Funds that Won

How do you build a private equity firm that thrives for nearly 20 years? In this episode of Funds That Won , Lincoln sits down with Greg Warnock, Founder and Managing Director of Mercato Partners, to discuss the journey from launching a $52 million first fund to managing a $1B platform across 4 funds. Greg shares the story behind Mercato’s founding, the lessons he learned from building multiple in...

In this episode of Funds That Won , Rylan Olson sits down with Matt Spielman, founder and head coach at Inflection Point Partners. After nearly 6,000 coaching sessions with hundreds of elite fund managers, Matt shares what separates successful emerging managers from the ones who struggle to scale. They discuss the mindset required to raise capital, how to build a long-term vision, why your “why” m...

In this episode of Funds That Won , Rylan Olson sits down with Chris Lawrence, founder of Labyrinth Capital, to break down the rapidly growing secondary market in private equity. With over $13 trillion now sitting in private markets , liquidity has become one of the most important topics for both GPs and LPs. Chris explains how the secondary market evolved, the difference between LP-led and GP-led...

In this episode of Funds That Won , we sit down with Scott MacDonald to break down what actually makes investment firms scale—and why operations are often the deciding factor. Scott shares hard-earned lessons from building and advising funds, covering third-party administrator selection, early hires, operational alpha, tech stacks, and where AI is starting to matter (and where it doesn’t). This co...

In this episode of Funds That Won , we sit down with Tony Davidow of Franklin Templeton to break down how private markets are moving beyond institutions and into the wealth channel. We unpack why the traditional 60/40 portfolio broke down, how evergreen and tender offer funds are changing access to private equity and private credit, and which asset classes have the strongest tailwinds today. Tony...

In this episode of  Funds That Won , we sit down with John Bernard of Southview Timberland Investments to uncover how a fund manager turned entrepreneur built a timberland fund in one of the most overlooked asset classes. John shares his journey from Wall Street to launching Southview, the unique economics of timber investing, and how biological growth provides consistent returns regardless o...

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In this episode of "Funds That Won," I sit down with Peter Birk from Catalyst Partners, a subsidiary of Moelis Asset Management, focused on seeding new and emerging private equity managers. Peter discusses the strategy behind Catalyst Partners, which includes backing debut private equity funds with sizable checks ranging from $50 to $100 million. He shares insights into how they support managers t...

In this episode of "Funds That Won," Lincoln interviews Jack Selby from AZ-VC, a venture fund focused on supporting Arizona-based entrepreneurs. Jack shares the challenges Arizona startups face in securing Series A funding locally and how AZ-VC aims to fill that gap by leveraging his extensive network from his PayPal days. They discuss the current state of the venture capital market, the importanc...

In this episode of "Funds That Won," I sit down with Andrew Smith from the Savory Fund to discuss their unique investment strategy in the food and beverage industry. Andrew shares how the Savory Fund targets emerging food brands with 5 to 15 units and supports their growth with a robust operating team and dedicated capital. He delves into the fund's success, raising and deploying substantial funds...

In this episode of "Funds That Won," I sit down with Brock Mogensen from Smart Asset Capital to discuss the inception and growth of their company. Brock shares how Smart Asset Capital evolved from a property management and brokerage firm into a syndication and private equity business, leveraging existing infrastructure to scale quickly. He delves into their strategic focus on industrial real estat...

In this episode of "Funds That Won," I sit down with Brent Mott of Bow Tie Capital, a firm specializing in commercial real estate syndications and funds. Brent shares insights into Bow Tie Capital’s unique approach, including their focus on raising funds from non-accredited investors and their diverse portfolio spanning self-storage, medical office buildings, and affordable housing developments. H...

In this episode of "Funds That Won," Colin Greenspon from Narya discusses his venture capital firm's unique focus on funding companies addressing critical societal issues like GDP growth, improving American lives, and protecting sovereignty. He explains how Narya prioritizes investments in industrial sectors such as agriculture, energy, and defense, often in overlooked regions like Ohio and Illino...

