The Compound and Friends

Erik Hirsch, CEO of Hamilton Lane, on the Explosive Growth of Private Markets

31 snips
Sep 28, 2026
Eric Hirsch, CEO of Hamilton Lane and a veteran private-markets investor, explores the sector’s rapid expansion. He discusses private equity’s ties to public markets, the rise and risks of private credit, and why manager selection and portfolio construction matter. The conversation also covers secondaries, day-one markups, liquidity, and new pathways for individual investors.
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INSIGHT

Private Equity Correlation Is Hidden By Reporting Lags

  • Private equity remains correlated with public equities because both represent ownership in businesses.
  • Apparent diversification often reflects quarterly reporting lags rather than genuinely independent returns.
INSIGHT

Private Markets No Longer Guarantee Easy Alpha

  • Private markets no longer offer universal bargain pricing or effortless alpha.
  • Their value increasingly depends on differentiated exposures and selecting skilled managers rather than simply owning the asset class.
ANECDOTE

Why Private Equity Manager Skill Matters

  • Hirsch compares private-equity outcomes to 100 people running the same hotel with complete freedom.
  • Different decisions about rooms, food, and customers create dramatically different results, explaining manager dispersion.
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