Rron Rexha, a former product leader at Plaid, has launched Arca out of stealth mode - an AI-native wealth management firm that has already crossed $1 billion in client assets and raised $64 million in new funding. The capital comes at a moment when the wealth management industry is grappling with how to integrate AI without sidelining the human advisor.
The funding includes a $15.5 million seed round led by Venrock and a $48.5 million Series A led by General Catalyst, with Index Ventures and Venrock also participating. Arca has assembled a board and advisory group with heavyweights from finance and technology: Bill McNabb, former chairman and CEO of Vanguard; Jason Wenk, CEO of Altruist; author Morgan Housel; Peter Crawford, former CFO at Schwab; and investors Alex Tran and Nat Levy-Westhead of General Catalyst, along with Nick Beim of Venrock.
From stealth to scale
Arca was originally seeded through Granite Bay Wealth Management, a Portsmouth, N.H.-based RIA founded in 2015 by Joseph Skees and Paul Stanley, who previously worked at Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network. In May 2026, Arca acquired Sandbox Financial Partners, a Bethesda, Md. firm managing roughly $682 million in assets. The combined entity now oversees more than $1 billion in client assets and employs 28 people across wealth management operations, product, and engineering.
Altruist serves as the firm's primary custodian. Arca expects all current assets to migrate to the Altruist platform by year-end, and every new account will be opened there. As the firm acquires other RIAs or recruits advisors, those assets will also transition to Altruist.
AI as the back office, not the front office
Arca aims to provide high-touch advisory services, and the firm will use an AI infrastructure to handle the manual, repetitive work of an advisor. The firm does not position AI as a replacement for the advisor but as a tool to handle administrative tasks, freeing advisors to focus on client relationships. This is a practical application of AI Agents & Automation in a professional service setting.
"Rron understands that AI can help power the mechanics behind wealth management-but the financial advisor is ultimately the driving engine," McNabb said. "The role of the advisor is paramount, and it's what creates real, long-lasting impact. AI can help us do our jobs better, but it will never supplant the humanity of this profoundly personal profession."
Wenk added: "People take immense pride in what they earn and deserve to feel financially secure. Rron is one of those rare innovators that not only intuitively grasps this reality but also boldly addresses this pain point head-on through his efforts at Arca. He's building something remarkable that positions advisors to be steps ahead, offer the best possible financial advice, and make their clients feel genuinely taken care of-all while quieting the operational noise by leveraging the latest advancements in AI."
Why this matters for management
For managers in any service-driven industry, Arca's early trajectory offers a concrete example of how to integrate AI without dismantling the human core of the business. The firm's decision to use AI for administrative load, not client-facing advice, preserves the advisor's role while attacking the cost and time pressures that erode margins. The lesson is not about adopting AI for its own sake - it's about identifying the repetitive, low-value tasks that can be automated, and then investing in the human talent that actually drives client trust and revenue. Arca's approach is a case study in AI for Finance that managers can learn from.
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