The lines between institutional and individual investing are blurring, and Hugh Chung, Chief Investment Officer of Endowus, sees this convergence as a golden opportunity. Endowus is pioneering a platform that brings institutional-grade wealth management solutions to a broader audience, blending digital innovation with deep advisory expertise and independence of thought and action.
Chung, with over 20 years of experience in asset management and financial advisory across Asia, including roles at Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and as CIO of a single-family office, leads investment strategy across the Endowus Group, spanning public and private markets. Speaking at the Hubbis Independent Wealth Management Forum in Singapore, he outlined how Endowus is leveraging technology to reduce friction, lower costs, and expand access to sophisticated investment solutions beyond high-net-worth (HNW) and ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) clients. The goal? To empower a fast-growing segment of mass affluent clients with tools, access, and education once reserved for the ultra-wealthy.
“Our mission is about bringing endowment-style investing to more people,” Chung said. “That means giving individuals access to the kind of high-quality strategies usually reserved for institutions or ultra-wealthy clients.” He highlighted recent initiatives in alternative investments, noting that private markets are notoriously difficult to access due to administrative complexity and high costs. By simplifying this process through their platform, Endowus has been able to reduce barriers and democratize access.
This focus on scale, efficiency, and product access is at the core of Endowus’ strategy. The platform combines the capabilities of an institutional CIO office with the distribution and personalization advantages of a tech-powered platform. “We often describe ourselves as bilingual—we speak the language of both institutions and individuals. That’s an important bridge,” Chung explained.
Endowus is targeting the mass affluent segment as a major growth engine. “This is the group that sits between retail and ultra-high-net-worth. They’re professionals with real capital but not necessarily enough to run a family office. They’re underserved in many ways,” he noted. The platform offers curated portfolios that combine institutional-level manager selection with transparent pricing and digital convenience. “It’s about helping clients invest in a way that’s both informed and convenient,” Chung said.
Beyond technology, Chung emphasized alignment as a core differentiator. “We don’t take commissions or trailer fees from fund partners. That’s not just about cost—it fundamentally affects how we build portfolios,” he remarked. This independence allows Endowus to construct portfolios based on what’s best for the client, rather than commercial incentives. “That’s only possible when you’re truly independent,” he said.
This commitment to unbiased selection has helped Endowus position itself as a trusted platform, not just a product distributor. “It’s not about chasing flows. We want to be the platform clients rely on for consistent, high-integrity portfolio construction,” Chung added.
Historically, convincing private market GPs to work with a digital platform has been challenging. “Size matters in that world. For a long time, independent platforms like ours were seen as too small,” Chung acknowledged. However, that perception is changing. “Now that we’re reaching scale, GPs are approaching us. They like our model—it’s not transactional, it’s transparent, and the flows are consistent,” he reported. Institutional managers are increasingly partnering with independent platforms that offer direct client access without the constraints of retrocession or biased distribution.
As Endowus continues to grow, the firm remains focused on education as much as distribution. “We see ourselves as an educational company. We need to help clients understand what they’re investing in, especially in alternatives,” Chung said. This reflects the larger themes of the discussion: independence, scale, trust, and the blending of human expertise with digital infrastructure.
With Asia’s wealth landscape becoming more sophisticated, Chung argued that independent firms must provide at least the same level of quality and depth compared to private banks—but in a more aligned, curated, and technology-enabled manner. This approach is not just about democratizing access to sophisticated investment solutions; it’s about redefining the future of wealth management in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.