ExchangiFi lands early-stage backing from Tommy Mayes's family office
What's the deal? ExchangiFiDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Florida-based TaxTech startup, has raised early-stage funding from Prosperity Venture PartnersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the family office of wealth management entrepreneur Tommy Mayes. As part of the deal, Mayes will join the company's board of directors.
What does it do? ExchangiFi runs what it calls the first independent platform for Section 351 ETF exchanges, connecting wealth advisors with ETF sponsors. Under Section 351 of the Internal Revenue Code, investors can contribute securities to an ETF in exchange for shares while preserving their original cost basis — moving out of tax-inefficient separately managed accounts without triggering immediate capital gains taxes.
The traction: Since launching in September 2025, ExchangiFi has drawn more than 40,000 visitors and built an email list of over 3,000 registered investment advisors. It now lists 11 open 351 exchange ETFs, with a pipeline of more than 30 syndicated launches planned for 2026.
ETFs launched in connection with the platform have collectively raised more than $1.85 billion in seed assets, though not all of that ran through ExchangiFi.
Who's the investor? Mayes chairs a family office peer group at TIGER 21 and previously helped grow asset manager Blueprint Investment Partners from $75 million to more than $3.5 billion in assets as a general partner. He also sits on the board of private placement life insurance carrier Investors Preferred.
Why now? "My work in the family office and wealth management space has convinced me that the new frontier for wealth management planning is income tax-focused," Mayes said, adding that he expects Section 351 exchanges to be "one of the most important tax and portfolio-management tools of the next decade."
What's the endgame? Founder and chief executive officer Matthew BucklinDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → said Mayes's experience "will be invaluable as we scale the platform." Mayes framed ExchangiFi as "the independent hub for everything related to 351 exchanges," linking advisors, issuers, and clients while handling compliance and workflow.
The signal: The bet reflects a broader shift toward tax-aware wealth management, as advisors look to move clients out of low-basis positions and into liquid, transparent ETFs. ExchangiFi is positioning itself as the neutral infrastructure layer for a mechanism that is still early in its adoption curve.
Read more: AP News
