Watt was formed in 2019 with the goal of becoming a virtual investment office for institutional investors that want the skills and connections of the best alternatives managers without having to pay their fees.
We have unique expertise in renewable energy, consumer finance, insurance and in fitting complex investments into financial institutions.
Watt wants to create the same kinds of services for multiple investors that we’ve created for the sophisticated institutions that have employed us in the past.
Our mission is the democratization of alternative asset management - offering investors the chance to pick and choose the services/asset classes they choose. Focused on the renewables and consumer finance sectors initially, we have been expanding our scope opportunistically.
We act as external Chief Investment Officer for a large family office, Lightspeed Capital Management.
Watt has multiple asset advisory relationships where we advise large alternative asset managers on various aspects of their business.
For example, Watt has an extensive relationship with Blackstone, who we advised on their Strata Solar transaction, as well as other non-disclosed transactions.
Watt has an extensive network of financial asset originators, including strategic alliances with:
LendKey Technologies (large consumer loan originator) and EOS Capital Advisors (renewable energy advisor).
Advisory or consulting services for institutional investors
Watt has had a great deal of expertise in structuring & optimizing investments into a variety of situations
Watt has excellent relationships and can source bilateral transactions for investors with their own structuring capabilities
Watt can create discretionary mandates for institutional investors, but unlike most alternatives managers, we allow our clients to adapt their relationship with Watt in a way that best fits their needs
Paul joined with Stuart Degg to found Watt Asset Management in 2019. Prior to Watt, Paul was Managing Director and Head of Specialty Finance at Global Atlantic, where he was responsible for managing a large investment portfolio. Paul’s accomplishments at Global Atlantic included assembling one of the largest financially owned renewable energy portfolios in the US. Prior to Global Atlantic, Paul held a variety of leadership positions at Apollo Global Management, UBS and Deutsche Bank. Paul is actively involved in managing his Haymart& Agri-Cal farming, milling and logistics businesses. Paul received BA and MBA degrees from Columbia University.
Stuart is an investor, primarily in financial services, through his vehicle Libero Ventures. Libero was founded in 2007 and has partnered with major investors in a variety of M&A transactions, including the take-private of Brit and Aspen insurance companies. Prior to Libero, Stuart was Head of Strategy for the Lloyd's insurance market and from 1986-2003 worked as an underwriter at Royal Insurance culminating in being Group Director of RSA Insurance. A co-founder of Rightmove, the $6bn market cap housing business, Stuart resides in the UK and is a director of various entities in the UK & Bermuda.
Scott has over 25 years experience in the finance industry. Before joining Watt, he was a Managing Director at Stifel Financial, responsible for growing the Structured Products business with large institutional clients. Prior to Stifel, Scott held various senior roles within sales, trading and investment banking at UBS, Merrill Lynch and Citigroup, all focusing on securitized products and credit derivatives. Scott received a BS in Systems Engineering from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA.
Prior to joining Watt Asset Management, Frank held senior roles at several investment banks. Notably, post-crisis, Frank ran the Securitized Products division at UBS. Pre-crisis, Frank Co-Headed Global Securitized Products at Deutsche Bank as well as that firm’s asset backed lending businesses. Frank also worked for Credit Suisse for 13 years in various banking, management and risk management capacities. Currently, Frank acts as an advisor to Watt and sits on several boards. Frank received his BA from Fordham University and his MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.
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