Wayfinder

Institutional rigor and diligence for the next generation of investing.

Having an idea of where we are going by knowing where we have been.

To educate.
To elevate.
To connect.

Our Role

We are an independent thought partner on investment decisions, and where the map runs out, we keep going.

Wayfinder is small by design: a senior advisor on every conversation.

Our work sits where the market does not fit neatly in a box: the early, the overlooked, the questions no one quite owns. Where we do not know the answer, we usually know who does.

What We Do

Investment Research

Diligence on first-time and established funds, and on direct investments, across traditional and newer asset classes.

Strategy Consulting

Guidance on portfolio construction, investment policy, and the strategy of the business itself.

Introductions

Connecting people who can add value to one another’s objectives.

Where We Look

Charting the Unknown

Wayfinder is rooted in institutional investing and driven by a curiosity that is always expanding the horizon. We continue to learn, explore, and move into the parts of the market that are only beginning to emerge, without ever losing the discipline that shaped us from the start. It is the same expertise, aimed at the unknown.

  • Emerging managers
  • Venture capital
  • Direct secondaries
  • Co-investments
  • Direct investments
  • Digital assets
  • Biotech and life sciences
  • Sports franchise and league ownership
  • Defense
  • Traditional public and private markets

How We Work

The Long Game

We begin with the people involved: a real understanding of their situation and what a good result would mean to them. Only then do we turn to how we can help.

Introductions are made only when both sides want them, as part of a pay-it-forward network: compounding karma, where goodwill opens opportunities for everyone in it over time. Where we have any relationship with a manager under discussion, we say so first.

Families. A research partner to the family office. → Founders. Operators are one of the best resources in investing. → Funds. An allocator’s read, while it can still change something. →

Who We Are

Founder and CIO

Director of Operations

Advisors

Our team is lean by design. Across the areas we cover, we draw on a network of subject-matter experts who play the same long game and share our belief in compounding karma. A selection of them appears below.

Advisor, Quantitative Modeling

Advisor, Sports

Advisor, Defense

Advisor, Blockchain Technology

Advisor, AI and Frontier Technology

About

We Explore With You

The Origin of the Name

The name comes from the open-ocean navigators of the Pacific, and Dave chose it because it described what he already did for a living.

A wayfinder carries no instrument. The knowledge sits in the navigator: the stars, the swell, how far the vessel has come since the last point of certainty. You do not aim at the island, which is too small a target. You steer for a stretch of ocean too wide to miss, and read what arrives.

We keep in mind where a family or a founder has been, read what the present actually tells us, and stay patient while land is not yet in view.

Navigators are made by navigators, which is why teaching comes first.

Wayfinder exists because the same request kept arriving from different rooms: families and managers wanted a trusted guide they could call directly. Dave kept a list of the ideas for which a large consulting practice had no room, and built Wayfinder to pursue them.

What we believe

Research belongs with the people advising the portfolio, and it starts with a meeting in person, not someone else's notes. A strong return shows what happened; the how and the why show whether it can happen again.

Who We Are

Founder and CIO

Director of Operations

Advisors

Our team is lean by design. Across the areas we cover, we draw on a network of subject-matter experts who play the same long game and share our belief in compounding karma. A selection of them appears below.

Advisor, Quantitative Modeling

Advisor, Sports

Advisor, Defense

Advisor, Blockchain Technology

Advisor, AI and Frontier Technology

Families

A Research Partner to the Family Office

We work with families, and the offices that serve them, in the parts of the market that receive little coverage: eclectic strategies, and managers too early or too specialized to be widely known.

Some come to us after a liquidity event, deciding what to build inside the office and whom to trust. Others face a generational question: how the next generation learns to hold what it did not build.

Often the most useful thing we bring is not our own view. It is an hour with a family that has already made the same decision.

How it works

It starts with a conversation about the family. We meet a wide range of managers, bring forward the ones that fit, and help weigh the choices when the question is the office itself.

Where we focus

  • Manager research where the coverage is thin
  • Best practices for forming a family office, and introductions to independent specialists who build them
  • Stewardship across generations
  • Peer introductions between families, made one at a time

Founders

Operators Are One of the Best Resources in Investing

We help founders think through strategic decisions, test assumptions, and prepare for investor conversations, then stay close as the business grows more complex.

Some of our best investment ideas come from operators themselves, and from the people and managers they respect.

How it works

It starts with the founder's story. We go deep on the question in front of them, ask what an investor will ask before an investor asks it, and connect them with an operator who has already solved the same problem. Over time, that conversation opens doors to investors and others worth knowing.

Funds

Your How and Why

We are drawn to the challenger manager: a strategy still being sharpened, a story not yet told well. We help strong ideas be seen in their best light.

