First Rate Ventures Leads Seed Investment in bQuest

First Rate Ventures has led the seed investment in bQuest, a Denver-based Care Intelligence Platform designed for financial advisors supporting clients through aging, end-of-life, and after-loss transitions. The partnership will embed bQuest’s AI Care Agents directly into advisor workflows, combining automated guidance with human concierge support. Marshall Smith, Managing Director at First Rate Ventures, said the platform addresses a widening advisory need: “The days of picking stocks and retaining clients with performance are gone. Advisors must adapt and add value across a broader spectrum of their clients’ financial lives. bQuest does this by enabling advisors to engage and add value during the end-of-life care of a loved one.” 

bQuest provides firms with an integrated digital platform, a vetted national care-services network, and personalized assistance. Its tools help advisors maintain client relationships during moments when assets and loyalty are most at risk. The company’s collaboration with First Rate Ventures will accelerate the evolution of its explainable AI Care Agents, expand provider coverage nationally, and scale the concierge team that supports families during critical life transitions. 

This investment reflects the growing importance of advisor readiness for the demographic surge associated with Peak 65 as well as the broader shift toward Family Office as-a-Service. As more Americans reach retirement age, advisors are being asked to support complex care, estate, and family-coordination challenges. By integrating bQuest’s capabilities into advisory workflows, First Rate Ventures aims to bring traditionally high-touch services down-market and strengthen the advisor’s role at the center of the client’s financial life.