Michael Patchen, CFA
Michael Patchen is a financial services veteran and technology leader with nearly three decades of experience spanning quantitative portfolio management, enterprise risk oversight, and AI product development. He has built enterprise risk platforms and AI-driven technology solutions across some of the most complex investment environments in the industry.
Mr. Patchen served as Partner and Chief Risk Officer at AQR Capital Management, where he led enterprise risk oversight across more than $140 billion in AUM spanning equities, global macro, and event-driven strategies. In that role, he designed and oversaw the development of Intercept, an industrial-strength, cloud-based risk management platform providing exception-based analytics across hundreds of funds, dozens of strategies, and thousands of assets. He also led the Enterprise Risk Committee, presented to regulators, and engaged directly with clients on the firm’s risk management capabilities.
Prior to returning to AQR, he served as a Managing Director at Carlson Capital and as a Portfolio Manager at SAC Capital, where he co-managed a market-neutral systematic equity portfolio with multiple billions in buying power across major developed markets.
Most recently, Mr. Patchen co-founded Colleva, an AI software company focused on helping financial services firms develop, assess, and coach employees at scale. As Chief Executive Officer and Chief Product Architect, he led product vision, engineering execution, and enterprise deployment of an AI Talent Copilot platform built for sales coaching, talent development, and compliance training, achieving SOC 2 Type II compliance.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Patchen held senior roles at Deutsche Bank Asset Management, where he served as Head of Portfolio Management for the Global Quantitative Equities Group, and Goldman Sachs Asset Management. He was also part of the AQR founding team before returning to the firm later in his career.
Mr. Patchen holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Finance from The Wharton School and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Computer Science from The Moore School, both at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated summa cum laude. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
As an aligned Senior Advisor, Mr. Patchen will support Star Mountain’s continued growth by contributing his expertise in enterprise risk management and AI-driven technology buildouts to help strengthen the firm’s institutional infrastructure and operational capabilities.