Willow Wealth
Willow Wealth is a U.S. financial-technology company operating an online platform for alternative investments.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Willow Wealth Inc., formerly known as Yieldstreet, is a New York City-based financial-technology company that provides an online marketplace for alternative investments. The company was founded in 2015 by Milind Mehere, a co-founder of Yodle, and Michael Weisz, who had worked in specialty finance. Its original proposition was to broaden access to private-market opportunities that had historically been concentrated among institutions, family offices, and wealthy individuals. The platform connects investors with opportunities across a range of alternative asset classes, including real estate, private credit, private equity, art, and legal finance. It offers both individual investment offerings and pooled vehicles. Most individual offerings have historically been directed at accredited investors, while selected products, including its Alternative Income Fund, have been made available to non-accredited investors. The business therefore combines elements of an investment marketplace, asset manager, and distribution platform rather than operating as a conventional bank or publicly traded brokerage. Expansion has been driven partly by acquisitions. In 2019, the company acquired Athena Art Finance from The Carlyle Group for $170 million, adding art-secured lending capabilities. It also acquired WealthFlex during 2019 to support self-directed individual retirement-account functionality. In 2023, it acquired Cadre, an online real-estate investment platform, broadening its real-estate capabilities and customer reach. The company developed several branded investment products and services. Its Alternative Income Fund, launched in 2020, is a multi-asset closed-end fund designed to provide income and quarterly distributions through exposure to numerous underlying investments. In 2021, the company introduced an Art Equity Platform intended to enable fractional exposure to post-war and contemporary art. In 2025, it launched Willow 360, an automated managed-portfolio service developed with Wilshire Associates and designed to provide diversified private-market exposure with quarterly liquidity. The company also announced private-credit distribution partnerships involving Carlyle Group, Goldman Sachs, and StepStone Group. The brand was renamed Willow Wealth in late 2025. The company said the change reflected the breadth of its product range and its decade of experience in private markets. Reference material associated with the company reported more than 500,000 members and more than $6 billion in cumulative investments as of 2025; these are company-reported or reported figures rather than independently verified financial statements. The same material described approximately $800 million in cumulative funding and a $77 million financing round completed in July 2025. Willow Wealth operates in a competitive alternative-investment platform market alongside Fundrise, CrowdStreet, Percent, and RealtyMogul. Its differentiation is breadth across multiple private and alternative asset classes, although that breadth can involve higher minimum investments, less liquidity, and greater eligibility restrictions than mass-market real-estate platforms. The company has also faced scrutiny over losses in certain offerings, regulatory action relating to a ship-backed investment, investor litigation, and customer-access disruption connected to the 2024 collapse of banking-as-a-service provider Synapse.
History
Willow Wealth began in 2015 under the Yieldstreet name. Its founders, Milind Mehere and Michael Weisz, sought to create a digital route into alternative investments for investors who had traditionally found private credit, real estate, art finance, and similar opportunities difficult to access. The company’s model used an online platform to distribute individual investments and pooled funds, while relying on eligibility rules and product-specific structures to manage the different regulatory requirements associated with private offerings. The company expanded beyond its initial marketplace through acquisitions and product development. In April 2019, it acquired Athena Art Finance from The Carlyle Group for $170 million. Athena specialized in lending secured by fine art, giving the platform a dedicated presence in art finance. Later in 2019, Yieldstreet acquired WealthFlex, adding capabilities associated with self-directed individual retirement accounts and allowing investors to place selected alternative investments within retirement structures. In March 2020, the company launched its Alternative Income Fund. The fund was structured as a multi-asset closed-end vehicle with quarterly distributions and exposure to more than 50 income-oriented investments. Unlike many individual offerings on the platform, the fund was designed to be available to some non-accredited investors, although investment eligibility remained subject to applicable rules. In November 2021, the company added the Art Equity Platform, which was intended to provide fractional exposure to post-war and contemporary art rather than relying solely on art-secured lending. The company continued to expand in real estate. In November 2023, it acquired Cadre, an online real-estate investment platform. The transaction added another established digital investing operation and strengthened the company’s ability to offer real-estate opportunities alongside credit, art, and other alternative assets. Growth was supported by venture and private-market financing. Reference material identifies investors including Khosla Ventures, Thrive Capital, and Greycroft and describes approximately $800 million in total funding. In July 2025, the company completed a $77 million round led