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Excess Returns

Inside the Secretive World of Pod Shops | Bob Elliott

Dec 19, 2024
Bob Elliott, founder of Unlimited Funds, is on a mission to democratize hedge fund strategies through ETFs. In this chat, he unpacks the intriguing world of multi-strategy hedge funds, known as "pod shops," where portfolio managers collaborate yet operate independently. Bob discusses how these funds lure top talent and their unique fee structures. He also highlights the rise of ETFs as a competitive alternative and emphasizes the importance of efficiently managing risks and performance metrics in this evolving landscape.
57:37

Episode guests

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Quick takeaways

  • Pod shops facilitate independent portfolio managers under a shared infrastructure, allowing them to focus on unique investment strategies while managing risks collectively.
  • The emergence of innovative fee structures, such as pass-through models, aligns manager and investor interests but introduces challenges regarding fixed costs and alpha generation uncertainty.

Deep dives

Decline in Hedge Fund Startups

The hedge fund industry is experiencing the lowest number of startups in the past 25 years. This decline is partially attributed to potential founders questioning whether to build their own business from scratch or join existing multi-strategy hedge fund firms, commonly referred to as pod shops. These pod shops offer established structures, reducing the burden of operations and back-office logistics for individual portfolio managers. As a result, many are opting for pod shops to avoid the significant challenges associated with launching a new hedge fund.

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