Name: Shana Orczyk Sissel
Title: Founder & CEO
Company: Banríon Capital Management
Website: www.banrioncapital.com
Founded: 2022
Headquarters: Illinois, USA
Description: We’ve been in your shoes, we know your pain points and we believe that we can provide you with the unparalleled technology solution & white glove service that you deserve.
Revolutionizing WealthTech: Innovation, Resilience, and Empowering Women in Finance
Shana Orczyk Sissel, founder and CEO of Banríon Capital Management, has spent two decades mastering the financial services industry. Known as the “Queen of Alternatives,” she specializes in helping financial advisors navigate alternative investing, from portfolio construction to investment platform development. Her expertise has made her a frequent media presence on CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business, among other media houses.
A passionate advocate for women in finance, Shana uses her platform to mentor young women and champion gender equality in a male-dominated industry. As a leading voice in Women in ETFs, she strives to amplify female representation in finance, both in media and industry events. Shana’s journey of overcoming obstacles has made her a respected figure, dedicated to fostering recognition and opportunities for women in the financial sector.
In an interview, she speaks on an array of topics. Excepts:
Revolutionizing Wealth Management: Banríon Capital Management
The wealth management industry has increasingly shifted to a “platform” model, with advisors seeking third-party due diligence, educational resources, and alternative investment research to meet their fiduciary duties, observes Shana. She adds that many solutions fail to address these needs, especially when advisors cannot bill on assets or include them in consolidated client statements. “The industry continues to fail financial advisors by not offering solutions that focus on solving these problems.” In August 2022, Shana launched Banríon Capital Management with the goal of providing a technology solution specifically designed for advisors, built by a team with direct experience in their role.
Challenges Galore
Quipped about challenges faced by the industry, post pandemic, Shana says that in the post-pandemic world, WealthTech providers face the challenge of connecting with clients in a more personalized way. “We currently live in a world where being associated with a large faceless corporation is no longer an advantage.” As people seek more meaningful connections, new market entrants are emerging by creating unique brand experiences. “It’s not enough to just have a good product, you need to have a brand the audience can connect with.” Success lies in cultivating a loyal, passionate customer base, not just acquiring millions of clients, according to this entrepreneur.
Key features of Banríon’s platform, it’s impact
In June 2024, the company launched version 1.0 of its technology solution, integrating with Mammoth Technology to enhance operational tools for advisors, with an overwhelmingly positive response. “As we have just moved into 2025, we’re excited to introduce our Client Blueprint, allowing advisors to tailor alternative solutions for their clients. Additionally, we are expanding our partnership with AssetLink and their AI-driven relationship intelligence platform resulting in elevated matchmaking between advisors and asset managers.” AI will also support our custom alternative investment models, as the company continues to build an open architecture marketplace that includes both established and emerging managers.
Traits and Principles for Success
Authenticity and self-awareness have been key drivers of my success and the success of Banríon, notes Shana. “Knowing my strengths and weaknesses, I am transparent with my team and partners about both. I prioritize building a resilient, passionate team eager to learn and innovate, which is more important than having a highly experienced team.”
Noting that in the past one year, she faced significant personal and health challenges, including the loss of my partner, a severe spinal injury, and a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, Shana says that despite these obstacles, she has been working tirelessly to bring the MVP to market, hitting all the KPIs and achieving the goal of becoming cancer-free.
Advice for WealthTech Startups
For startups in WealthTech, it is crucial to deeply understand the problems you aim to solve. “If you know exactly what the problems are the solutions will seem obvious in retrospect.” Clear articulation of both the problem and opportunity is essential for creating effective technology solutions. Building strong partnerships with companies addressing adjacent market problems can accelerate growth and create valuable resources.
“Lessons from My Career”
“Over my career, I’ve learned to be memorable and embrace my uniqueness. Speak up, don’t be afraid of challenging the norm. Building your brand and leaning into what makes you distinct is key to standing out. To transform a market, you’ll inevitably make people uncomfortable, and you shouldn’t try to please everyone along the way.”
Forging ahead: Pioneering the Future of WealthTech with Innovation and Personalization
In 2025, Banríon will launch the game-changing Client Blueprint advisor toolkit and AI solutions, designed to elevate business development resources for financial advisors. “Our solution has already transformed wealth management by reducing the time to complete investments in private funds from days to minutes, eliminating operational friction.” Adds Shana that being comfortable with change is the most important leadership principle for navigating challenges in the WealthTech industry. Our goal is to build the largest open architecture marketplace for alternative investments, reshaping how advisors serve clients and grow their businesses.
Banríon stands out as a female-founded, female-led company with a team experienced in working alongside financial advisors. We focus on balancing growth with personalized service by leveraging a network of professionals. “Our advisor-centered approach is the aspect of Banríon that I think is unique and warrants highlighting.”
