How To Build A Billion Dollar Hedge Fund From Scratch | Dan Rasmussen
Nov 19, 2024
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Dan Rasmussen, founder of Verdad Capital and a pioneer in quantitative investing, discusses how his firm thrives on high-quality research, having published nearly 500 pieces since 2014. He highlights the essence of authenticity in building investor relationships and the compliance nuances in research publishing. The conversation also touches on fostering human capital, learning from entrepreneurial mistakes, and employing a SaaS approach to achieving product-market fit, all while adapting to diverse investor profiles in the hedge fund landscape.
Dan Rasmussen emphasizes the pivotal role of rigorous research in shaping investment strategies and building an authentic connection with investors.
Rasmussen adopts a non-traditional fundraising approach by attracting diverse investors based on shared beliefs rather than strict targeting, highlighting relationship building.
The discussion underscores the importance of authenticity and transparency in investor relations, allowing for constructive feedback and continuous professional growth.
Deep dives
Contrarian Investment Philosophy
The speaker reflects on their contrarian investment philosophy, which led them to choose a hedge fund route over venture capital, even during a booming period for SaaS and cryptocurrencies. Although they recognize past opportunities in tech investments and cryptocurrencies, they emphasize their interest in small-cap value investing. This choice is presented as a personal alignment with their background in deep research and historical analysis, highlighting that one's success in investing is not solely dictated by credentials or elite affiliations. The importance of finding investment strategies that resonate with personal interests and skills is stressed.
Private Equity Insights
The speaker discusses their exploration into private equity and its quantitative characteristics, such as investing in small companies with significant leverage. Historically, private equity benefited from significant valuation discounts compared to public markets, driving high returns. However, as valuations normalized over time, the speaker questions the ongoing viability of private equity models, noticing a shift towards similarly priced assets. The concept of leveraging lessons from private equity to identify opportunities in public markets guides their investment approach.
Fundraising Strategies
In the podcast, the speaker explains their unconventional approach to fundraising, which involved attracting investors from diverse backgrounds rather than targeting specific types. They began with a limited capital base and engaged a wide circle of contacts, recognizing a wild variance in their success rates. By casting a large net, they aimed to find suitable investors who resonated with their strategy, underscoring the idea that one should prioritize genuine connection over rigid targeting. This approach resulted in building a sustainable business relationship with investors who believed in their vision.
Research-Driven Operations
The importance of rigorous research is emphasized as central to the firm's operations, highlighting that research efforts not only drive investment decisions but also serve as valuable marketing tools. The speaker indicates that their research output has increased significantly over the years, reflecting a commitment to transparency and education in the investment community. This strategy attracts both clients and potential investors who appreciate a data-driven approach and authenticity. By actively involving all team members in the research process and creating a strong publication platform, they foster a culture of continuous learning.
Embracing Authenticity and Feedback
The discussion touches on the importance of authenticity in establishing connections with investors, emphasizing the need for genuine representation rather than conforming to compliance constraints. The speaker advocates transparency and open dialogue, asserting that sharing ideas leads to valuable feedback from the broader community. This willingness to listen and adapt is presented as key to maintaining personal integrity in the investing world. They also note that facing criticism constructively allows for professional growth, ensuring that ongoing learning is central to their investment strategy.
Dan Rasmussen has built his firm Verdad Capital into a billion-dollar asset manager on the back of one core activity, producing high quality research. Since Verdad’s inception in 2014, they have produced almost 500 pieces of research that they publish on their website weekly and distribute both on Twitter and to their large email list of readers. This research serves two functions. It’s both the backbone of the strategies employed at this highly quantitative firm, and a point of connection with existing and potential investors. In this interview with Max Wiethe, Rasmussen discusses how he’s used research to showcase his authentic self and build an audience that provides enumerable benefits. They also discuss the compliance process for publishing research, how he has built out his team and Verdad’s internship program, and why he takes a more SaaS approach to product market fit.
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Follow Dan Rasmussen on Twitter: https://x.com/verdadcap
Follow Max Wiethe on Twitter: https://x.com/maxwiethe
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
03:43 The Value of Research and Verdad’s First Big Thesis
10:27 The SaaS Approach Product Market Fit
20:26 Investing in Human Capital
24:21 The Research and Publishing Process
28:41 Research as Brand Building
33:06 Compliance and Misconceptions About Public Statements
41:35 Authenticity and Investor Archetypes
46:07 Making Mistakes
49:45 Being Early on PE
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