Contact Us

Equity Research

The Wedbush Equity Research department is focused on delivering alpha within the Healthcare, FIG, TMT, and Consumer verticals. It’s what drives us. We produce original thought, proprietary research products, and highlight critical data points, which anticipate early industry trends and inflection points.

Wedbush provides detailed investment analysis and recommendations on a wide array of industries with deep sector expertise in Disruptive Technology & Media, Life Sciences, and Financial Institutions & Real Estate. The Equity Research Team publishes daily notes, thematic reports, and earnings previews/reviews with actionable insights from seasoned analysts.

Our research professionals deliver industry-leading and nationally recognized insight.

Equity Research Leadership

Read Bio

Kirsten Fraunces

Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer
Read Bio

Seth Basham, CFA®

Managing Director, Director of Research

Analyst Expertise

The firm’s Investment Banking and Equities Sales and Trading divisions are composed of senior, industry-focused professionals who provide financial assistance to private, institutional, municipal, and corporate clients, specializing in comprehensive and customized investment solutions and clearing services for over 40 years.

Read Bio

Matthew Bryson

Hardware

Semiconductors
Read Bio

Laura Chico, Ph.D.

Biotechnology
Read Bio

Scott Devitt

E-commerce

Online Travel
Read Bio

Robert Driscoll, Ph.D.

Biotechnology
Read Bio

Martin Fan, Ph.D.

Biotechnology
Read Bio

Daniel Ives

Technology

Software
Read Bio

David Nierengarten, Ph.D.

Biotechnology
Read Bio

Alicia Reese

Media & Entertainment

Consumer Entertainment Products

Contact us to learn how we can partner for your financial success.

Contact Us

Kirsten Fraunces

Executive Vice President,
Chief Administrative Officer

Kirsten Fraunces is Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Wedbush Securities. She is a member of the President’s Executive Committee and responsible for overseeing the CAO Division; including Equity Research, Brand, Strategy and Talent.

Kirsten joined Wedbush in 2002 as a VP in Equity Sales, and during her 20 year tenure she has played a pivotal role, as Head of Equities, in ensuring that Wedbush remains a leader in the financial industry, providing the highest quality research to investors.

Prior to joining Wedbush, Kirsten worked at J.P Morgan Investment Management in Equity Research and was a Vice President of Equity Research at Merrill Lynch.

Kirsten earned her BA in Math and Music from Smith College, and MBA from the University of Southern California, and has over 20+ years of investment industry experience.

Seth Basham, CFA®

Managing Director, Director of Research

Seth Basham is Managing Director and Director of Research at Wedbush Securities. With over two decades of experience in equity research and capital markets, he brings both a sharp analytical lens and strategic oversight to the firm’s research platform. Before assuming his current leadership role, Seth served as a Wedbush Senior Analyst covering the hardlines retail sector where he was widely recognized for his deep industry insight. Seth was also and Head of Consumer Sector research. Prior to Wedbush, he held equity research analyst roles at Credit Suisse and UBS and spent five years on the buy side investing in retail and consumer companies. Earlier in his career, Seth worked in strategy consulting, advising clients on business growth and market positioning. 

Seth holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School and a BA, Magna Cum Laude, with high honors in Economics from Colgate University. Seth is also a CFA charterholder.

Matthew Bryson

Managing Director, Equity Research

Matthew (“Matt”) Bryson is a veteran Equity Research Analyst covering the Enterprise Hardware sector at Wedbush. He has followed the technology space for nearly two decades covering everything from hard drive subcomponent (i.e. Komag and Read-Rite) names to systems (i.e. Dell, EMC, and Super Micro) and software (i.e. Legato and Nutanix). He previously helped develop Avian Securities research platform and led technology research at ABR Investment Strategy, LLC. While at ABR, Matt was responsible for covering the entirety of the enterprise and consumer hardware universe. Because of the broad mandate and the continuously shifting landscape in technology, he regularly has necessarily shifted focus to keep abreast of developing trends, building a very broad understanding of the intersection of various the segments within tech. Matt has consistently engaged with private companies early in the venture process starting with companies like Lefthand and EqualLogic, with more recent contact with names including CNEX Labs, Vast Data, NGD Systems, and Liqid, He started his career in equity research as an analyst with Charles River Associates.

Matt holds a B.A. in economics and history from Williams College.

Laura Chico, Ph.D.

Biotechnology

Laura brings more than a decade of experience in the biotechnology and drug discovery industry, as well as nine years in Equity Research. During her career, Laura has served as Vice President Equity Research at Raymond James, and as a biotech analyst in the Robert W. Baird Equity Research Healthcare group. Before entering equity research, Laura held scientific roles in both industry and academic settings with focus in central nervous system (“CNS”) diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.

Laura received her B.S. in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her M.S. in Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, and her Ph.D. in Molecular Pharmacology, from Northwestern University. She continues to serve as an adjunct assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.

Scott Devitt

Managing Director, Equity ResearchRobert Driscoll, Ph.D.

