Alt Goes Mainstream: The Latest on Alternative Investments, WealthTech, & Private Markets

A masterclass in investing and VC: Investing legends John Burbank and Ken Wallace of Nimble Partners on why the winners will win big and how to find them

33 snips

Aug 10, 2023

Guest

John Burbank

Guest

Ken Wallace

Investing legends John Burbank and Ken Wallace of Nimble Partners share their perspectives on investing in private markets and early-stage venture. They discuss finding managers with special access to networks, the influence of macroeconomics on venture capital, and the potential of government-related tech. They also talk about the evolution of venture capital as a business model, the advantages of diversified fund groups and co-investment platforms, the dispersion of human capital in different geographies, and the interplay between price and value in investments.

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ANECDOTE

Para Ventures

Both John Burbank and Ken Wallace independently sought to back Page Montenaro's Para Ventures.
This shared investment philosophy solidified their partnership at Nimble Partners.

INSIGHT

Network Advantage

Nimble Partners prioritizes managers with unique access to valuable networks.
These networks provide early access to promising startups and crucial industry insights.

INSIGHT

Macro and Venture

John Burbank's macro background focuses on big market changes and emerging trends.
This translates well to venture capital, anticipating disruptions and future growth areas.

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Welcome back to the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast.

On today's show, we have a fascinating episode that combines the macro and the micro.

Nimble Partners Founder John Burbank and Partner Ken Wallace come on the show to share their unique perspectives and discuss both the nuances and intricacies of investing in private markets and early-stage venture.

Nimble Partners is a technology investment platform that invests into early-stage fund managers through their manager selection program and as well as direct and co-investments into breakout performers from their fund manager relationships.

John and Ken have had illustrious careers in both public markets and private markets, investing in many of the biggest technology trends and many top early-stage managers over the past 15 years.

John was a top macro investor from founding Passport Capital in 2000, where he was amongst the best hedge fund managers of his time. He’s been investing into early-stage fund managers for the past decade. As a long-time macro investor, he has consistently focused on sectors and investments where technology can be disruptive and accelerate change. He’s also an investor in the Golden State Warriors, the championship winning NBA team.

Ken joined John to build Nimble after a stellar career at Industry Ventures, backing a number of emerging managers, most notably Chris Sacca’s first-time Lowercase Capital fund, which at over 200x+ returns, was amongst the best performing venture funds in history. At Industry Ventures, he specialized in hybrid fund of funds strategy, originating, valuing, and managing primary fund commitments, early secondary LP investments, and direct co-investments.

We had a fascinating conversation that spanned a number of topics:

Why this is not the end of venture capital — and why the winners are still to going to win and win big.
How global macro impacts venture capital.
The framework that John and Ken use to evaluate technology trends and emerging managers.
How the “portfolio manager” model can be applied to venture capital.
How information is a huge edge.
Why duration is the most important thing an investor can have.

Thanks John and Ken for coming on the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast to share your wisdom.