GAM Holding isn't afraid to gamble on risky bets. The asset management firm offers private clients, institutional investors, and intermediary clients such investment vehicles as equity, fixed income, private-label funds, and alternative investment funds, as well as portfolio management. GAM Holding was spun off in late 2009 from Swiss private banker Julius Baer. Now its own separate, public entity, GAM Holding comprises GAM, Swiss & Global Asset Management, and a 28% stake in Artio Global Investors. (Swiss & Global focuses on traditional investments, while GAM is known for alternative and absolute-return strategies, such as hedge funds). GAM Holding has assets under management of CHF$124 billion ($119 billion).

McAdams Wright Ragen was formed in 1998 by Brooks Ragen and Scott McAdams, both formerly associated with the regional firm Ragen MacKenzie. McAdams Wright Ragen, Inc., the regional broker-dealer offers equity and fixed-income trading, asset management, and investment banking services such as corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions advice to area companies. McAdams Wright Ragen, Inc. also performs equity research on northwestern and national stocks and acts as a market maker for some 550 community bank stocks. Offering investment management and financial planning services to retail clients, McAdams Wright Ragen, Inc. has some $3 billion in assets under management. Employee-owned MWR was founded in 1999 by Ragen MacKenzie alums Brooks Ragen and president and CEO Scott McAdams.

China Direct Industries, Inc. (China Direct Industries) manages a portfolio of Chinese entities. It also provides consulting services to Chinese businesses. The Company operates in three business segments: Magnesium, Basic Materials and Consulting. Magnesium segment produces, sells and distributes magnesium ingots, magnesium powders and magnesium scraps. Basic Materials segment sells and distributes a variety of products, including industrial grade synthetic chemicals, steel products, non ferrous metals, recycled materials, and industrial commodities. This segment also includes zinc ore mining property and zinc concentrate distribution businesses, which have not commenced operations. Consulting segment provides a suite of consulting services to United States public companies that operate primarily in China. Its wholly owned subsidiaries include CDI China, Inc. (CDI), CDII Trading, Inc., China Direct Investments, Inc. and International Magnesium Group, Inc.

Founded in 1932, Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. is unrelated to investment bank Duff & Phelps Corporation. Duff & Phelps Investment Management manages mutual funds, closed-end funds, and institutional accounts with investments real estate investment trusts (REITs) -- its specialty -- global utilities and infrastructure stocks, large-cap equities, and investment-grade fixed-income products. Clients include individual investors, corporations, retirement funds, endowments, and not-for-profits. A subsidiary of Virtus Investment Partners, the company has approximately $6 billion in assets under management. Both Duff & Phelps and Virtus (formerly Phoenix Investment Partners) were spun off from The Phoenix Companies in 2008.

CEO Thomas Harlan founded Emergent Technologies in 1989. Emergent Technologies turns business into a science, and vice versa. The venture capital firm focuses on institutional and university-based biotechnology discoveries, generally originating at The University of Oklahoma, The University of Texas, and Texas Tech , and turns them into companies. Emergent Technologies provides more than financial support; it also brings management, marketing, licensing, and other offerings to its nascent charges. Emergent Technologies company looks for protectable intellectual property, previous research grants, and new technology with applications across many markets.

Siebert Financial, through subsidiary Muriel Siebert & Co., provides discount securities brokerage and institutional financial services. Siebert Financial Corp. retail division offers equity trading, mutual fund access, and retirement accounts to self-directed individual investors. Customers can access their accounts and trade by phone, Internet, wireless device, or in person at seven retail branches in California, Florida, New Jersey, and New York. Siebert Financial provides securities trading and underwriting and other services to corporations and government entities. Founder and president Muriel "Mickie" Siebert, the first woman member of the New York Stock Exchange, owns some 90% of the company. Siebert Financial Corp. was founded in 1886 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

PAI partners is one of the oldest and most experienced private equity firms in Europe with its origins dating back to Paribas Affaires Industrielles, the historical principal investment activity of Paribas, the pan-European merchant bank which merged with BNP in 1999. PAI partners SAS is an independent company, owned by its partners, which manages and advises dedicated private equity funds. The buyout funds include PAI LBO Fund, PAI Europe III, PAI Europe IV and PAI Europe V. PAI partners has offices in Paris, Copenhagen, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Munich. The Europe-wide team is composed of 50 professionals with diverse backgrounds and sectorial expertise.

Cohen & Steers, Inc. (CNS), together with its wholly owned subsidiaries, manages income-oriented equity portfolios specializing in United States and international real estate securities, large cap value stocks, listed infrastructure and utilities, and preferred securities. CNS also manages alternative investment strategies, such as hedged real estate securities portfolios and private real estate multimanager strategies for qualified investors. It serves individual and institutional investors through a range of investment vehicles. The Company manages three types of accounts: open-end mutual funds, closed-end mutual funds and institutional separate accounts. The 14 open-end mutual funds, for which it is the investment advisor offer and issue shares continuously as funds are invested and redeem shares when funds are withdrawn.

Experian plc is one of the top credit-reporting agencies in the world, providing information services relating to customer relationship management (CRM), e-commerce, and marketing. Experian Group also helps businesses generate leads by compiling information on more than 130 million households. All told, the company maintains credit information on about 450 million consumers and 35 million businesses in more than 65 countries. Experian serves clients across different markets, including financial services, telecom, auto, retail, and government. Experian plc also offers direct-to-consumer products.

SPARK Ventures is one of the leading early-stage venture capital investors in Europe, providing equity investment to high growth technology, media and healthcare companies in the UK and Europe. SPARK Ventures manages approximately £190 million across several investment vehicles including: two Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs); an AIM listed investment company (SPARK Ventures plc), University Funds on behalf of leading UK universities including Oxford; and a Limited Partnership on behalf of major institutional investors. SPARK Ventures has been investing in early-stage businesses for 12 years and has a wealth of expertise in backing and developing companies from start-up through to eventual trade sale or IPO.SPARK’s core expertise lies in identifying promising early-stage businesses and leading their funding right from the earliest stages. SPARK Ventures’ team is one of the most experienced in the early-stage investment space. It brings its portfolio businesses the necessary capital, combined with strategic and operational management support as well as commercial and marketing expertise to help them succeed. Its founding management team has worked together for more than 10 years, and during that time has helped many entrepreneurs to realise their ambitions.

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