by Tarsadia Investments, with participation from RedBird Capital Partners, Mayfair Equity Partners, Edison Partners, and Kingfisher Investment Advisors. Product development continued in 2025 with Willow 360, an automated managed-portfolio service developed in partnership with Wilshire Associates. The service was designed to provide diversified exposure to private markets with quarterly liquidity. In December 2025, the company announced partnerships involving Carlyle Group, Goldman Sachs, and StepStone Group to distribute private-credit funds with stated minimum investments of $10,000. Late in 2025, the company changed its corporate brand from Yieldstreet to Willow Wealth. The stated rationale was that the new identity better represented the breadth of the business after a decade of expansion in private markets. The company reported more than 500,000 members and more than $6 billion in cumulative investments as of 2025, although these figures should be understood as reported platform metrics rather than audited public-company results. The company’s development has also included significant criticism and legal and regulatory challenges. Certain marine-finance and real-estate offerings produced losses for investors. In one marine-finance dispute, a U.K. court judgment of approximately $77 million was obtained against the Lakhani family in connection with allegedly fraudulent loan statements relating to vessel-deconstruction loans. In 2023, the SEC brought charges concerning a ship-backed investment, which the company settled for approximately $1.9 million without admitting or denying the findings. Investor lawsuits have alleged that risks associated with certain offerings were misstated, and one reported class-action settlement provided for up to approximately $6.2 million. The 2024 collapse of Synapse, a third-party banking-as-a-service provider, also disrupted access to funds associated with platforms using its services. Reporting linked Willow Wealth accounts to the broader customer-fund freeze. Coverage additionally criticized the removal of a decade of historical performance data from the company’s website around the time of the Willow Wealth rebrand. These events have made transparency, liquidity, counterparty risk, and the presentation of alternative-investment performance important issues in assessments of the brand. In March 2026, Mount Logan Capital agreed to acquire the assets and liabilities of the Willow Wealth Alternative Income Fund, reported as representing more than $100 million in assets. The proposed transaction would exchange the fund’s assets and liabilities at closing net asset value for shares of Mount Logan’s Opportunistic Credit Interval Fund. The transaction was expected to close in the second or third quarter of 2026. Its completion and the company’s longer-term structure should be verified against later filings or company announcements.
- 2026
Alternative Income Fund asset transaction announced
[1]Mount Logan Capital agreed to acquire the Alternative Income Fund’s assets and liabilities for shares in its Opportunistic Credit Interval Fund, subject to closing.
- 2025
Willow 360 launched
[1]The company launched an automated managed private-market portfolio developed with Wilshire Associates.
- 2025
Yieldstreet rebranded as Willow Wealth
[1]The business adopted Willow Wealth as its corporate brand after a decade of development in private markets.
- 2023
Cadre acquired
[1]The company acquired online real-estate investment platform Cadre.
- 2021
Art Equity Platform introduced
[1]The platform introduced fractional investment access to post-war and contemporary art.
- 2020
Alternative Income Fund launched
[1]The company introduced a multi-asset closed-end fund with quarterly distributions and exposure to numerous income-oriented investments.
- 2019
Athena Art Finance acquired
[1]The company acquired Athena Art Finance from The Carlyle Group for $170 million, adding art-secured lending.
- 2019
WealthFlex acquired
[1]The acquisition brought self-directed IRA capabilities to the platform.
- 2015
Yieldstreet is founded
[1]Milind Mehere and Michael Weisz founded the company as Yieldstreet to provide online access to alternative investments.
Products and positioning
A digital alternative-investment platform intended to expand access to private-market asset classes beyond traditional institutional and high-net-worth investors.
Alternative investment platform · 2015
Alternative Investment Marketplace
The core Willow Wealth platform connects investors with individual and pooled opportunities across private credit, real estate, private equity, art, legal finance, and other alternative assets. Most individual offerings are aimed at accredited investors and may involve limited liquidity, investment minimums, and product-specific holding periods.
Alternative investment fund · 2020
Alternative Income Fund
Launched in 2020, the Alternative Income Fund is a multi-asset closed-end fund designed to provide income and quarterly distributions. It invests across a portfolio of income-focused alternative investments and was made available to certain non-accredited investors. A proposed 2026 transaction would transfer its assets and liabilities to a fund managed by Mount Logan Capital.
Art investment · 2021
Art Equity Platform
The Art Equity Platform, introduced in 2021, was designed to give investors fractional exposure to post-war and contemporary artworks. It complemented the company’s art-finance activities, including the art-secured lending capabilities obtained through the Athena Art Finance acquisition.
Managed investment portfolio · 2025
Willow 360
Willow 360 is an automated managed-portfolio solution developed with Wilshire Associates. It was designed to provide diversified exposure to private markets through a portfolio approach and to offer quarterly liquidity.