A manager has thirty minutes to earn a second meeting. Thousands of manager meetings have taught us what matters to the allocator, how to explain a strategy, and when the timing is right. The best LPs are often the slowest to say yes, and the stickiest once they do.

How it works

We start with who the manager is and what makes the strategy different: the right to exist, and the right to win. Then we read the materials the way an allocator will, and return to the story as the strategy develops.

Last updated September 30, 2026

Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how Wayfinder Advisors LLC (“Wayfinder,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) receives and uses personal information about you when you visit wayfinderadvisors.io (the “Site”), how we protect and share that information, and the rights you may have in relation to it.

Information we collect

The site does not ask for personal information, and it does not use cookies, analytics, advertising tags, or tracking pixels, and it does not build a profile of visitors. Its fonts and images are served from the site itself, so a visit does not send your information to any third party other than our hosting provider.

As with any website, our hosting provider automatically processes the technical information needed to deliver pages securely, such as your IP address, browser type, and the time of each request. These server logs are used for security and reliability, and they are retained according to the provider's own policies.

Service providers

The site is hosted by Vercel Inc., which processes information on our behalf to provide its services. It is based in the United States, and information may be processed in the United States and other countries where it operates.

How we use and share information

We do not sell or rent personal information, and we do not share it for advertising. We may disclose information to our professional advisors, in connection with a merger or other business transfer, where the law requires it, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Wayfinder or others.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to request access to, correction of, or deletion of the personal information we hold about you, and to object to or restrict its use. Where the EU or UK General Data Protection Regulation applies, our basis for processing the technical information described above is our legitimate interest in operating the site securely, and you may also lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Children

The site is not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect information from anyone under the age of 16.

Security and Do Not Track

We take reasonable measures to protect the information we receive, although no transmission over the internet is completely secure. Because the site does not track visitors over time or across other websites, it does not respond differently to Do Not Track or similar signals.

Additional information for California residents

If you are a California resident, you may request access to, correction of, or deletion of the personal information we hold about you, and we will honor these requests. We do not sell or share personal information, as those terms are defined under California law, and we do not disclose personal information to third parties for their own direct marketing purposes. We will not treat you differently for making any of these requests.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of the page shows when it was last revised.

Last updated September 30, 2026

Terms of Use

These terms govern your use of wayfinderadvisors.io, which is operated by Wayfinder Advisors LLC. By using the site, you agree to them.

Information only

Everything on this site is provided for general informational purposes. It is not investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice, and it is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security or interest in any investment. Nothing on the site should be relied upon as the basis for an investment decision.

No client relationship

Using the site does not make you a client of Wayfinder. An engagement is formed only through a separate written agreement.

Acceptable use

You agree not to use the site unlawfully, to interfere with its operation, or to copy its content by automated means.

Intellectual property

The content, design, illustrations, and marks on this site belong to Wayfinder Advisors LLC. You may view the site and share links to its pages for personal, noncommercial purposes, but you may not copy, modify, or republish its content without our written permission. Other names and marks shown on the site belong to their respective owners.

Links to other websites

Links to other websites are provided for convenience. We are not responsible for the content or practices of those websites.

No warranties

The site is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of accuracy, completeness, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent the law permits, Wayfinder Advisors LLC is not liable for any loss or damage, including indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, arising from your use of the site or your reliance on its content. Nothing in these terms limits any liability that cannot be limited under applicable law, including the mandatory consumer protections of the place where you live.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules, and any dispute is subject to the courts located in Massachusetts.

Severability

If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the remaining terms continue in effect.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. The date at the top of the page shows when they were last revised.

Dennis Mannion

Dennis Mannion

Advisor, Sports

Dennis Mannion brings more than 40 years of experience in professional sports and is one of very few executives to have held senior business leadership roles with franchises across all four major U.S. leagues: MLB, the NFL, the NBA, and the NHL. His perspective is grounded in the commercial and operating decisions behind sports franchises, including media, sponsorship, ticketing, venue operations, and organizational leadership. That experience gives him a practical understanding of how franchises generate revenue, strengthen their commercial businesses, and execute the growth plans that owners and investors must evaluate.

Dennis previously served as President of the Los Angeles Dodgers and President and CEO of Palace Sports & Entertainment, where he led business operations for the Detroit Pistons and a portfolio of sports and entertainment venues. His earlier leadership roles included the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and Philadelphia Phillies. He is CEO and President of House of 7, a sports advisory firm serving professional and amateur sports clients.

Education
Hootie Rashidifard

Hootie Rashidifard

Advisor, Blockchain Technology

Hootie Rashidifard brings nearly a decade of experience in early-stage venture capital, with a focus on blockchain and financial infrastructure. His perspective centers on the practical uses of blockchain, including payments, stablecoins, and infrastructure designed to give users greater control over their assets. He combines investing experience with a background in technology operations, bringing practical context to how founders develop products, find customers, and build businesses around new technologies.

