Key Takeaways
- • Aqua raised $18.8 million in total funding ($3.8 million seed round backed by Google's AI Fund and Y Combinator, plus $15 million Series A led by Arthur Ventures with Alumni Ventures participation) to launch the industry's first turnkey alternative investments platform (TAIP).
- • The platform consolidates fund creation, operational workflows, investment lifecycle management, marketplace access, document intelligence, and investor servicing into a unified system, replacing fragmented manual processes and spreadsheets currently used by wealth managers, RIAs, banks, and fund sponsors.
- • Aqua targets institutional demand for alternatives infrastructure as access to alternatives becomes democratized; the platform enables firms to build and scale institutional-quality alternatives programs without legacy disconnected tools.
- • Founded in 2021 by Rohan Marwaha (CEO) and Dev Patel, Aqua operates from New York City with 23 employees and plans to use funding to expand engineering and partnership teams while deepening integrations with custodians and fund sponsors.
Summary
Aqua, a next-generation alternatives infrastructure solution, officially launched its turnkey alternative investments platform (TAIP) on September 9, 2026, backed by $18.8 million in total funding. The capital structure consisted of a $3.8 million seed round supported by Google's AI Fund and Y Combinator, followed by a $15 million Series A round led by Arthur Ventures with participation from Alumni Ventures. The company plans to deploy this funding to accelerate platform development, expand its engineering and partnership teams, and deepen integrations across custodians and fund sponsors.
The platform addresses a critical infrastructure gap in the alternatives market. According to Co-Founder and CEO Rohan Marwaha, most firms managing alternatives continue to rely on spreadsheets, fragmented processes, and manual solutions despite rapid growth in alternatives demand. Aqua's unified system integrates fund creation, operational workflows, investment lifecycle management, marketplace access, document intelligence, and investor servicing—functions traditionally handled through disconnected tools and manual processes.
The solution targets wealth managers, registered investment advisors (RIAs), banks, trust companies, and fund sponsors seeking to build and scale institutional-quality alternatives programs. By consolidating these capabilities into a single platform, Aqua enables firms to develop repeatable, scalable alternatives strategies aligned with client demand. The platform essentially brings to alternatives management the same level of technological integration that institutional firms have applied to traditional investment management over the past decade.
Founded in 2021 by Rohan Marwaha and Dev Patel, Aqua operates from New York City with a current team of 23 employees. The company positions itself as the TAMP (Turnkey Asset Management Platform) specifically designed for alternatives, filling a market niche as democratization of alternatives access accelerates among institutional and wealth management firms.
The platform addresses a critical infrastructure gap in the alternatives market. According to Co-Founder and CEO Rohan Marwaha, most firms managing alternatives continue to rely on spreadsheets, fragmented processes, and manual solutions despite rapid growth in alternatives demand. Aqua's unified system integrates fund creation, operational workflows, investment lifecycle management, marketplace access, document intelligence, and investor servicing—functions traditionally handled through disconnected tools and manual processes.
The solution targets wealth managers, registered investment advisors (RIAs), banks, trust companies, and fund sponsors seeking to build and scale institutional-quality alternatives programs. By consolidating these capabilities into a single platform, Aqua enables firms to develop repeatable, scalable alternatives strategies aligned with client demand. The platform essentially brings to alternatives management the same level of technological integration that institutional firms have applied to traditional investment management over the past decade.
Founded in 2021 by Rohan Marwaha and Dev Patel, Aqua operates from New York City with a current team of 23 employees. The company positions itself as the TAMP (Turnkey Asset Management Platform) specifically designed for alternatives, filling a market niche as democratization of alternatives access accelerates among institutional and wealth management firms.
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