Key Takeaways
- • ProAllocate, an AI-based research platform for asset managers and allocators, launched on a Tuesday to aggregate research from more than 5,000 asset managers that publish tens of thousands of insights each year.
- • The platform is founded by Stephen White, a former executive at BlackRock, Nasdaq eVestment and Redwheel who co-founded fintech platform Markets Recon.
- • ProAllocate offers three tiers: Core (summarized, source-linked research library), Signals (tracking more than 1,000 fund manager asset allocation views monthly) and Advance (daily asset class views, quarterly outlooks, capital market assumptions, heatmaps and screening across more than 600 sub-asset classes, factors, themes and markets).
- • The launch targets a pain point cited by CIOs, who report receiving over 1,000 asset manager emails per week.
- • Cerulli and CoreData surveys cited in the announcement indicate thought leadership is a significant factor in allocators' manager selection and mandate decisions.
Summary
A new artificial intelligence-based platform, ProAllocate, has launched to help institutional allocators research the views and insights of asset managers. According to the announcement, the platform aims to condense research from thousands of asset managers into a single location, making fund manager content not only searchable but "research-able," in the words of founder Stephen White.
White, a marketing and communications executive, previously held roles at BlackRock, Nasdaq eVestment and Redwheel and co-founded fintech platform Markets Recon. He said many chief investment officers have reported receiving more than 1,000 asset manager emails per week, a volume that was previously unmanageable. ProAllocate stated that allocators have historically had three ways to access manager research: email subscriptions, legacy platforms with patchy coverage that sell users' reading history and personal information as sales leads, or expensive institutional databases that bundle research with other data.
The platform is organized into three tiers. Core provides a library of asset managers' research insights, each summarized and linked to its source. Signals tracks more than 1,000 fund manager asset allocation views every month. Advance adds daily asset class views, quarterly outlooks and capital market assumptions, with heatmaps, sentiment scores and screening across more than 600 sub-asset classes, factors, themes and markets.
The launch comes against a backdrop of research on the role of thought leadership in manager selection. A 2023 Cerulli report found that about 90% of allocators surveyed considered demonstrated expertise through thought leadership important, and 85% considered a well-known brand important. Cerulli also found that 83% of the top 30 institutional asset managers host audio/visual content, 76% promote webinars and 40% offer podcasts. A 2025 CoreData survey found 63% of allocators factored thought leadership into how favorably they view managers, and 59% said commentary influenced their likelihood of investing with one manager over another. Michael Morley, head of CoreData Research U.S., said thought leadership is "a core part of the asset manager evaluation process," while cautioning that managers risk damaging their brand through contrarian positioning or content published for its own sake.
White, a marketing and communications executive, previously held roles at BlackRock, Nasdaq eVestment and Redwheel and co-founded fintech platform Markets Recon. He said many chief investment officers have reported receiving more than 1,000 asset manager emails per week, a volume that was previously unmanageable. ProAllocate stated that allocators have historically had three ways to access manager research: email subscriptions, legacy platforms with patchy coverage that sell users' reading history and personal information as sales leads, or expensive institutional databases that bundle research with other data.
The platform is organized into three tiers. Core provides a library of asset managers' research insights, each summarized and linked to its source. Signals tracks more than 1,000 fund manager asset allocation views every month. Advance adds daily asset class views, quarterly outlooks and capital market assumptions, with heatmaps, sentiment scores and screening across more than 600 sub-asset classes, factors, themes and markets.
The launch comes against a backdrop of research on the role of thought leadership in manager selection. A 2023 Cerulli report found that about 90% of allocators surveyed considered demonstrated expertise through thought leadership important, and 85% considered a well-known brand important. Cerulli also found that 83% of the top 30 institutional asset managers host audio/visual content, 76% promote webinars and 40% offer podcasts. A 2025 CoreData survey found 63% of allocators factored thought leadership into how favorably they view managers, and 59% said commentary influenced their likelihood of investing with one manager over another. Michael Morley, head of CoreData Research U.S., said thought leadership is "a core part of the asset manager evaluation process," while cautioning that managers risk damaging their brand through contrarian positioning or content published for its own sake.
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