A $140 Trillion Riddle, Wrapped in a Mystery, Inside of an Enigma
Dec 7, 2023
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Ashby Monk, executive director of the Stanford Research Initiative on Long Term Investing, talks about optimizing investments for pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and foundations. He explores the challenges faced by investors in the private equity industry and discusses the importance of understanding the asset allocation and implementation approach of pension funds. Monk also emphasizes the criteria that limited partners consider when evaluating general partners.
Pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and endowments have different investment strategies and philosophies despite appearing similar.
LPs investing in private markets face challenges such as data management, alignment of interest with GPs, and meeting demand from pension funds.
Deep dives
LPs as Civil Society Organizations with Unique Optimization Priorities
Dr. Ash B. Bunk discusses the complexity of classifying pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and endowments, which he refers to as civil society organizations. Despite seemingly similar investment models, these LPs differ significantly in terms of philosophy, liabilities, and client base. Detailed granular information about each organization is needed to truly understand their investment strategies.
Pain Points of LPs in Private Market Investments
LPs investing in private markets face various challenges, including data management, alignment of interest with GPs to ensure performance-driven fees, and capacity to meet demand from pension funds. Private equity has become a conventional asset class favored by pension funds. Additionally, LPs grapple with tactical issues such as continuation funds, NAV loans, and sustainable investment logic for long-term investors.
Understanding LPs as Partners for GPs
To effectively engage with LPs, GPs should grasp their asset allocation preferences, implementation approaches, and niche rules specific to different geographies. LPs seek early warning indicators and insights on technology in venture capital, as well as macro investment strategies. A successful partnership involves going beyond performance and providing value-added advice that impacts LPs' portfolios, leading to longer and more mutually beneficial relationships.
Today on the show, I have a lively conversation with Ashby Monk, the executive director of the Stanford Research Initiative on Long Term Investing. Ashby studies the inner workings of pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations — in short all of those LPs that sit somewhere in between the public and private sectors.
“That means that they are optimizing for things that are not entirely evident to just the casual observer,” Ashby says.
In this episode of Dry Powder, I ask Ashby to take us inside the $140 trillion universe of long-term investing and help us understand what exactly these organizations are optimizing for.
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