For today's episode, I sat down and did a winners circle on Ares Capital Management. Ares Capital Management is a major asset manager specializing in private credit, managing over $428 billion, with more than $300 billion in this asset class. Founded in 1997 as a spin-out from Apollo, they quickly grew through acquisitions and went public in 2004. Known for consistent, strong returns and low downs...

In this episode of Funds That Won, I sit down with Nitin Pachisia from Unshackled Ventures, a fund focused on supporting immigrant founders by managing their immigration processes. The Unshackled team consists of immigrant founders that understand the stress of navigating visas, government agencies, and the intense start-up atmosphere. Nitin explains their unique approach of investing in founder p...

For today's episode of "Funds That Won," I sit down with Michael Swensson, co-founder of M 31 Capital, a global investment firm specializing in AI and blockchain technologies. Michael discusses the unique investment strategies of M 31 Capital, emphasizing their focus on decentralized finance and Web3 as pivotal elements shaping the future of finance and technology. He provides insights into the fi...

In this episode of Funds That Won , I sit down with Kate Beardsley from Hannah Grey. Kate discusses Hannah Grey's focus on pre-seed and seed investments, emphasizing their commitment to backing customer-obsessed founders who redefine everyday experiences. She provides insights into their investment strategy, highlighting their approach to portfolio construction, cultural trends analysis, and their...

In this episode of "Funds That Won," Arthur Roulac from Three Court discusses their investment strategy, focusing on middle market and lower middle market credit investing, primarily through purchasing discounted loans and bonds. Arthur emphasizes the value in these often overlooked markets, noting the firm's methodical approach to finding opportunities for returns through interest and price appre...

In this episode of "Funds That Won," we sit down with Alexis Morgan from Peach State Capital, a real estate investment firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. Alexis shares the unique aspects of Peach State Capital, including their focus on providing short-term bridge loans to real estate investors and their competitive advantage of quick transaction execution. Additionally, we dive into Alexis's journey...

In this episode of "Funds That Won," Kristian Hanelt from Ultra Capital discusses the firm's unique approach to energy transition investments. He explains that Ultra Capital focuses on businesses that are asset-heavy and execution-oriented, filling a gap between traditional venture capital and large-scale private equity. Kristian shares insights into Ultra Capital's strategy, highlighting their fo...

For today's episode of Funds That Won, I sit down with Ludwig Schulze from Alumni Ventures. Ludwig discusses how their fund uses alumni connections to find and invest in new businesses. He explains that they don’t lead investment rounds but instead invest alongside other big venture funds. Ludwig emphasizes the importance of having a lot of investment opportunities and their method of carefully ev...

For today's episode of Funds that Won, I am posting the recording of a panel we did this year at Fund Launch Live. This panel discussion was on the future of technology in alternative assets. These were the panelists: Andrew Smith: GP at the Savory Fund - $750 million AUM Bryce Sutton: Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Summit Global Investments - $2+ Billion AUM Dan Young: Co-Founder of Ugly Unic...

In today's episode of Funds That Won, I sit down with Zach Brown, who is a founding partner at New Reign Capital. New Reign Capital is an investment fund that focuses on commercial insurance. He explains that "New Reign" symbolizes new leadership, reflecting his and his partner's goal to be the mentors they never had. New Reign Capital is different from their previous company, Modern Rain, and aim...

For today's episode, I am uploading the audio from my presentation at Fund Launch Live 2024! In this presentation, I break down the 4 core pillars for structuring your investment offering: Your asset class Your strategy Your team The structure of your offer On top of that, I also dive into how you can properly communicate these pillars to potential investors. Enjoy!

For today's episode, I sit and give an update on our GP stakes fund - Fund Launch Partners. With the successful raise of our initial $1.2 million from friends and family, we've set a strong foundation and have really validated our GP stakes thesis. Despite the complexity and the time it has taken to get to our first close, the experience has been instrumental in shaping our strategy and operations...