E61: Erik Iverson and Mike Partsch on WARF’s $3B Endowment Strategy

Erik Iverson and Mike Partsch of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) sit down with David Weisburd to discuss how WARF supports innovation while driving financial returns. In addition, they discuss the case for investing in life sciences, how inventions turn into portfolio companies and the importance of maintaining relationships through market cycles. (0:00) Introduction to venture portfolio purpose (1:18) Portfolio management strategies and venture fund allocation (4:08) AI's impact on biotech and tech transfer at University of Wisconsin (7:00) Sponsor: Deal (10:03) GP/LP relationship dynamics and geographic advantages/disadvantages (12:45) Sourcing relationships and market behavior insights (17:04) Final thoughts, key takeaways, and coinvestment strategy (18:47) Closing remarks and future plans