Key Takeaways
- • Opto Investments, a private markets outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) serving wealth managers, family offices and institutional investors, appointed Justin Mills, CFA, as Principal Product Manager and Rachel Hallock as Head of Design.
- • Mills brings 15 years at Quellos Capital Management (later acquired by BlackRock), where he owned risk, research and quantitative analytics products supporting more than $80 billion in hedge fund, private equity and real assets.
- • Hallock led design for Carta's Fund Administration portfolio as it scaled from 300 firms to 4,000 and brings more than 14 years of product design and financial technology experience.
- • Opto CEO Ryan VanGorder framed the hires as preparation for growth ahead, with Mills's first priority extending the core platform to ease and tailor client onboarding.
Summary
Opto Investments, a private markets outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) for wealth management firms, family offices and institutional investors, announced the appointments of Justin Mills, CFA, as Principal Product Manager and Rachel Hallock as Head of Design. According to the company, the hires are intended to make Opto's platform simpler, faster and more personalized as advisors and CIOs scale their private markets offerings. The firm said allocators are taking on growing complexity in alternative investments, from due diligence to ongoing reporting, and that its platform is designed to reduce manual work so users can focus on investment decisions.
Mills will lead efforts to streamline and advance Opto's technology products. His first priority is extending the core platform to make client onboarding easier and more tailored to specific requirements. He spent 15 years at Quellos Capital Management, which was later acquired by BlackRock, where he owned the risk, research and quantitative analytics products supporting more than $80 billion in hedge fund, private equity and real assets. He later built product and program teams at Smartsheet during its high-growth years.
Hallock will lead design across Opto's platform, spanning the app used by CIOs and advisors to bring clients into private markets and the internal tools used by Opto's own team. She began her career with five years at DesignMap before joining Carta, where as Director of Product Design she led design for the Fund Administration portfolio as it grew from 300 firms to 4,000.
Dan Piehler, Head of Product at Opto, said Mills understands the complexity of moving a client from interested to invested and that Hallock has designed fund software used by thousands of firms. CEO Ryan VanGorder said the company is bringing on senior talent to capitalize on anticipated growth, adding that firms choose Opto for investment experience backed by technology that handles operational work. Opto was founded by Joe Lonsdale and is backed by investors including 8VC and DFO Management, the vehicle of Michael Dell, according to the company.
Mills will lead efforts to streamline and advance Opto's technology products. His first priority is extending the core platform to make client onboarding easier and more tailored to specific requirements. He spent 15 years at Quellos Capital Management, which was later acquired by BlackRock, where he owned the risk, research and quantitative analytics products supporting more than $80 billion in hedge fund, private equity and real assets. He later built product and program teams at Smartsheet during its high-growth years.
Hallock will lead design across Opto's platform, spanning the app used by CIOs and advisors to bring clients into private markets and the internal tools used by Opto's own team. She began her career with five years at DesignMap before joining Carta, where as Director of Product Design she led design for the Fund Administration portfolio as it grew from 300 firms to 4,000.
Dan Piehler, Head of Product at Opto, said Mills understands the complexity of moving a client from interested to invested and that Hallock has designed fund software used by thousands of firms. CEO Ryan VanGorder said the company is bringing on senior talent to capitalize on anticipated growth, adding that firms choose Opto for investment experience backed by technology that handles operational work. Opto was founded by Joe Lonsdale and is backed by investors including 8VC and DFO Management, the vehicle of Michael Dell, according to the company.
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