In 2011, Marco Bitran saw a problem in the investment world that most people accepted as normal: alternative investments were powerful, but opaque. The strategies used by hedge funds and other institutions were delivering strong results—but they were largely inaccessible to everyday investors. Even when individuals could access these vehicles, they faced high fees, limited liquidity, and a lack of visibility into what was actually happening with their money.
Marco wanted to change that.
So, he founded AI Exchange, a financial technology platform designed to bring hedge fund–like strategies to a broader audience—through transparent, liquid, and managed accounts. It was a bold move that challenged long-standing norms in an industry not known for its openness.
“People deserve to know how their money is working—and for whom,” Marco says. “If you can bring clarity to complexity, that’s a win.”
Rethinking the Investment Experience
At its core, AI Exchange wasn’t just a platform. It was a system designed to flip the script on how alternative investments were delivered. Traditionally, hedge fund strategies came wrapped in mystery: lock-up periods, black-box models, and little-to-no communication with investors. AI Exchange set out to build the opposite.
The idea was to deliver these strategies through separately managed accounts (SMAs) that clients could hold at familiar custodians like Schwab or Fidelity. Instead of locking up capital in private funds, investors could access strategies that offered more flexibility, transparency, and control.
It wasn’t easy. The infrastructure to support that kind of experience didn’t exist yet. So Marco and his team built it—from scratch.
They created a platform that integrated compliance, execution, performance tracking, and reporting—all in one place. It allowed financial advisors to offer their clients sophisticated investment tools while still maintaining custody, transparency, and regulatory peace of mind.
Backed by Trusted Names
The vision caught the attention of top investors. AI Exchange raised $1.5 million in venture capital from General Catalyst, CommonAngels, Founder Collective, and LaunchCapital. These firms saw what Marco saw: a fundamental shift in how the next generation of investors would engage with their portfolios.
Instead of relying on opaque institutions, investors wanted visibility. Instead of one-size-fits-all products, they wanted personalization. And instead of high-fee, low-transparency models, they wanted alignment, efficiency, and trust.
AI Exchange was built on those values.
A System That Serves, Not Hides
Marco’s background in engineering helped shape the technical foundation of the platform. But his real focus was on building systems that serve people. That meant creating workflows that were easy to understand. Performance reports that made sense. Compliance structures that empowered advisors instead of burdening them.
“It’s easy to make something complicated in finance,” Marco says. “The hard part is making something sophisticated feel simple—and making sure it actually helps someone make better decisions.”
The company operated through two entities: AI Exchange Technologies, which handled the platform infrastructure, and AI Advisors, the investment advisory arm. Together, they worked to deliver a seamless, compliant, and advisor-friendly experience.
The Bigger Picture
Marco didn’t set out to disrupt finance. He set out to repair a gap—between what was possible and what was available. In many ways, AI Exchange reflected his wider philosophy: that systems should create clarity, not confusion. That good design starts with empathy. And that impact matters more than scale.
The company’s work opened the door for a broader discussion about how we deliver financial tools—and to whom. In the years since, we’ve seen more platforms focus on transparency, personalization, and advisor integration. AI Exchange was early to those trends, and in many ways, helped spark them.
Though Marco eventually stepped away from the company to focus on real estate investing and other ventures, the lessons from building AI Exchange still guide him.
“Complex systems don’t have to be intimidating,” he says. “If we design with the user in mind, and if we stay honest about what we’re solving for, we can make powerful tools more human.”
Looking Back, Building Forward
AI Exchange was a turning point in Marco’s career—not just because of the platform it created, but because of what it revealed about his values. Transparency. Usefulness. Integrity in systems design.
It also became a blueprint for how he approaches everything else—whether it’s investing in real estate, mentoring others, or flying patients to care through volunteer missions. The thread is the same: clarity matters, and tools should help people, not just impress them.
In Marco’s words: “It’s not about making the most noise. It’s about creating the most value—and letting the results speak for themselves.”
And in that quiet clarity, AI Exchange left a lasting mark.
