Barron's Advisor Katie Partridge: Financial Advice for Tech Founders | Next Gen
Feb 19, 2026
Katie Partridge, managing director at Morgan Stanley's 545 Group who advises tech founders on equity and liquidity, discusses serving founders with dedicated teams and network-driven relationships. She covers equity-comp and tax strategy, AI's role in early conversations and prep, and creative liquidity solutions like synthetic CRT dividends. The conversation stresses patience, building teams, and using private-market tools.
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Build A Founder-Focused Team
- Build a dedicated, multi-role team before serving founders because their needs are complex and continuous.
- Establish strategic partners and a strong network to access founders early and provide coordinated services.
AI Changes The Advisor Starting Point
- Founders now come to meetings armed with AI-generated research and specific questions about equity and tax strategies.
- Advisors must elevate creativity and high-touch service beyond what AI can produce to add value.
Use AI To Prep, Then Add Human Creativity
- Put prospects into AI tools ahead of meetings to anticipate their questions and prepare elevated solutions.
- Use different AI platforms to generate creative approaches but combine them with human judgment.