# Accelerated Wealth Partners adds Josh Bronfman to lead M&A and investments URL: https://www.financialadvsr.com/article/accelerated-wealth-partners-adds-josh-bronfman-to-lead-m-a-and-6227dc Published: October 28, 2026 By: Vivian Cole, Deals Correspondent Section: Deals Publisher: Financial ADVSR (https://www.financialadvsr.com) InvestmentNews reported that the New York-based firm has hired Josh Bronfman, a five-year Focus Financial veteran, as managing director of M&A and investments. InvestmentNews reported on October 28, 2026 that Accelerated Wealth Partners, which describes itself as a New York-based investment firm focused on scaling high-performing RIAs, has hired Josh Bronfman as managing director of M&A and investments. The publication framed the appointment as AWP moving from its launch phase into active portfolio-building. The hire follows a stretch since March 2026 in which the firm has announced outside capital and two minority investments. According to InvestmentNews, Bronfman spent five years on the M&A and relationship management team at Focus Financial Partners, where he covered deal execution and business development for partner firms. Prior to Focus, according to InvestmentNews, his career included a private equity role at Brookfield Asset Management, a private wealth strategy position at Goldman Sachs, and an MBA from NYU Stern. Those details come from the InvestmentNews report; a third-party profile that lists earlier roles at other firms was not treated as confirmed. According to InvestmentNews, Bronfman's responsibilities include overseeing reporting, analytics and technology, managing associates, and helping partner firms with transactions and hiring, while leading AWP's deal and investment work. An AWP website snapshot reviewed for background lists founder Eric Amar, partner and head of organic growth systems Andrew Leneve, vice president of finance Jonathan Fass and two M&A associates. That page does not include Bronfman, and it may predate the hire. AWP's capital base traces to J.C. Flowers & Co., which announced an equity commitment of up to $200 million to support the launch on March 2, 2026. InvestmentNews noted that the $200 million figure is a capital commitment, not assets under management. A J.C. Flowers announcement named Eric Amar as the person running AWP and laid out a plan centred on organic growth powered by technology, alongside institutional-grade M&A and keeping a boutique character. Yahoo Finance reported that Amar founded the firm after more than nine years at Focus Financial Partners, most recently as chief growth officer, where he oversaw more than 60 transactions. Sources differ on when he left Focus: InvestmentNews said early 2024, while Markets Group said March 2024. AWP's first announced deal was a minority stake in RIA Advisors, a Houston firm, announced on March 25, 2026. The firm's release and trade coverage put RIA Advisors at $1.6 billion in assets under management, and Yahoo Finance reported that the firm was founded in 2009 by CEO Connie Mack. AdvisorHub reported $1.84 billion in AUM, citing regulatory filings, a figure that differs from the $1.6 billion reported elsewhere. FA Magazine covered the stake on March 26, 2026. AWP's May 21, 2026 announcement covered a minority stake in Brooklyn FI, a New York-based advisory firm that works with clients who have complex equity compensation. In its M&A roundup, Family Wealth Report said Brooklyn FI has more than 500 clients and that AJ Ayers and Shane Mason started the firm. The value of AWP's stake was not disclosed. InvestmentNews reported in its March 5, 2026 coverage of the launch that Amar's stated target was RIAs with $1 billion to $4 billion in AUM, with a pipeline of five or six firms. Markets Group reported that AWP targets independent RIAs with up to about $5 billion in AUM and a regional or niche focus. The $5 billion figure Markets Group cited for J.C. Flowers refers to that firm's own assets across several financial services sectors in the U.S. and Europe, not to AWP. InvestmentNews also said the appointment fits a wider pattern in which RIAs are building dedicated deal teams, and pointed to recent M&A appointments at Captrust and Clearstead as examples. For a firm that has so far announced two minority investments, the sources do not say how the hire will change the pace of its deals. The sources do not say which deals Bronfman will lead or when AWP expects to announce its next investment. Headcount is also reported inconsistently: According to AdvisorHub, the firm's website listed seven people on the New York-based team, all of them men, while PitchBook lists two employees. Key facts: - InvestmentNews reported on October 28, 2026 that Josh Bronfman joined AWP as managing director of M&A and investments. - J.C. Flowers & Co. announced an equity commitment of up to $200 million to support AWP's launch on March 2, 2026. - AWP's first deal was a minority stake in Houston firm RIA Advisors, announced March 25, 2026. - AWP's second deal was a minority investment in Brooklyn FI, announced May 21, 2026; the stake size was not disclosed. - Amar's stated target, as reported by InvestmentNews, was RIAs with $1 billion to $4 billion in AUM. Why it matters: For advisors weighing a move to a firm backed by outside capital, a senior M&A hire indicates how the platform plans to add firms over time. For team leaders and firm executives, the appointment is another sign that RIA consolidators are staffing dedicated deal and recruiting functions rather than relying mainly on founders. Recruiters should watch whether the hire shapes AWP's partner-firm recruiting in the months ahead. Sources: - InvestmentNews: https://www.investmentnews.com/ria-news/ria-ma-veteran-joins-accelerated-wealth-partners-to-drive-deal-growth/268774 - linkedin.com: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-bronfman/ - pitchbook.com: https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/712196-11 - cbinsights.com: https://www.cbinsights.com/company/accelerated-wealth-partners - globenewswire.com: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/05/21/3299495/0/en/accelerated-wealth-partners-makes-strategic-minority-investment-in-brooklyn-fi-to-build-the-definitive-wealth-manager-for-the-equity-compensation-era.html - zoominfo.com: https://www.zoominfo.com/p/Josh-Bronfman/3370450721