Why I Do This.
Coming out of undergrad at the University of Illinois, I looked into becoming an advisor. I went to a group interview at a firm you've probably heard of. When I showed up, there was a signup sheet at the door. It also asked me to write down five friends and family members they could call.
I left. Some firms ran better models, but a lot of them operated the same way to some degree. It wasn't until about 5 years ago that I found groups doing something more valuable in private markets and tax strategy.
Many firms focus almost entirely on public markets. Within public equities, the difference between a bad manager and a good one can cost investors, on average, around 3% in returns. In private equity growth strategies, that gap is roughly 15%. In value-add real estate, around 14%. That spread is the opportunity for us to provide real value.
Chris Burns
Founder
The private market platform at Quincy Wells is what makes this possible. The founders came from traditional advising but wanted to build something better around manager selection in private markets. They started building it out 15 years ago, long before this became a trendy product category.
I started Quema Capital in 2023. Named for my last name in Spanish, inspired by time in Mexico City and other Spanish-speaking countries. Now I have a way to offer something I genuinely believe in to people who trust me with their capital.