Scott Devitt is a seasoned equity research analyst specializing in the broader internet space, with an emphasis in the e-commerce and online travel sectors. His interest in the tech space was sparked during his time spent at DELL as a Financial Analyst, where he supported the factory and sales division. Working for an ecommerce company before ecommerce became mainstream allowed Scott to witness firsthand the core differentiators and disruptive commerce models that would shape the industry. In 2000, Scott joined Legg Mason as an associate and quickly assumed coverage within the space. His expertise in recognizing emerging companies and understanding the underlying trends within the market later led him to successful tenures at Stifel Financial Corp. and Morgan Stanley. Throughout his career, Scott’s core competency has been his ability to identify the themes that drive debates and ultimately impact stock performance.

Scott received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from University of North Florida, and his Master of Business Administration in Finance from University of Georgia, Terry College of Business.

Robert Driscoll, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President, Equity Research

Robert Driscoll, Ph.D., has over a decade in research and analytics in the life sciences sector – specifically in the area of oncology and more recently in the areas of infectious disease. He is a molecular biologist who received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, and spent six additional years working in the lab at Stanford. He is particularly interested in the development and causes of cancer, as well as the expanding world of immuno-oncology. Since joining Wedbush in 2014, Robert has been covering a number of cutting-edge companies that include Arvinas (ARVN), Kura Oncology (KURA), Arcus Biosciences (RCUS), and IGM Biosciences (IGMS).

Robert received his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Leeds, and his Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Cambridge. He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University.

Martin Fan, Ph.D.

Vice President, Equity Research

Martin Fan is a Vice President, Equity Research with over a decade of experience in drug discovery and analytics within the biotechnology sector. Before joining equity research, he held scientific and business development roles across both industry and academic institutions, with therapeutic focuses in oncology, vaccines and infectious diseases, and autoimmunity. His experience spans the bench to the boardroom—having worked as a bench scientist and later in business development—giving him a unique perspective on the biotech landscape. Prior to transitioning into research, Martin also worked in business consulting, where he specialized in translating complex clinical and scientific data for both specialist and generalist investors.

Martin earned his B.S. in Biochemistry from Washington University in St. Louis and holds a Ph.D. in Immunology from Harvard University.

Daniel Ives

Managing Director, Global Head of Technology Research

Daniel (Dan) Ives is a Managing Director and Senior Equity Research Analyst covering the Technology sector at Wedbush Securities since 2018. Dan is also Global Head of Technology Research at Wedbush. Dan has been a tech analyst on Wall Street for 25 years covering the software and the broader technology sector. He spent the first few years of his career as a financial analyst at HBO and then received his MBA in Finance before becoming a globally known technology equity research analyst and Managing Director with FBR Capital Markets for 16 years, focusing on the enterprise software/hardware sectors including cyber security, cloud computing, big data technology, and the mobile landscape. A major area of his research focus is the AI Revolution and disruptive technology buildout over the next decade.

Dan is a highly sought-after tech expert around the world, has been a keynote speaker across the US, Europe, Australia, and Asia and regularly makes television appearances on networks such as CNBC, Bloomberg, CNN, Fox News, BBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, France 24, Sky News, ABC Australia, TV Tokyo and many networks around the world to provide commentary related to his technology expertise. Dan has also appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, PBS NewsHour, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, CNN’s Erin Burnett OutFront, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and The Daily Show. Dan can be heard regularly doing radio on the tech sector for Bloomberg, ABC News, NPR, BBC, and other radio programs. Dan is often cited globally by publications such as The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Investors Business Daily, Chicago Tribune, NY Post, Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, The Telegraph, San Francisco Chronicle, Time Magazine, Le Monde, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Boston Globe, Daily Mail, South China Morning Post, Barron’s, The Times of London, Financial Times, Le Figaro, The Sydney Morning Herald, and New York Times, among many others. Named by the New York Post in 2024 as the “Best Dressed Man on Wall Street” in a fashion profile article.

He holds a B.S. in Finance from Penn State University and an MBA from the University of Maryland.

Twitter handle: @DivesTech.

David Nierengarten, Ph.D.

Managing Director, Equity Research

David Nierengarten, Ph.D., has been a senior analyst covering small-mid cap biotech stocks with a heavy focus on oncology, rare disease and gene therapy. His prior experience in venture capital and operations at a private biotechnology company, helps him succeed in analyzing both science and business models. In addition, David has results in predicting Dendreon’s looming bankruptcy, and several M&A events involving NPS Pharmaceuticals and Anacor.

David received his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California at Berkeley.

David Nierengarten, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President, Equity Research

Alicia Reese is SVP of Equity Research, covering Media & Entertainment and Consumer Entertainment Products. Over her 17 years with Wedbush Securities, she has covered a variety of sectors, with a primary focus on the movie and entertainment industries. She currently covers theatrical entertainment companies, such as AMC, Cinemark, IMAX, and National CineMedia; streaming-focused companies, such as Netflix, Roku, and Fubo; consumer products companies such as Logitech, Corsair, and Turtle Beach; and media companies related to video games, such as Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Take-Two, Ubisoft, AppLovin, Unity, Roblox, Double Down Interactive, Playtika, and CD Projekt. Alicia began her career in finance as a data and collateral analyst at Countrywide Securities.

Alicia received her B.S. degree in Mathematics/Economics from UCLA.