/C O R R E C T I O N -- Hybrid Advisors/

In the news release, HYBRID ADVISORS AND FAITHSTONE CAPITAL PARTNERS ANNOUNCE JOINT VENTURE TO BUILD A $3 BILLION FUND OF FUNDS PLATFORM, issued 23-Mar-2026 by Hybrid Advisors over PR Newswire, we are advised by the company that changes have been made. The complete, corrected release follows, with additional details at the end:

HYBRID ADVISORS AND FAITHSTONE CAPITAL PARTNERS ANNOUNCE JOINT VENTURE TO BUILD A $3 BILLION FUND OF FUNDS PLATFORM

LAS VEGAS, March 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hybrid Advisors LLC and Faithstone Capital Partners LLC have executed a binding proposal establishing Hybrid Faith Stone — a master joint venture designed to scale the Hybrid Advisors platform into a $3 billion Fund of Funds over the next 18 months. The agreement, signed March 7, 2026, creates a 50/50 partnership in which Faithstone, through its wholly-owned licensed broker dealer Faithstone Securities LLC, contributes merchant banking infrastructure, M&A execution capability, and institutional capital markets distribution, while Hybrid Advisors contributes its fund of funds investment platform services.

Under the joint venture, Faithstone Securities will serve as exclusive broker-dealer of record, placement agent, and debt and equity syndicate lead for all JV securities activities.

Granger Whitelaw, Executive Chairman of Faithstone Capital Partners, commented, "We are delighted to partner with Hybrid Advisors and their talented team to use our collective capabilities to build a world-class platform delivering innovative, cutting edge products to investors while also furthering our Faith-Based mission."

Dion Pouncil, Founder & Chairman of Hybrid Advisors, stated, "Partnering with Faithstone Capital was a natural next step in building something truly differentiated in the market. Together, we're creating a capital markets platform that doesn't just generate returns — it builds a permanent financial legacy. This joint venture combines the best of institutional finance with a mission that extends far beyond the transaction."

About Faithstone Capital Partners

Faithstone is a solutions-oriented global boutique advisory firm and through its wholly owned subsidiary, Faithstone Securities LLC, a FINRA regulated licensed broker dealer. Faithstone specializes in strategic advisory services and developing creative financing solutions for our clients with multi-sector capabilities including healthcare, technology and telecom, real estate, natural resources, consumer and industrial products and special situations. Furthermore, the company has proven expertise in debt negotiations, restructurings, recapitalizations, M&A, and balance sheet optimization. Our team have led some of the larger investment banks in the world and collectively have over 100 years of experience on over $80 billion of transactions globally.

About Hybrid Advisors

Hybrid Advisors manages Fund of Funds which gives investors access to an agnostic portfolio of opportunistic strategies. Key areas of focus include private credit, debt, equity, venture, and celebrity-backed funds — all within a single, institutional-grade vehicle designed to capture alpha across market cycles. Hybrid is led by Dion Pouncil and Dan Fleyshman.

Dion Pouncil— A former independent league professional baseball player turned financial engineer. He holds a FINRA Series 3 and specializes in structured finance and relative value  arbitrage with a concentration in debt and commodities. As a way to give back he has helped over 30,000 people learn financial education through his 501(c)(3) public charity, Hybrid Foundation (www.HybridFoundation.org). 

Dan Fleyshman — The youngest founder of a publicly traded company in history, going public at 23. He went on to build Elevator Studio into one of the world's largest social media influencer agencies, deploying over $60 million with influencers across hundreds of brand campaigns, and has since angel-invested in more than 43 companies while raising over $44 million for his charitable initiatives.

Insights of the Global Investment Management Industry

Of those roughly 190,000+ investment vehicles worldwide, the public fund universe — mutual funds, ETFs, and institutional funds — accounts for approximately 140,000. Private structures including hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, private credit, and real assets funds account for an additional estimated 30,000–50,000 vehicles globally. The United States remains the dominant capital market, holding 53% of global regulated fund AUM at year-end 2024.

The Reality of Fund Ownership
Despite managing trillions of dollars on behalf of pension funds, endowments, and millions of individual investors, the asset management industry remains one of the least diverse sectors in American finance. The data is stark:

According to the Knight Foundation's most comprehensive analysis of U.S. asset management, minority-owned firms represent approximately 6.1% of U.S.-based fund management companies — yet manage only 0.7% of total AUM. The gap between representation and capital command is staggering. White male-owned firms control 98.6% of the assets managed across mutual funds, hedge funds, private equity, and real estate in America.

In the public fund space, approximately 9.2% of mutual fund firms and 9.3% of hedge fund firms are minority-owned — but again, these firms oversee only a fraction of total AUM. McKinsey's 2023 State of Diversity in Global Private Markets found that ethnic and racial minorities represent just 20% of managing director-level investing professionals in private equity across the U.S. and Canada — in a country where minorities represent 41% of the total population.

For Black-owned firms specifically, the data is even more concentrated. The 89 Black-owned NAIC member firms in alternative asset management collectively manage approximately $253 billion — a figure the NAIC estimates represents roughly one-third of all Black-owned alternative managers in existence. Africa-American owned asset managers account for approximately 0.2% of global AUM, compared to the top 10 non-Black firms alone, which manage nearly $22 trillion, or 20% of the global total.

Among minority-owned firms managing over $1 billion in AUM, the list is extraordinarily short. In the public fund space, Ariel Investments stands as the longest-tenured — founded in 1983 as the first Black-owned mutual fund firm, now managing approximately $16.2 billion. In private markets: Vista Equity Partners (Robert F. Smith) leads at approximately $103.8 billion; Verdun Perry raised $25 billion for Blackstone's Strategic Partners; José Feliciano's Clearlake Capital approaches $70 billion; and Ariel Alternatives closed a $1.45 billion inaugural private equity fund in 2023 — one of the largest first-time fund closes ever globally. The total list of Black-owned or Black-led firms managing more than $1 billion across both public and private strategies numbers fewer than 20.

The Hybrid Faithstone model is simple. Constructive capitalism. Their belief is that you can help people and still run profitable businesses. In this case, they serve that mission through their Fund of Funds.

DISCLAIMER: This document is for informational and investor relations purposes only. It does not constitute an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security. All financial projections are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This document is distributed on a confidential basis to qualified parties only. Securities offerings, if any, will be made only pursuant to applicable registration exemptions and in compliance with applicable federal and state securities laws.

Correction: Several changes to wording have been applied, and the order of paragraphs has been edited for clarity. Also, in the fourth paragraph, the quote has been attributed to Dion Pouncil.

SOURCE Hybrid Advisors