BUILT ON A FINANCIAL TRAILBLAZING HERITAGE
A 50-Year Legacy
A Legacy Was Born
In 1974, Richard Desich launched a brokerage firm that eventually evolved into Equity Trust Company, the pioneering industry leader in self-directed IRAs.
Equity Trust Company is Founded
Flourishing with Strategic Acquisitions and Organic Growth
In 2008, ETC Brokerage Services, LLC registration status was approved.
Through strategic acquisitions and organic growth, Equity Trust Company flourished.
Acquisitions included the assets and business of Sterling Trust and Trust Administration Services, Principal Trust of Delaware, American Pension Services, and Midland Trust.
Innovayte is Announced
Innovayte is the Equity family’s latest venture to solve the challenges growth-oriented advisors and their clients face.
ETC Brokerage Services, LLC becomes self-clearing & Innovayte expands with the opening of its Dallas office
Independent at Heart.
Built for Those Who Are, Too.
The RIGHT
Your firm, your client relationships, and the future you’re building remain yours to direct. At Innovayte, you can continue as an independent RIA under your own name, without needing to acquiesce to a larger firm.
The RIGHT
Your clients don’t invest in one asset type, and your custodian shouldn’t make you choose. Innovayte brings alternative and traditional investments under one relationship, each held with a specialized, regulated custodian suited to that asset type and viewed together in a single portal, so you get a clear view of the whole portfolio.
The RIGHT
As a boutique custodian, we keep the distance short between you and the people who can solve a problem. You’ll work with a small team of dedicated client service specialists that is invested in your success, rather than a large call center. We get to know your practice by its goals and its clients rather than by its size, because to us you are a partner, not a line on a spreadsheet.
We serve a different type of advisor
Innovayte supports advisors who value their independence. You can keep your name, your client relationships, and the direction of your business, with shared services and thoughtful planning to help you pursue your goals.
You’ll work with dedicated client service specialists and a team invested in your success, supported by integrated technology and the ability to bring alternative and traditional investments together in a single portal. It’s a personal relationship, with the technology to back it up.
As a new brand built on a heritage that spans half a century, Innovayte combines the long-term perspective of a privately held, boutique custodian with the infrastructure to serve next-generation clients. It also brings the relationships and experience gathered over many years.
Leadership Team
Catherine “Cat” Davies is the Chief Executive Officer of Innovayte. Innovayte is a full-service custody and clearing firm that specializes in supporting and servicing independent RIAs, introducing broker dealers and hybrid advisors. Cat is responsible for creating a strategic plan with new branding and marketing, expansion and implementation of strategy to a full-scale plan, and leading the team to create a scalable, technology-enabled business service platform with broad portfolio of complimentary products and services.
Prior to joining Innovayte, Cat worked at Hightower as the Chief Solutions Officer responsible for the development, management and adoption of Hightower’s business solutions and services. Prior to joining Hightower, Ms. Davies brought more than 25 years of strategic experience to firms such as Fidelity Investments and Charles Schwab.
Fritz Louis-Charles is the Chief Operating Officer of Innovayte and brings more than 20 years of experience in financial services, with deep expertise in brokerage operations, clearing and custody, fintech, risk management, and business transformation. Throughout his career, he has focused on building scalable operations, developing high-performing teams, and leveraging technology and process improvement to drive efficiency and enhance the client experience.
Prior to joining Innovayte, Fritz served as Chief Operations Officer of Apex Fintech Solutions while concurrently serving as Chief Executive Officer of Apex Direct, its affiliated introducing broker-dealer. At Apex, he led enterprise-wide operations and played a key role in building and scaling the organization, including the formation and launch of Apex Direct. During his tenure, he built operating and client service models to support the firm’s growth, led significant technology and automation initiatives, and drove improvements in efficiency, risk management, and the overall client experience.
Earlier in his career, Fritz held leadership positions at JPMorgan Chase and TD Ameritrade, where he led brokerage operations, regulatory initiatives, technology implementations, and large-scale operational transformation efforts.
Fritz holds a B.A. in Social Sciences from San Diego State University and holds FINRA Series 7, 24, 27 and 53 licenses. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family, traveling, and seeing live music.
Mustafa is the Chief Compliance Officer for Innovayte and is a seasoned professional with a 25+ year career in the capital markets, clearing and custody industry, specializing in compliance, technology, program and vendor management, operations and new broker dealer set up. He has previously worked as a Vice President at Fidelity Investments and a Compliance Officer at JP Morgan. Mustafa consistently demonstrates an unparalleled understanding of the complexities within the financial landscape and brings that knowledge to Innovayte.
He holds a B.S. in Business Management from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania and holds his Series 7 and 24 licenses. In his spare time, he enjoys reading nonfiction books, occasionally partakes in half marathons, tries his hand at cooking and travels extensively.
Misha Trukshanin, CFA, is Chief Financial Officer of Innovayte, where he leads the company’s financial strategy and provides executive-level financial leadership to support long-term growth and sustainability. Reporting to the CEO, he partners closely with the executive team to align financial objectives with strategic priorities, including mergers and acquisitions.
Misha brings deep financial services experience across investment management, strategic planning, and regulatory compliance. Since joining Innovayte, he has advanced through multiple leadership roles, including Director of Investment Products and Chief Financial Strategist, demonstrating a strong track record of operational and strategic impact.
Previously, Misha served as Senior Financial Business Analyst and Head of Business Owner Services & Solutions at Hightower Advisors, where he supported the launch of multiple advisor-facing wealth platforms, participated in numerous acquisitions, and played a key role in launching the National Trust Company while working closely with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
Misha holds an MS in Accounting, an MS in Finance, and an MBA, maintains the CFA designation, and holds FINRA Series 7, 66, 27, 4, and 24 licenses.