Hootie is the Founder and Managing Partner of Hash3, an early-stage venture capital firm focused on blockchain companies and protocols. He previously served as a Principal at Canaan Partners, where he invested in crypto and fintech and launched and co-led Canaan Beta, the firm’s seed investment program. His earlier experience includes business operations at LinkedIn and technology investment banking at GCA.

Education
Andrew Chan

Andrew Chan

Advisor, AI and Frontier Technology

Andrew Chan brings experience across scientific research, venture capital, and applied AI, with a focus on technologies that solve practical problems in established industries. His investment focus spans energy, manufacturing, mining, and agriculture, where advances in AI, robotics, and automation are changing how businesses operate. Alongside investing, he works with financial firms on the adoption and implementation of AI.

Andrew is the Founder and Managing Partner of Atas VC and a Principal at Veridian Technologies, a software consulting firm serving financial institutions. He previously served as a Senior Associate at Builders VC and an Investor at Riot Ventures, with responsibilities spanning investment evaluation, portfolio support, and investor relations. Earlier in his career, he conducted planetary geophysics research at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, developing software to model icy ocean worlds.

Education
Tom Danielson

Tom Danielson

Advisor, Quantitative Modeling

Tom Danielson brings more than 25 years of experience applying quantitative methods to institutional investment decisions. His perspective centers on using rigorous models to frame critical questions such as risk tolerance, asset allocation trade-offs, portfolio construction, and private equity pacing, while reflecting the specific circumstances of each investor. That experience gives him a practical understanding of how quantitative insight can sharpen investment discussions, and of how to interpret technical outputs with productive skepticism.

Tom is the Founder of Tailored Quant, a quantitative advisory firm that offers custom portfolio analysis to investment teams. He previously served as an Investment Risk Manager at Wellington Management, where he provided oversight and advice to long-only equity portfolio managers across styles, regions, and market capitalizations. Before Wellington, he spent 19 years at Cambridge Associates, where as a Managing Director he built and led the firm’s quantitative resources team, developing methodologies for risk tolerance, asset allocation, and portfolio monitoring.

Education
General Luis Alberto Ardila Silva (Ret.)

General Luis Alberto Ardila Silva (Ret.)

Advisor, Defense

General Luis Alberto Ardila Silva brings over four decades of service in the Colombian National Army. His perspective is grounded in military command, joint and special operations, and the organization of security forces. That experience gives him a practical understanding of how armed forces assess threats, define their operational requirements, and organize to adopt new capabilities, the same questions that shape investment in defense and defense technology.

General Ardila served as Second Commander and Chief of Staff of the Colombian National Army. He previously served as Head of Joint and Special Operations at the General Command of the Military Forces and as Defense and Military Attaché in Chile. He also commanded one Division and five Brigades. He was awarded the Medalla Militar al Valor for personal valor in combat. After retiring from active service, he became Director General of the Liceos del Ejército, the Army’s school system.

Education
Dave White

Dave White

Founder and CIO

LinkedIn Profile

Dave White is the Founder and CIO of Wayfinder and has more than fifteen years of experience advising families, endowments, foundations, and entrepreneurs on portfolio construction, manager research, and multi-asset investment strategy. Prior to founding Wayfinder, Dave spent over a decade at Cambridge Associates, where he helped build a boutique multi-family-office platform within the firm. His work combined rigorous manager research with hands-on portfolio management across public equity, hedge funds, venture capital, growth equity, private equity, private credit, and digital assets.

Dave conducted more than four hundred manager meetings each year and advised clients across a wide range of situations, from newly created entrepreneurial wealth to large multi-generational families. His approach emphasizes investment philosophy, process durability, governance, and alignment, with a focus on helping clients navigate complex decisions and build long-term partnerships with investment managers. He also spent considerable time educating next-generation family members and strengthening the decision-making frameworks that support responsible ownership over time.

Education
Maria Paula White

Maria Paula White

Director of Operations

LinkedIn Profile

Maria Paula White is the Director of Operations at Wayfinder. She is a trained lawyer and operations specialist with expertise in Tax Law, Taxation and Regulation of Cryptocurrency, Estate Planning, and Regulatory Compliance. Her experience includes developing and maintaining tax models for tokenized payroll, conducting complex legal, tax, and compliance research, and performing EDD, AML, and KYC reviews. Earlier in her career, she advised ministries within the Colombian government on public finance, administrative law, and tax policy.

Maria Paula builds and manages operational and compliance systems that support thorough research and enable work across different jurisdictions in both traditional and emerging financial markets.

Education