Fund Shack Private Equity Podcast

In this episode, Ross Butler talks to Karen Sands, COO of Federated Hermes’ private equity division, where she oversees $20 billion in private market assets as part of a larger $770 billion AUM. Karen provides insight into Federated Hermes' shift into private markets, their strategic focus on ESG, and her role in managing operations. They explore the importance of scalable infrastructure, the evol...

How Partners Group is cracking the DC pension market in the UK, with Joanna Asfour Founded in mid-1990s,  Partners Group  launched its first vehicle accessible to individual investors in the early naughties. Today it is at the frontline of the democratisation of private equity. In this episode, Ross Butler speaks to  Joanna Asfour , the firm’s global head of consultant relations, to discuss how pr...

Jim Strang, serial private equity NXD and chairman of Hg Capital Trust, discusses the complexities of the private equity landscape on the Fund Shack podcast. Fundraising and Market Dynamics: Market Polarization: Large platforms and top-performing specialists continue to raise significant capital, while mid-sized players face extended fundraising cycles. Liquidity Challenges: Investors are managing...

Sunaina Sinha, Global Head of Private Capital Advisory at Raymond James, talks to Ross Butler about the challenges of raising private capital funds in today's market. This episode is supported by Datasite, the leading M&A platform for dealmakers. https://www.datasite.com/en Fundraising cycles have extended to 22-23 months on average, reflecting the challenging environment. Firms must offer co-...

Ross Butler hosts Patrick Turner, Managing Director at VSS Capital Partners, a US-based lower mid-market private equity firm founded in 1981, originally named Veronis Suhler Stevenson. Patrick joined VSS in 2014, bringing a wealth of experience from his extensive career in leveraged buyouts in the US, and private equity in China. VSS focuses on the US lower mid-market, specifically targeting three...

Fatou Diagne is co-founder of Bootstrap Europe, which acquired the German portfolio of Silicon Valley Bank in 2023. She provides a fascinating insight into the elite world of lending to the top tier of venture-backed businesses. Venture debt might not have the brand-pizazz of its equity cousin, but from a risk/return perspective it ticks all the boxes. ****** This episode also features our support...

Mike Smeed is managing director of InMotion Ventures, the corporate venturing arm of Jaguar Land Rover. In this episode of the Fund Shack podcast, he speaks to Ross Butler about what the company looks for in start-up candidates and the rapidly evolving nature of corporate venture capital. Mike the Managing Director of InMotion Ventures, the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of Jaguar Land Rover...

Foresight Group was a pioneer in renewable energy investment back in the 1990s. Today, it's a diversified investment group listed in London. Its founder and chairman, Bernard Fairman, talks about its expansion into global infrastructure, why he favours hydrogen over electric, and his plans to build out the firm's UK venture investment arm into an international-regional growth equity franchise. Lea...

MidEuropa pioneered private equity buyout investing in Central Europe, launching in 1999. Robert Knorr has been a partner since 2007. He was recently awarded Private Equity Mid Market Leader of the Year at the Real Deals private equity awards for his pivotal role in investment in the region. In this podcast he talks to Ross Butler about opportunities from Poland to the Med, and a very big win in R...

Fund Shack Podcast Featuring Etienne Deshormes of Elm Capital In this engaging episode of the Fund Shack podcast, 🎙️ Ross Butler interviews Etienne Deshormes, CEO of Elm Capital, to delve into the intricacies of the private equity secondary market. Elm Capital, founded in 2004 by Etienne after his career in investment banking at JP Morgan, specializes in providing liquidity to private market inves...

With a deal drought across the global private equity industry, we talk to Chris Field of global law firm Dechert about what's next for M&A and buyout deal flow for 2024. We discuss valuations and defensive deal structures as vendors and buyers find ways to come together. Top quote: "I have never worked on an earn-out, ever, that has not resulted in some form of dispute.'" In this Fund Shack podcas...

