E12: Jamie Rhode on Why 95% of LPs Can Only Achieve a 10% IRR when the Mean Return is 50% IRR
Oct 2, 2023
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Jamie Rhode, Principal at Verdis Investment Management, discusses data-driven investing, compounding returns, his investing philosophy, and more. Topics include the advantages of a long-term time horizon, the power law in venture investments, the importance of diversification, and the value of collaboration and diversity in the investment industry.
Being data-driven in investment decision-making helps create an edge by leveraging data and duration for long-term investors.
Capturing power law-driven outliers in venture capital is crucial for achieving extraordinary returns.
Deep dives
Importance of Data-Driven Approach in Investment Decision-Making
The podcast episode emphasizes the significance of a data-driven approach in guiding investment decision-making. Rather than solely using data to predict winners, being data-driven is about using data to create an edge in investment strategies and decision-making processes. It is crucial to leverage data and duration to an advantage, especially for long-term investors. The episode discusses how a family office, Virtus Investment Management, uses a data-driven approach to compound capital over a prolonged period. By focusing on steady-state returns and long-term investment horizons, they aim to capture continuous growth and anticipate future performance.
Power Law-driven Outliers in Venture Capital
The podcast delves into the concept of power law-driven outliers in venture capital. It explains that a small number of winners drive a significant portion of the returns, with 80% of the returns coming from approximately 20% of funds or startups. The episode highlights the importance of being in those outliers to achieve extraordinary returns. It provides insights into how the mean return in venture capital is much greater than the median return, emphasizing the need to capture those outliers. The discussion explores how venture investors can seek exposure to these outliers by leveraging sampling techniques and network diversification strategies.
Shifting Exposure to Early-stage Venture Investing
The episode features the journey of shifting a family office's exposure to early-stage venture investing. It emphasizes the importance of moving away from a multi-stage-focused approach to concentrating on early-stage venture capital. By understanding the power law nature of early-stage venture and its potential for unique returns, the family office transitioned its portfolio allocation. The discussion highlights the role of early-stage venture as a compounding machine for the family, aiming to maximize returns over the long term. The episode shares insights into the process of building a diversified portfolio and focusing on capturing steady-state returns in venture capital investments.
The Need for Transparency and Collaboration in the LP Ecosystem
The podcast explores the need for greater transparency and collaboration in the limited partner (LP) ecosystem. It emphasizes the importance of LPs and general partners (GPs) avoiding groupthink and working together to foster innovation and investment success. The episode promotes the idea of creating a standardized limited partnership agreement (LPA) specifically tailored to emerging managers in venture capital. By increasing transparency and providing a clearer framework, LPs can better evaluate emerging managers and support ecosystem diversification. The discussion highlights the benefits of intellectual curiosity, collaboration between LPs and GPs, and the impact of faster deployment of capital in generating promising returns.
Jamie Rhode, Principal at Verdis Investment Management, sits down with David Weisburd to discuss data-driven investing, compounding returns, Jamie's investing philosophy, and more. We're proudly sponsored by AngelList, visit https://www.angellist.com/tlp if you’re ready to level up your startup or fund.
(0:00) Episode Preview
(1:07) Jamie’s data driven approach
(2:20) Using duration as an advantage
(4:37) Jamie’s first principles approach to VC portfolio construction
(7:00) The mean return in venture is 4-5x greater than the median
(10:54) Jamie’s strategy and proprietary deal flow
(15:30) Sponsor: AngelList
(16:50) Comparing Jamie’s philosophy with past guests LPs Michael Kim and David Clark
(19:25) Disciplined investing
(21:20) Jamie’s red flags for GPs
(22:50) Data stack: PitchBook, CB Insights, Burgiss
(24:00) Ideal GPs
(27:40) Compounding returns
(29:40) percentage of venture investors are able to access a strategy that results in 25% compounding?
(30:55) Co-investing with other LPs
(32:43) Other top tier LPs shoutouts
(34:05) Investing in life sciences
(38:00) #OpenLP movement and transparency
(40:10) Who will be the next great GPs?
(44:00) Management fees
(46:00) What Jamie would change about the industry
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