St. Pete financial management firm's sponsorship of tennis star pays off

St. Petersburg’s homegrown pro tennis star, Danielle Collins, caught the world’s attention when she stormed into the Australian Open championship match this past weekend in Melbourne. Facing world No. 1 Ash Barty, who also happens to be Australian, the No. 30-ranked Collins had little to no support from the home crowd but managed to give Barty a spirited fight. She dropped the first set, 2-6, but nearly ran away with the second before blowing a 5-1 lead and losing in a tiebreaker.

“It’s not the result, obviously, that I wanted,” Collins said in a post-match press conference. “But I gave it my best effort … I did everything I could. Unfortunately, it didn’t go my way, but it was a great event for me."

Collins’ thunderous groundstrokes — commentators heaped praise upon her two-handed backhand, with some calling it the best shot on display in the tournament — and fiery, tenacious demeanor surely won her some new fans. Rooting hard for Collins from half a world away were the team at Dynasty Financial Partners, the St. Pete firm that sponsors her and whose logo appears on the gear she wears during matches.

Dynasty — which offers wealth management and technology platforms for registered investment advisor firms — relocated from Manhattan to St. Pete in 2019, and the move has been a boon for the company, so much so that it’s filed an IPO that seeks to raise $100 million. According to a Form S-1 filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, the 292 advisors in Dynasty’s network collectively manage some $65 billion in assets.

“As we look to further build awareness of the Dynasty brand … creating a partnership in supporting Danielle was a natural fit,” Dynasty Chief Marketing Officer Gordon Abel tells Coffee Talk. “As a native of St. Pete, she’s a hometown hero representing our local community where our employees work and live. We are proud to say Danielle Collins is powered by Dynasty.”

Collins, 28, had a blue-collar tennis upbringing, learning the sport on the public hard courts in St. Pete, where she still lives. Far from being a heralded junior, she played college tennis, which has become exceptionally rare for players on a professional track, first at the University of Florida and then the University of Virginia, where she won the NCAA singles championship as a sophomore and senior.

With her run at the Australian Open, Collins moved up to No. 10 in the world and pocketed $1.58 million — so it’s a good thing she’s a client of CW Boss, the athlete advisory arm of Dynasty affiliate Cyndeo Wealth Partners.