Retirement investment service · 2019
Self-directed IRA services
Capabilities obtained through the WealthFlex acquisition support the use of selected alternative investments within self-directed individual retirement accounts.
Controversies
2025
Criticism over investment losses and performance history
Reporting described substantial cumulative losses in some marine-finance and real-estate offerings and discussed the removal of historical performance data from the company’s website around the Willow Wealth rebrand.
2024
Synapse-related access disruption
The collapse of banking-as-a-service provider Synapse disrupted access to funds associated with multiple platforms, including accounts connected with Willow Wealth. Reports estimated that about $160 million in customer funds across affected platforms was frozen or inaccessible.
2023
SEC action involving a ship-backed investment
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission brought charges related to a ship-backed investment. The company agreed to pay approximately $1.9 million to settle the matter without admitting or denying the findings.
2023
Investor litigation over investment disclosures
Investors filed lawsuits alleging that the risks of certain offerings were misstated or inadequately disclosed. One reported class-action settlement was valued at up to approximately $6.2 million.
2020
Marine-finance loan defaults and litigation
A marine-finance portfolio connected to vessel-deconstruction loans experienced defaults. The company obtained a U.K. court judgment reported at approximately $77 million against the Lakhani family in connection with allegedly fraudulent marine-finance loan statements.
Brand decisions
2026
Transfer Alternative Income Fund assets to Mount Logan CapitalM&ABackground
Mount Logan Capital sought to combine the fund’s assets and liabilities with its Opportunistic Credit Interval Fund.
Action taken
The parties announced a proposed transaction under which the assets and liabilities would be acquired at closing net asset value in exchange for shares of the Mount Logan fund.
Aftermath
The transaction was expected to close in the second or third quarter of 2026; completion should be verified against subsequent disclosures.
Reported assets of Alternative Income Fund. More than $100 million (March 2026)
2025
Rebrand from Yieldstreet to Willow WealthStrategyBackground
The company had expanded from its original alternative-investment marketplace into funds, art, retirement accounts, real estate, and managed portfolios.
Action taken
It adopted Willow Wealth as its corporate brand in late 2025.
Aftermath
The rebrand positioned the business around a broader private-markets wealth offering, while also prompting scrutiny of historical performance information displayed on its website.
2025
Launch Willow 360Product launchBackground
Many alternative investments are difficult for individuals to diversify across and can require direct product selection.
Action taken
The company launched Willow 360, an automated managed portfolio developed with Wilshire Associates.
Aftermath
The offering extended the brand from marketplace distribution into professionally designed private-market portfolio management.
2023
Acquire CadreM&ABackground
Real estate remained one of the company’s principal alternative-investment categories, and Cadre provided an established digital real-estate investment platform.
Action taken
The company acquired Cadre in November 2023.
Aftermath
The transaction expanded the company’s real-estate capabilities and platform footprint.
2021
Expand into fractional art investmentProduct launchBackground
The company already had exposure to art finance and sought to offer an equity-oriented route into art assets.
Action taken
It introduced the Art Equity Platform for fractional investment in post-war and contemporary art.
Aftermath
Art became both a lending and investment category within the platform.
2019
Acquire Athena Art Finance and WealthFlexM&ABackground
The company sought to broaden its alternative-investment offering and support investment through self-directed retirement accounts.
Action taken
It acquired Athena Art Finance from The Carlyle Group and later acquired WealthFlex.
Aftermath
The transactions added art-secured lending and self-directed IRA capabilities.
Athena Art Finance acquisition price. $170 million (April 2019)
2015
Build a digital marketplace for alternative investmentsStrategyBackground
Alternative investments such as private credit, real estate, and art finance were traditionally distributed mainly through institutional or high-net-worth channels.
Action taken
The founders created an online platform intended to connect a broader investor base with private-market opportunities, subject to accreditation and product eligibility requirements.
Aftermath
The platform expanded into multiple asset classes and later added pooled funds, retirement-account capabilities, and managed portfolios.
Recent events
Reported
YieldStreet and BlackRock create the Prism fund[2]
YieldStreet created the Prism fund with BlackRock. The fund combines YieldStreet investments with corporate and sovereign debt managed by BlackRock.
Reported
YieldStreet partners with Citi for private-credit opportunities[3]
YieldStreet announced a partnership with Citi to access investment opportunities across private credit markets, including real estate, aviation, shipping, telecommunications, and other structured credit products.
Sources4 sources
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