Venture Trends: Valuation Discipline and Stronger GP Value‑Add

This week on Swimming with Allocators, Vivek Jindal, CIO at Caprock, shares his journey from risk manager to leading allocator, offering valuable insights into building all-weather, customized portfolios for ultra-high-net-worth families. The conversation covers the evolution of venture investing, the art and science of risk management, the growing role of secondary markets, manager selection, and the importance of diversification and due diligence. Listeners will gain key takeaways on how to compound capital over decades, adapt to market changes, and identify fund managers’ unique superpowers for long-term success. Also, don’t miss our insider segment as Shane Goudey highlights Sidley’s expansive, practical expertise in representing venture firms and emerging companies, emphasizing the firm’s holistic, relationship-driven approach and ability to offer clients sophisticated legal and strategic support across the entire investment and startup ecosystem.

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

• Welcoming Vivek Jindal to the Show (0:22)
• Lessons from Starting on the Risk Side and the Global Financial Crisis (1:44)
• Approaching Risk in Venture & Asset Allocation (5:30)
• Evolution of Portfolio Construction and Blurring Asset Class Lines (10:01)
• Strategies for Identifying Manager “Superpowers” (10:38)
• Caprock’s Venture Investing Approach and Its Evolution (13:42)
• Sectors Out of Favor and Long-term Perspective (16:36)
• Selecting and Accessing Fund Managers (18:36)
• Word of Mouth, Networking, and New Venture Managers (19:06)
• Discussion with Sponsor Sidley’s Shane Goudey (21:52)
• Ideal Client Profiles for Caprock (27:06)
• Why Alternatives—and Why Venture? (29:21)
• Opportunities in the Secondary Market (31:45)
• Trends to Watch in Venture and Growth Equity (35:22)
• What Makes a Good Fund Manager and Reference Checking (38:36)
• Final Thoughts and Takeaways (41:52)

Caprock is a leading multifamily office providing independent, fiduciary advice to ultra-high-net-worth families and institutions. With a multi-asset class approach spanning traditional and alternative investments, Caprock creates fully customized portfolios designed to preserve, compound, and align wealth across generations. Learn more at www.caprock.com.

Sidley Austin LLP is a premier global law firm with a dedicated Venture Funds practice, advising top venture capital firms, institutional investors, and private equity sponsors on fund formation, investment structuring, and regulatory compliance. With deep expertise across private markets, Sidley provides strategic legal counsel to help funds scale effectively. Learn more at sidley.com.

Swimming with Allocators is a podcast that dives into the intriguing world of Venture Capital from an LP (Limited Partner) perspective. Hosts Alexa Binns and Earnest Sweat are seasoned professionals who have donned various hats in the VC ecosystem. Each episode, we explore where the future opportunities lie in the VC landscape with insights from top LPs on their investment strategies and industry experts shedding light on emerging trends and technologies. 

The information provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this podcast are for general informational purposes only.

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