Sophon Capital Research
Fundamental primary-driven research for public equity investors who want edge
Our flagship business
Sophon Capital Research was formed by Franco Chomnalez and Pascal Dangtran, former long/short equity research analysts with deep experience in fundamental, primary-driven investment research. Franco previously worked at “Tiger-lineage” hedge fund Papyrus Capital and began his career as a strategy consultant at Bain & Company, where he focused on industry research and commercial diligence for large private equity and activist hedge fund clients. His background also includes work on a NASDAQ-listed SPAC, consulting roles with another TMT-focused hedge fund, and early-stage work at a venture studio. Pascal spent his whole career (six years total) in the same buyside seat at EVR Research.
While our founders’ paths may appear non-linear on paper, both have spent their whole careers doing essentially the same work: building deep, industry-level understanding through intensive primary research. This includes extensive outreach to customers, competitors, suppliers, former employees, and other ecosystem participants in order to develop differentiated views that diverge meaningfully from consensus narratives.
We built Sophon Capital Research to replicate the rigor and depth of commercial diligence typically reserved for Tier1 private equity buyout firms, provded by teams like Bain’s Private Equity Group, or BCG and McKinsey’s Principal Investors’ practices - without the cost structure or institutional constraints of MBB-quality consulting. Our team has extensive experience conducting high-quality primary research both through established expert networks and through bespoke, independent sourcing methods developed for cost-sensitive clients. This allows us to deliver institutional-grade insight at a fraction of the cost of traditional providers.
Importantly, we have not only simplified and re-engineered the research process to reduce cost, but have also intentionally structured our commercial model to lower upfront fees and make this level of diligence more accessible to smaller hedge funds and public equity investment vehicles (<$500M AUM). Through our Sophon Capital Solutions business, we are able to defer a portion of our compensation by structuring bespoke capital arrangements that align us directly with our clients’ investment outcomes, enabling us to participate in upside rather than rely solely on fixed service fees.
Today, Sophon Capital Research works with a deliberately limited number of hedge funds, family offices, and other public equity investors - choosing only to consult and advise those who take a long-term, owner-oriented approach to investing. We focus on producing highly actionable insights rooted in commercial judgment - not “book reports” or “content” designed to sound impressive. Our objective is simple: to help our clients develop durable conviction and generate differentiated investment outcomes.