“Most People Never Had Access to These Types of Investment Opportunities” — Justin Kuyper on Opening the Doors to Hedge Fund–Level Investing

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Cut The Tie Podcast with Justin Kuyper

For decades, hedge fund and private equity strategies were reserved for institutions and ultra-wealthy investors. In this episode of Cut The Tie, host Thomas Helfrich sits down with Justin Kuyper, founder of OpenVest, to break down why access to sophisticated investment strategies has been limited—and how technology and regulation are finally changing that reality.

Justin shares his journey from Wall Street to fintech founder, explaining how the traditional investment system was built with layers of friction, high fees, and structural barriers that locked out everyday investors. This conversation dives into how OpenVest is removing those barriers while staying compliant, transparent, and investor-focused.

About Justin Kuyper:

Justin Kuyper is the founder of OpenVest, a fintech platform designed to give individual investors access to hedge fund and private-equity-style strategies traditionally limited to institutions. With an MBA from Columbia University and a background working on Wall Street, Justin brings deep experience in financial markets, regulation, and investment infrastructure. His work focuses on reducing unnecessary middle layers, lowering fees, and expanding access to actively managed investment strategies.

In this episode, Thomas and Justin discuss:

• Why hedge fund and private equity strategies were built for institutions
• How high fees and intermediaries quietly erode investor returns
• The structural difference between passive index investing and active management
• Why access—not intelligence—is often the biggest investing disadvantage
• How OpenVest uses regulated infrastructure to protect investor assets
• Managing downside risk during volatile market conditions
• Why non-accredited investors have historically been excluded
• What responsible democratization of investing actually looks like

Key Takeaways:

• Access has always been the real advantage
  Opportunity in investing has historically been about entry, not intelligence.
• Middle layers quietly extract value
  Fees, opacity, and intermediaries cap long-term returns without being obvious.
• Technology changes who gets in
  Platforms can unlock strategies once limited to institutions and insiders.
• You don’t need millions to participate
  Smaller amounts, invested consistently, can still compound meaningfully.
• Control beats complexity
  Clear systems and transparency outperform convoluted financial structures.

Connect with Justin Kuyper:

🌐 Website: https://openvest.co/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-kuyper-a862b0103/

Connect with Thomas Helfrich:

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/thelfrich
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cutthetie
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomashelfrich
🌐 Website: https://www.cutthetie.com
📧 Email: [e-mail]
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