CFA Institute.

Married with twin boys in college, Scott is an enthusiastic reader and sports junkie, with special interest in his favorite team, the Chicago Bears.

Guest

Cameron Chell, Co-Founder CEO, Draganfly Inc.

Website

https://draganfly.com/

Ticker: DPRO

Bio

Cameron Chell

CEO / PRESIDENT

Cameron has been a technology entrepreneur for more than 30 years and has spent his career growing a diverse collection of high-potential ideas into revolutionary companies that have changed the way we experience the world.

Cameron takes a hands-on leadership role in projects, infusing innovation and adoption with the operational principles of clarity, alignment, and measurement into the culture of every team he works with.

Guest

Peter Evans CEO & President Xtract One Technologies

Ticker:

TSX: XTRA

Website

https://xtractone.com/

Bio

Peter Evans has over 25 years of experience leading organizations’ digital transformation and innovation activities for customers in high-growth technology businesses. At Xtract One, Peter is bolstering the physical security technology industry while working to improve the patron experience. With his understanding of the operational challenges customers face, Peter is driving the organization towards delivering tech solutions that replace outdated systems, augment current technology, and enhance existing resources.

As a four-time high-tech CEO, Peter has demonstrated repeated success in driving revenue growth and accelerated profitability, by delivering innovative solutions to target markets, and triggered multiple profitable liquidity events. Peter has helped Xtract One transform into an innovative and disruptive company that acquires a broad portfolio of solutions poised for growth by addressing critical security concerns across communities and businesses.

Prior to Xtract One, Peter served as a senior executive at several technology and security companies, including IBM, where he was responsible for developing, delivering, and evangelizing the long cycle technical vision and strategy for their Internet Security Systems division. This includes security implications and strategies for Cloud, Telecom, and mobility.

GuestSeth Pinegar, West Coast Regional Director, The CFO CentreWebsitehttps://www.cfocentre.com/us/BioSeth has 25+ years’ experience in helping companies successfully seed, develop, grow, finance, operate, strategize, execute, acquire, consolidate and/or enable investor exits – first with nearly a decade in TMT investment banking with JPMorgan and UBS Investment Bank, followed by Corporate Development and CFO roles in several successful technology and services companies. Since 2017 Seth has launched and run CFO Centre first in Shanghai, China and now the West Coast USA, having worked with dozens of clients to bring them the best of its global platform.A business-focused fractional CFO and adviser, Seth’s work has included day-to-day operational work such as restructuring and leading Finance teams, to improving financial reporting and transparency, structuring and leading new business initiatives, operational restructurings and cost reductions, and directing company growth in a financially healthy and investor exit-friendly way.Seth has led over $7bn in equity and debt financings for companies in all stages of development, as well as structured and led M&A transactions (buy-side and sell-side) totaling over $5bn in aggregate value. Having done both numerous times at scale and involving sophisticated counterparties (i.e. institutional investors/lenders and publicly-traded companies), he has an acute awareness of requirements for successful deals, and thus provides exceptional strategic advice for optimizing numerous medium- and long-term outcomes.

Guest

Julina Ogilvie, CIMA®, CPWA®, CEPA®

Partner | Wealth Advisor

Principle Wealth

Author & Host

Money Confident Girls Book & Podcast

Firm Website

https://www.principlewealthpartners.com/

Firm AUM

$2.5B

Bio:

Julina manages wealth for high-net-worth individuals and families in addition to guiding successful advisors through the firm's succession planning strategy. Prior to joining Principle Wealth Partners, Julina held executive roles at J.P. Morgan Asset Management and Lord Abbett & Co. In these roles, she used her extensive knowledge of the capital markets to educate the country's top advisors.

Julina is an accomplished speaker and strategist who has presented wealth management concepts to thousands of financial professionals and clients. She has been recognized for her outstanding achievements and serves as a mentor for young women entering the business. With a passion for financial literacy she created a podcast, Women On Wealth, to empower women on financial concepts. Additionally, she authored Money Confident Girls: A Parents Roadmap to Raising Financially Confident Children (From Toddlers to Teens), further solidifying her commitment to fostering financial competence from an early age.

Julina resides in Fairfield, CT with her husband Doug, their daughters Kaylin and Sidney, and two dogs Mudd and Sierra. She currently sits on the Ethics Board of the Investments & Wealth Institute, serves as VP of Finance at the Westport Women's Club, and sits on the Board of Directors at River House Adult Day Center. Julina is an avid skier and triathlete whom qualified for the lronman World Championship in 2024.

Disclaimer:

The information provided is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice and it should not be relied on as such. The statements and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the author. PWP cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of any statements or data. For current PWP information, please visit the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov by searching with PWP’s CRD #290180.