Dan Ives, the high-profile technology analyst known for his bullish AI calls, has left Wedbush Securities to co-found a new merchant bank. The firm, Yorkville Ives & Co., is a partnership with Yorkville Securities and will offer investment banking, equity research, trading and principal investing, according to a Tuesday statement.
Ives, who spent over 25 years covering tech stocks and the last eight at Wedbush, will serve as partner and senior managing director. Roger Briggs takes the role of CEO. The new bank focuses on AI, technology, industrials, energy transition and infrastructure, aiming to provide debt and equity capital raising, M&A advisory, institutional trading and independent research. It also plans to invest its own capital alongside clients.
A modern merchant bank for the AI era
Ives described the venture as a response to the "fourth industrial revolution," saying it requires a new kind of bank that combines research, banking, trading and capital under one roof. The launch comes as Wall Street firms race to meet surging demand for AI-related financing, with companies raising funds for data centers and computing infrastructure.
At Wedbush, Ives built a large following for his optimistic views on AI and major tech companies. He also took on unconventional roles for a sell-side analyst, serving on the advisory board of Zeta Global and briefly as chairman of Eightco Holdings, where he oversaw a crypto treasury strategy centered on Worldcoin, the digital token tied to Sam Altman's identity venture.