Michelle Connell

(CFA)

Founder and Chief Investment Officer

Michelle is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder with over 20 years of invaluable direct industry experience, including portfolio management, institutional private equity, private debt, real estate and hedge funds.

She began her career as an equity analyst specializing in semiconductors and then led the technology sector team for one of the largest US banks. Today, Michelle is recognized nationally as an alternative investments specialist, with a particular focus on the technology sector.

Highly motivated, Michelle brings a wealth of knowledge and profound dedication to her client engagements, an organization with a culture and values fully aligned with its philanthropic clients.

Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn

One of the highest distinctions in the investment management profession. Only one in five candidates successfully obtains their CFA Charter. To obtain the CFA designation, a candidate must have:
- An undergraduate degree.
- Passed all three levels of the CFA exam in succession. This typically takes two to four years and over 1,000 hours of study.
- Obtained four years of professional experience in a relevant field.
CFA Charterholders are held to the industry’s strictest code of ethics. This code includes the following section on loyalty, prudence and care:
“CFA’s have a duty of loyalty to their clients and must act with reasonable care and exercise prudent judgment. Members and Candidates must act for the benefit of their clients and place their client’s interests before their employer’s or their interests. In relationships with clients, Members and Candidates must determine applicable fiduciary duty and must comply with such duty to persons and interests to whom it is owed.”
www.cfainstitute.org

Where My Story Began

At fourteen, to help support my family, I juggled school with two jobs – cleaning houses and serving burgers. These formative years instilled an unwavering determination to escape the financial insecurity that had encumbered my childhood. Even at such a young age, I understood that leveraging education and my capacity for hard work would be central to changing my destiny.

Secondly, to avoid the harms I witnessed arising from my family’s poor financial literacy and decision-making, I decided to pursue a career in finance to fully understand the art of making and managing money.

With determination, I earned my degree from Seattle University (Magna Cum Laude), an MBA from San Diego State University (with Honors), and the CFA designation.

My career spanned Wall Street, leading the technology sector at a major bank, to being an Adjunct Professor of Finance for the University of Texas. I’ve even had the honor of sitting beside Steve Jobs at the Pixar IPO and working with a private equity firm that funded brands like Starbucks.

Founding Portia Capital Management

Despite my success, I felt compelled to do more. In 2016, I founded Portia Capital Management, the name inspired by Portia from Shakespeare’s ‘The Merchant of Venice’, who is a symbol of resilience and integrity. Portia Capital embodies my vision to redefine financial services. I wanted to create something transformative; a firm built on trust, empowerment, and personalized expertise.

We make time to truly understand our clients, building long-term relationships grounded in trust. We prioritize personalized, unbiased advice, without sales targets or generic investment strategies intended for the masses.

Portia Capital is my answer to the obstacles I have faced and the lessons I have learned. I am committed to helping clients navigate the complexities of the investment universe, achieve financial confidence, feel informed about their financial decisions, and achieve the stability and security they deserve, no matter the barriers.

Portia Capital is more than a company – it is my way of making a meaningful difference.

Media Appearances

As a CFA – the highest distinction in the investment management profession – Michelle is a highly respected market commentator. Leading media outlets, including Fox Business News, Financial Advisor Magazine, The New York Times, The Stock Investor, and the Schwab Network, frequently consult her for market insights and outlooks.

In addition to the example below, further media appearances can be found in the News & Media section.

Michael A. Gayed: Lead-Lag-Report

Michelle discusses Alternatives, Small-Cap Market Insights, and the Art of Financial Storytelling.

Michelle’s Mission

Michelle shares a few thoughts on Portia Capital.

Insights & Outlooks

Subscribe to ‘Insights & Outlooks’, Portia Capital’s market commentary, and receive exclusive access to our latest thinking.

Hi Michelle,
Best article I’ve seen on the events of the past few days! Let’s catch up soon.

Executive Managing Director
Real Estate Investment Management Firm

Key Professional Milestones

1994-1995

Chief Financial Officer
San Diego Natural History Museum
San Diego, CA
As CFO, Michelle was responsible for managing the museum’s ten endowments on a day-to-day basis. Most notably, thanks to her financial leadership, this museum – Southern California's oldest scientific institution – avoided bankruptcy.
1995-1999

Portfolio Manager & Analyst
Institutional Small-Cap Boutique
San Diego, CA
As Portfolio Manager and Semiconductor Analyst, Michelle provided fundamental ‘bottom-up’ analysis of all semiconductor, technology, and micro-cap stocks for potential investment. As a voting member of the investment committee, she represented the portfolio management team in calls with the firm’s institutional and high-net-worth clients.
1999-2003

VP, Senior Portfolio Manager
One of USA’s Largest Private Banks
San Diego, CA
Michelle was a Portfolio Manager for the bank’s institutional and high-net-worth private clients throughout Southern California, managing portfolios with a book value of $400m. Leveraging her previous role as a Semiconductor Analyst, she also led the technology sector’s analytical research team, delivering research reports utilized by the bank nationally.
2003-2006

Lead Portfolio Manager
One of the world’s largest brokerages
San Diego, CA
As Lead Portfolio Manager for a local team’s $200m portfolio, at a Financial Planning Partnership, Michelle made all investment decisions across equities, fixed income and alternative assets.
During her tenure, she contributed to the team’s 60% growth of AUM.
2006-2009

VP / Portfolio Manager
Private Equity Investment Firm
Chicago, IL
Michelle served as a senior investment professional at this privately held, SEC- registered, investment advisory firm, which focused on high-net-worth and ultra-high- net-worth individuals/families.
With $1.8bn in assets under management, including public and private equity, private credit, and hedge funds, she was responsible for marketing for all clients West of the Mississippi.
As a voting member of the investment committee, Michelle oversaw the analysis of companies in the healthcare sector with notable early-stage private investments, including Starbucks and Adams Respiratory (Mucinex)
2009-2010

VP / Portfolio Manager
One of the world’s largest banks
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
Michelle managed a book of 25 ultra-high net-worth clients and foundations totalling more than $350m. She also oversaw individual clients with investments in the $25m range and co-managed a $150m family portfolio.
At this bank, she advised on tactical asset allocation and alternative investment opportunities, including hedge funds, currencies, and commodities.
Michelle led new marketing initiatives with the private wealth management team, serving as the point person for foundations, non-profits, entrepreneurs, and other specialized clients.
2010-2013

Chief Investment Officer
Registered Investment Advisor
Houston, TX
Michelle served as the Chief Investment Officer, reporting directly to the owner of this privately held SEC-registered investment advisory firm with over $450m of assets under management for sixty high-net-worth families.
She was responsible for the due diligence of all investments utilized within client accounts, which had a significant weighting to alternative assets: commodities, real estate, master limited partnerships, private equity, hedge funds, currencies, and futures.
2015-2020

Adjunct Professor of Finance
University of Texas
Dallas, TX
Michelle taught undergraduate Corporate Finance, a requirement for all business majors, and oversaw UTD’s student-led investment fund.
At the end of her tenure, Michelle was rated as one of the top twelve teaching finance professors in the country.
2016-Present

Founder and Chief Investment Officer
Portia Capital Management LLP
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
Portia Capital Management is a registered Investment Advisory firm focused on serving foundations, charities and high-net-worth individuals.
With an established client base in Texas and Louisiana, Michelle leverages her professional experience to provide her clients with expert advice on alternative assets, including private debt, equity, and publicly traded securities.