Michael Forman
Michael Forman is Chairman and CEO of Future Standard, a global alternative asset manager headquartered in Philadelphia. Mr. Forman co-founded the firm in 2007 after a successful career as both a corporate and securities lawyer, and serial entrepreneur. Future Standard is an outgrowth of Mr. Forman’s compelling vision: educate investors on, and help them responsibly access, alternative investments historically available only to large institutions and the wealthiest individuals. Since its founding, Future Standard has grown from a small, innovative start-up to a leading-edge organization that manages over $85 billion in assets across a broad suite of alternative asset classes and strategies for institutional investors, financial professionals and individual investors. With twelve offices and nearly 600 employees around the world, the firm has been recognized as an industry leader.
In 2013, Mr. Forman was named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for Greater Philadelphia. Future Standard was named one of “Philly’s Coolest Companies” by Philadelphia Magazine in 2015 and one of Greater Philadelphia’s Healthiest Employers by the Philadelphia Business Journal in 2019. In 2025, the Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT) honored Mr. Forman with the Legend Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Mr. Forman serves on the boards of several organizations, including The Center City District Foundation and the Cobbs Creek Restoration Foundation. He also serves as the Founding Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Equity Alliance and is a former Trustee of Drexel University and the Franklin Institute. His civic leadership has garnered recognition by the community and his peers, including the 2023 Global Equity Award from World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia, the 2022 Corporate Leadership Award from the Community College of Philadelphia and the 2019 Americanism Award from the Anti-Defamation League of Philadelphia, as well as a special honor from Mural Arts Philadelphia in 2017 for his dedication to the city’s public art initiatives. In 2019, Mr. Forman co-founded Fitler Club, a diverse and civically engaged private lifestyle club located in Center City, Philadelphia.
Mr. Forman and his wife, Jennifer, live in Philadelphia. Together with their three daughters, they created a foundation that devotes resources to a wide range of important civic causes. In 2021, Michael and Jennifer co-founded the Forman Arts Initiative (FAI), a platform to connect and support artists and cultural organizations through programming, exhibition commissions, financial support and advocacy.
Mr. Forman graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from University of Rhode Island with a BA in Political Science. He went on to earn a JD from Rutgers Law School.