Integrated Advisory and Investment Partnership
Trident Strategic Partners delivers visionary insight, bespoke guidance, and unconstrained access to sophisticated private market opportunities. We integrate macro-driven advisory with active investment sponsorship, serving allocators, advisory firms, capital partners, and operators across transformational themes in real estate and operating companies.
OUR MISSION
Capital Aligned with Vision
To invest with integrity, insight, and independence—aligning capital with vision in transformational opportunities that create lasting value and shape tomorrow.
OUR VISION
Building Integrated Investment Partnership
To create the next generation of integrated investment partnership—where advisory excellence and direct investment unite under one platform, delivering allocators and operators both strategic insight and active participation in transformational opportunities.
OUR APPROACH
Thesis-Driven and Execution-Focused
Our approach integrates top-down thematic research with bottom-up opportunity evaluation. We identify structural shifts and transformational themes, then partner with proven operators to source hard-to-find opportunities, structure unique solutions, and execute compelling investments. Our independence enables deal structures that traditional platforms do not have the flexibility to achieve.
WHO WE SERVE
Serving Sophisticated Capital and Partnering with Visionary Builders
We serve sophisticated capital through integrated OCIO advisory and direct investment opportunities—supporting allocators, advisory firms, and investment partners seeking both strategic guidance and compelling deal access. We partner with visionary builders by providing strategic capital, flexible deal structures, and active sponsorship across real estate and operating companies. Our platform delivers advisory excellence with hands-on execution across the entire ecosystem.
WHY TRIDENT
Your Strategic Partner
We deliver what traditional platforms cannot: visionary insight into transformational themes, bespoke guidance tailored to your objectives, and unconstrained access to exceptional opportunities. Operating as an independent fiduciary, we integrate macro-driven OCIO advisory with active investment sponsorship—combining strategic thinking with hands-on execution. We don’t just advise; we invest alongside you, ensuring complete alignment from insight to ownership.
WHY TRIDENT
Your Strategic Partner
We deliver what traditional platforms cannot: visionary insight into transformational themes, bespoke guidance tailored to your objectives, and unconstrained access to exceptional opportunities. Operating as an independent fiduciary, we integrate macro-driven OCIO advisory with active investment sponsorship—combining strategic thinking with hands-on execution. We don’t just advise; we invest alongside you, ensuring complete alignment from insight to ownership.
Chris Wrenn, CFA, CFP®
PRINCIPAL | MANAGING PARTNER
Chris is Principal and Managing Partner of Trident Strategic Partners, where he leads the firm’s strategic vision and oversees its investment advisory and management practices. Trident’s advisory team delivers sophisticated private market and alternative investment solutions, supported by institutional-quality research, to high-net-worth individuals, RIAs, family offices, and institutions.
Chris previously helped scale North Carolina’s fastest-growing RIA from under $100 million to over $600 million in four years and brings deep expertise across private equity, hedge funds, private credit, and real assets. A CFA® charterholder and CFP® professional, he has extensive experience in portfolio construction, due diligence, and deal structuring.
He also serves on advisory boards for ChildFund International and the Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy Parents’ Council. Chris lives in Charlotte with his wife Danielle and their three children, and as an avid Tar Heels fan, he enjoys following his team year-round.
Nicco Moriates
ASSOCIATE
Nickolas (Nicco) Moriates is an Associate and Registered Investment Adviser Representative with Trident Strategic Partners, where he provides operational, investment, and administrative support to senior team members and clients. He began his career as a software engineer before discovering his passion for investment management and client advisory services.
Nicco holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses, along with the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) credential, and is currently a Level II candidate in the CFA® Program. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Lenoir-Rhyne University with a degree in Finance, where he also tutored Calculus and Statistics, demonstrating his strong analytical and problem-solving skills. As a member of the men’s lacrosse team, he helped lead the program to its first-ever NCAA National Championship in 2023, reflecting his leadership and teamwork under pressure.
Outside of work, Nicco volunteers through his church with his family, plays guitar, and enjoys fishing.
Shaliesh Kshatriya, CFA
PARTNER & CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER
Shaliesh “Shay” Kshatriya serves as the Chief Investment Officer at Trident Strategic Partners, where he supervises the organization’s Outsourced CIO (OCIO) platform. He enhances client relationships and promotes business expansion by offering institutional-quality insights, portfolio guidance, and CIO-level supervision to registered investment advisors, family offices, institutions, and high-net-worth individuals.
Shay has consulted on assets exceeding $5 billion and advised both retail and institutional clients across North America, accumulating more than 20 years of global management experience. His proficiency in investment strategy, the economy, and markets is evidenced by his frequent appearances in print and television media, as well as his leadership roles in the United States and Canada.
Shay holds a B.S in Finance with distinction from Rutgers University and is a CFA® charterholder. Based in Raleigh, he enjoys life with his wife, Neha, and is a proud parent of two Wolfpack students at North Carolina State University.
James Strecker, CFA
ADVISORY PARTNER
James Strecker is an Advisory Partner at Trident Strategic Partners and a CFA® charterholder. In his role, he is responsible for overseeing deal-level financial modeling and underwriting, as well as providing strategic advisory and fundraising support.
