Absolute Return Podcast

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Hedgineer Founder Michael Watson. Hedgineer is a technology company focused on applying AI, data science, and risk-management software to hedge funds and asset managers. On the show, we discuss: How he made the leap from working at Citadel to founding his own startup How hedge funds are implementing AI Where AI is most impactful within investment firms How...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Einride CEO Roozbeh Charli. Einride is a technology company driving the transition to electric and autonomous freight operations for some of the world's largest shippers. On the show we discuss: How his background in investment banking, finance, and M&A helps shape the way he leads a deep-tech transportation company Why the freight industry is ready fo...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Jim Ferry, who is a Partner at Volition Capital. Volition Capital is a Boston-based growth equity firm partnering with founders to accelerate business growth and scale innovative, high-potential companies. On the show, we discuss: What is growth equity and how it differs from venture capital and private equity The “sweet spot” for growth equity investing P...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, arcMacro’s Founder and Chief Economist, Dylan Smith. Having served as an economist at Goldman Sachs and Rosenberg Research, and later as a private market consultant at McKinsey, Dylan understands exactly how macro forces translate into the long-horizon, illiquid world of private equity and alternatives. On the show, we discuss: The current conflict in Iran...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Fifth Era Partners Co-Founder and CEO Matthew Le Merle. Fifth Era Partners is a specialized asset manager providing access to exponential technologies that are transforming our world. On the show we discuss: Whether he expects a new crypto bull market and what will drive it Which area of AI is overhyped and which is underappreciated that isn’t consensus ye...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, dMY Squared Technology Group Chairman Harry You. dMY Squared Technology Group is a SPAC that recently announced a merger with Horizon Quantum, a developer of advanced software development tools for quantum computers. On the show we discuss: His lessons learned from working at Morgan Stanley, Oracle, and Broadcom, while working with tech luminaries Larry El...

On today’s show, we welcome special guest, Max Martin, CEO of Enhanced. Enhanced is an elite sports competition and innovative performance company providing products that optimize health and longevity. On the show we discuss: The philosophical case for letting athletes use performance-enhancing drugs The biggest misconception about PEDs Details about Enhanced’s business model What to expect at the...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Victory Capital’s Chairman and CEO David Brown. Victory Capital is diversified global investment management firm offering a wide array of independent investment approaches and innovative solutions. On the show, we discuss: The “multi-boutique” model and the competitive advantage it provides The firm’s approach to mergers and acquisitions Where the biggest...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Reflexivity Co-founder and President, Giuseppe Sette. Designed for institutional investors, Reflexivity combines trusted data with explainable AI to surface insights - not noise. On the show we discuss: The best use of AI in the investment process Whether AI will replace or enhance human portfolio managers If there’s a place for discretionary macro investi...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Gabelli Portfolio Manager John Belton. Gabelli is a globally diversified, research-driven financial services firm with extensive investment offerings. On the show we discuss: Which segment of the AI value chain faces the best prospects Whether large language models face the risk of commoditization If AI will kill software and SaaS companies Whether we shou...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, EquityZen Co-Founder & Chief Strategy Officer Phil Haslett. EquityZen is an online marketplace for trading pre-IPO shares of private companies. On the show, we discuss: Some of the hardest challenges he encountered building a marketplace startup The opportunity for investors in pre-IPO shares Why companies are staying private longer and private company...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Catalyst Funds CIO David Miller. Catalyst offers unique investment products to meet the needs of discerning financial advisors and their clients. On the show, we discuss: How they find best of breed hedge fund managers Why portable alpha makes sense for investors What he views as the best opportunity in the equity market Why he continues to be bullish on g...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Barings BDC’s President Matt Freund. Barings BDC primarily makes debt investments in core middle market companies. On the show, we discuss: The recent choppiness and negative sentiment in the private credit market The effect of declining base rates on yields and credit conditions The current deployment opportunity set for private credit funds PIK loans and...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Palmer Square Capital BDC’s President Matt Bloomfield. Palmer Square Capital BDC primarily invests in corporate debt securities across private companies in the U.S. through broadly-syndicated loans and large cap direct lending. On the show, we discuss: Their investment focus on broadly syndicated loans and how that differs from most BDCs Recent headlines t...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Kayne Anderson BDC President Frank Karl. Kayne Anderson BDC invests primarily in first lien senior secured loans with a secondary focus on unitranche and split-lien loans to private middle market companies. On the show, we discuss: Recent volatility in BDC prices and what is driving NAV discounts Credit market conditions amidst talk of “cockroaches” and ne...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Eva Yazhari, the General Partner of Beyond Capital Ventures, a women-led impact venture capital firm. On the show, we discuss: The compelling opportunity for early stage investing in Africa and India How venture capital differs in emerging markets What she looks for when investing in a startup And more

On today’s show, we welcome special guests, Brandon Sun, Cohen’s Managing Director and Head of SPAC Investment Banking, and Christian Lopez, Cohen’s Managing Director and Head of Blockchain and Digital Assets. Cohen is a full-service boutique investment bank focused on advising leading and emerging companies across sectors to address their strategic and financial opportunities. On the show, we dis...

On today’s show we welcome special guests, ReserveOne’s CEO Jaime Leverton and President Sebastian Bea. ReserveOne is a newly formed, first-of-its-kind digital asset management firm inspired by the proposed U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile. On the show, we discuss: Their “bitcoin moment” and what initially got them interested in crypto ReserveOne’s digital asset investmen...

On today’s show we welcome special guests, Upexi’s Chief Strategy Officer, Brian Rudick and Meteora Capital’s Chief Investment Officer, Vik Mittal. Brian and Vik have been involved in the creation of crypto treasury companies and are experts in the space. Upexi is a Solana Treasury Company. On the show, we discuss: What is a crypto treasury company and how do they create value long term? Why shoul...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, CIO of Starkiller Capital, Leigh Drogen. Starkiller Capital is an institutional investment firm applying quantitative data-driven strategies to blockchain based digital assets. On the show we discuss: Core tenets of their approach to crypto investing Trend following and yield farming in crypto Their approach to risk management  His top emerging trends in t...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's President Michael Occi. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (MSDL) seeks to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns by investing primarily in directly originated senior secured loans issued by U.S. middle market companies. On the show, we discuss: Why investors should consider an allocation to private credit What explai...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, American Gold Exchange President, Dana Samuelson. American Gold Exchange is a leading national precious metals and rare coin company specializing in dealer-to-dealer trading and direct sales. On the show, we discuss: Why investors should own gold as an investment If Trump’s election effects the bull case for gold Whether investors should prefer gold over b...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Mirion Technologies CEO Tom Logan. Mirion designs, manufactures, and provides radiation detection, measurement, analysis and monitoring products to the nuclear power and medical markets. On the show, we discuss: The path from private equity ownership to the public markets The macro bull case for the nuclear industry Mirion’s approach to mergers and acquisi...

On today’s show, listen to Julian and Mike have a live discussion on the State of the Markets: Navigating Q4 and Beyond. On the show, we discuss: The opportunities within global equities, including the sector we are most bullish on Why investors should stay away from fixed income and which investments allocators should use for yield The outlook for mergers and acquisitions along with a potential p...

On today’s show we welcome special guest, the co-CIO of Cambrian Asset Management, Martin Green. Cambrian is a quantitative investment firm for digital assets. On the show, we discuss: Cambrian’s approach to crypto investing and how it is differentiated Navigating crypto’s volatility and macro events including the FTX bankruptcy Keys to success and staying power in the digital asset space And more