MutualFundWire.com: Smalley Rolls Out a Growth Opp ETF At a $164B-AUM AM
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Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Smalley Rolls Out a Growth Opp ETF At a $164B-AUM AM


The team at a $164.2-billion-AUM*, publicly traded, multi-boutique asset manager in New England are rolling out an active ETF powered by a $2.5-billion-AUM** subsidiary in Georgia.

Last month, Bill Smalley, executive managing director of ETF solutions at Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. [profile], and Michael Sansoterra, chief investment officer at Silvant Capital Management LLC, unveiled the launch of the Virtus Silvant Growth Opportunities ETF (VRGO on the NYSE Arca). Hartford, Connecticut-based Virtus IP's Virtus Investment Advisers, LLC (VIA) serves as investment advisor to the new fund, while Atlanta-based Silvant (a Virtus subsidiary) serves as subadvisor.

VRGO's inception date was December 22, and the new ETF comes with an expense ratio of 35 basis points. As of yesterday (January 5), the new fund had about $2.498 million in AUM.

A three-person team of Silvant managing directors powers VRGO. Those PMs include:
  • Brandi Allen, portfolio manager;
  • Sandeep Bhatia, senior PM; and
  • Sansoterra himself.

    • "Any company can grow," Sansoterra states. "Our team roots out the strongest prospects for growth, including often unexpected places."

    Smalley puts the launch of VRGO in the context of the Virtus team's "commitment to delivering an ETF lineup, balanced across asset classes, with potential to improve investor outcomes relative to passive strategies."

    "Silvant is the latest addition to our collection of distinctive investment managers accessible in a tax-efficient ETF wrapper," Smalley states.

    VRGO is an actively managed, non-diversified series of Virtus ETF Trust II. The new fund's other service providers include:
  • the Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) as accounting services administrator, custodian, dividend paying agent, and transfer agent;
  • PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as independent accounting firm;
  • Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP as counsel;
  • Virtus ETF Solutions LLC as administrator; and
  • VP Distributors, LLC as distributor.

    • *As of November 30, 2025.

    **As of December 31, 2024, plus $1.5 billion in model assets, per their March 2025 form ADV.


    Printed from: MFWire.com/story.asp?s=71918

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