Private equity is a great way of investing in uncertain, high growth environments. Strange then, that the African private equity industry is so small. In fact, Stephane Bacquaert, managing partner of Adenia Capital, argues that the mature Western private capital industry has systematically misunderstood the African opportunity, and its risk profile in particulare. In this Fund Shack podcast with R...

Repackaging Private Equity—Why Retail Investors Are the Next Big Battleground Private equity has always been a game for the big players, until now. Fund managers are racing to repackage private equity for smaller investors, while governments push for new structures like ELTIFs and LTAFs. But is this shift a revolution or a recipe for risk? Henry Freeman , investment expert and founder of The Fund...

Moral Hazard in Alternatives - Daniel Zwirn on Fund Shack's Private Equity Podcast Daniel Zwirn discusses his unique approach to alternative investments through Arena Investors LP, emphasizing a merchant banking style. He explores the advantages of historical financial models, moral hazard in fund management, and strategic flexibility in navigating global markets. Key Highlights: Arena Investors'...

Hans Lovrek stumbled on Medieval Florentine documents that showed structures were being used to align interests in ventures with high information asymmetry that were uncannily similar to today’s limited partnerships. Through a method of historical institutionalism, Hans demonstrates how the same techniques have been used to solve similar problems, down the ages, and that today’s private equity ind...

Yaron Valler is a founder of venture capital firm Target Global. He is a successful entrepreneur and investor, and was part of the team at Intel that invented the Pentium Processor. In this episode of the Fund Shack podcast, he talks to Ross Butler about how AI will change ‘everything’, virtual reality, how government’s should direct innovation and risk capital, and much more. [00:00:00] Ross Butl...

Prosecuting a mid-market healthcare strategy, with Livingbridge Sanjay Panchal is a partner at Livingbridge, a leading international growth capital investor, where he specialises in healthcare. In this episode he speaks to Ross Butler about the opportunities for private equity investors across the healthcare sector. Sanjay Panchal, Partner at Livingbridge discusses the dynamics and opportunities i...

Marcus Maier-Krug is partner and co-head of portfolio management at Arcmont. He has been working in private credit since before the global financial crisis. In this episode, recorded in November 2023, we discuss what constitutes alpha in private credit, what it’s attractions are as an asset class, whether it can retain the market share it has taken from the traditional banking world, the different...

Alejandro Alcalde Rasch is a senior director in Advent International‘s portfolio support group. He joined Advent in 2010 having been chief transformation officer and head of supply at Gröhe AG and a partner in McKinsey’s chemicals practice. In this Fund Shack podcast, Alejandro talks to Ross Butler about the genesis of Advent’s dedicated portfolio support group, how it has grown over time, what he...

Harvard professor Josh Lerner explains the risks and requirements of public intervention in establishing a thriving venture capital and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Professor Lerner tells Ross Butler that seeding a venture capital industry is a difficult and slow process – it’s not just the case of emulating Silicon Valley. With reference to his classic work, ‘Boulevard of Broken Dreams‘, Ross Butle...

Andros Payne talks to Ross Butler about the holy grail of private equity value creation: a systematic, quantitative approach to cultural and behavioural change. What makes businesses work well? Andros Payne is an engineer and entrepreneur who has spent two decades codifying and benchmarking the behaviours of senior and middle managers that are proven to drive growth and underpin cohesive and healt...

Private equity podcast with Ross Butler and Reynir Indahl of Summa Equity on Impact investment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Warren Hibbert of Asante Capital Group explains the log-jam in the private capital fundraising market on the Fund Shack podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Douglas Hansen-Luke speaks to Ross Butler on the Fund Shack podcast. Topics: impact investing, university spin-outs, pension fund reforms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jonathan Blake is head of international funds strategy at Herbert Smith Freehills. In the 1980s, Jonathan was responsible for devising the very first limited partnerships for venture capital and private equity in the UK and Europe, and was responsible for convincing the British government that these closed-ended funds were a legitimate structure and valuable business […] Learn more about your ad c...