He brings more than 25 years of experience in investment banking and corporate finance, along with over a decade of expertise in commercial and residential real estate. James earned his MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and graduated with honors from Rutgers University with a BA in history.
James lives in Charlotte, NC, with his wife Angie and their son, Rowan.
Chris Wrenn, CFA, CFP®
PRINCIPAL & MANAGING PARTNER
Chris is Principal and Managing Partner of Trident Strategic Partners, where he leads the firm’s strategic vision and oversees its investment advisory and management practices. Trident’s advisory team delivers sophisticated private market and alternative investment solutions, supported by institutional-quality research, to high-net-worth individuals, RIAs, family offices, and institutions.
Chris previously helped scale North Carolina’s fastest-growing RIA from under $100 million to over $600 million in four years and brings deep expertise across private equity, hedge funds, private credit, and real assets. A CFA® charterholder and CFP® professional, he has extensive experience in portfolio construction, due diligence, and deal structuring.
He also serves on advisory boards for ChildFund International and the Johns Hopkins Center for Fetal Therapy Parents’ Council. Chris lives in Charlotte with his wife Danielle and their three children, and as an avid Tar Heels fan, he enjoys following his team year-round.
Shaliesh Kshatriya, CFA
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER & PARTNER
Shaliesh “Shay” Kshatriya serves as the Chief Investment Officer at Trident Strategic Partners, where he supervises the organization’s Outsourced CIO (OCIO) platform. He enhances client relationships and promotes business expansion by offering institutional-quality insights, portfolio guidance, and CIO-level supervision to registered investment advisors, family offices, institutions, and high-net-worth individuals.
Shay has consulted on assets exceeding $5 billion and advised both retail and institutional clients across North America, accumulating more than 20 years of global management experience. His proficiency in investment strategy, the economy, and markets is evidenced by his frequent appearances in print and television media, as well as his leadership roles in the United States and Canada.
Shay holds a B.S in Finance with distinction from Rutgers University and is a CFA® charterholder. Based in Raleigh, he enjoys life with his wife, Neha, and is a proud parent of two Wolfpack students at North Carolina State University.
Clark Spencer
PRESIDENT, TRIDENTRE & PARTNER
Clark Spencer serves as President of TridentRE, a division of Trident Strategic Partners, where he directs the platform’s real estate investment strategy, fund management, and capital formation efforts. TridentRE combines deep local expertise in Charlotte, NC and surrounding markets with institutional-quality management practices and a national investor network, positioning the platform as a leading destination for sophisticated real estate capital.
Clark has been recognized as a Top 25 Fund Manager by Opportunity Zone Magazine and a Multifamily Real Estate Influencer by Globe Street. He brings over $850 million in equity capital raising experience, with established relationships across Registered Investment Advisors, Family Offices, independent broker/dealers, investment clubs, and individual investors. His leadership spans fund management, capital formation, underwriting, compliance, and insurance, informed by a risk- and data-driven framework and a global capital markets perspective.
Prior to joining Trident, Clark held senior leadership roles at Grubb Properties, a vertically integrated private equity real estate firm with $1.3 billion in equity AUM, where he founded and led the firm’s Qualified Opportunity Zone program. Under his leadership, the program raised over $550 million and pioneered REIT structuring within the OZ space.
Clark began his career as an attorney in New York City and Charlotte, NC, where he focused on capital markets and public company advisory, with particular depth in public REITs, while gaining experience across global finance, M&A, compliance, and corporate law. He maintains active law licenses in both New York and North Carolina.
Outside of work, Clark enjoys life in Charlotte with his wife, Jenifer, and their two daughters, Serena and Audrey.
James Strecker, CFA
ADVISORY PARTNER
James Strecker is an Advisory Partner at Trident Strategic Partners and a CFA® charterholder. In his role, he is responsible for overseeing deal-level financial modeling and underwriting, as well as providing strategic advisory and fundraising support.
He brings more than 25 years of experience in investment banking and corporate finance, along with over a decade of expertise in commercial and residential real estate. James earned his MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and graduated with honors from Rutgers University with a BA in history.
James lives in Charlotte, NC, with his wife Angie and their son, Rowan.
Nicco Moriates
ASSOCIATE
Nickolas (Nicco) Moriates is an Associate and Registered Investment Adviser Representative with Trident Strategic Partners, where he provides operational, investment, and administrative support to senior team members and clients. He began his career as a software engineer before discovering his passion for investment management and client advisory services.
Nicco holds Series 65 and Series 63 licenses, along with the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) credential, and is currently a Level II candidate in the CFA® Program. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Lenoir-Rhyne University with a degree in Finance, where he also tutored Calculus and Statistics, demonstrating his strong analytical and problem-solving skills. As a member of the men’s lacrosse team, he helped lead the program to its first-ever NCAA National Championship in 2023, reflecting his leadership and teamwork under pressure.
Outside of work, Nicco volunteers through his church with his family, plays guitar, and enjoys fishing.