Capital Allocators' Ted Seides - the capital allocator behind the mic

Welcome back to the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast.What happens when two podcasters walk into a room? They talk.Today’s podcast turns the tables on one of the industry’s leading podcasters and content creators to have him share his story and experience as an allocator and content creator. We sat down with Ted Seides, the Founder of industry-leading podcast Capital Allocators and former President and Co-CIO of Protégé Partners and an asset allocator at the Yale Endowment.Ted has had a tremendous career at the intersection of asset allocation and content, so it was fascinating to hear his perspectives on the state of the industry and how it’s evolving from someone who talks with many of the industry’s leading minds through his podcast, Capital Allocators.Ted and I had a fascinating conversation. We discussed:Stories and lessons learned from working with David Swensen at the Yale Endowment.What the wealth channel can learn from institutional investors.What Ted looked for in hedge funds and alternative asset managers when doing manager due diligence.Ted’s bet with Buffett on hedge funds and why he’s now doing a bet on PE versus public equities.How alternative asset managers are evolving and the pros and cons of evergreen structures.Why and how Ted started Capital Allocators and why content is so critical to learning asset management and understanding how firms operate.Capital Allocators is one of my favorite podcast listens and Ted always delivers with high-quality and thoughtful content so it was an honor to have him on the show.Thanks Ted for sharing your expertise and wisdom on asset allocation and content and for the service you provide to everyone in the industry through education and the creation of such high-quality content for us to consume.A word from AGM podcast sponsor, Juniper SquareWhen was the last time things were easy for GPs?Fundraising remains challenging, providing liquidity to investors is even harder—and broadly speaking, most GPs are underwater operationally.It’s not about to get easier, either. Especially for managers vying for capital from the wealth channel. Sure, there’s increased demand from HNW and UNHW investors to gain private markets exposure…but managing their expectations for the investing experience is a whole different ballgame.Reams of paper and a new KYC process every single time they subscribe to a fund? Brutal.But what if committing capital to private equity, venture, and real estate funds was digital and seamless for investors — and scalable to manage for GPs?Meet Juniper Square, the fund operations partner to over 2,000 private markets GPs worldwide.Juniper Square gives GPs the connected software, data, and fund administration services needed for modern private markets. No matter how ambitious your next raise is, how many investors you manage, and how complex your investment vehicles are, Juniper Square empowers GPs to raise capital faster, reduce operational risk, and deliver a world-class investor experience.And with JunieAI, Juniper Square's enterprise-grade AI built for private markets, GPs can truly and finally unlock the power of AI to work smarter, move faster, and focus on relationships and returns.Scale your business, not your operational burdens and costs. Visit junipersquare.com/agm today to learn more.Show Notes00:00 Introduction to our Sponsor, Juniper Square00:38 Juniper Square's AI Capabilities01:40 Guest Introduction: Ted Seides04:03 Lessons from Yale Endowment04:46 David Swensen's Investment Principles05:51 Evolution of the Endowment Model05:58 Wealth Channel vs. Institutional Investors08:09 Access to Top Managers11:16 Alpha in Private Markets12:32 Ted's Bet with Buffett13:10 Private Equity vs. Public Equities17:16 Private Equity Diversification18:45 Hedge Fund Industry Lessons20:07 Private Equity Fee Structures24:03 Talent Migration in Private Markets26:47 Evaluating Investment Culture27:15 Investment Philosophy and Strategy28:26 Ted's Approach to Manager Evaluation29:46 Impact of AI on Diligence Processes30:20 Defining Investment Edge30:33 Behavioral and Analytical Edge31:01 Informational and Technical Edge31:27 Evaluating Investment Managers31:37 Impactful Investment Decisions31:52 Mistakes and Learning32:53 The Hardest Time to Invest34:14 Behavioral Biases in Investing34:51 Decision-Making Processes36:28 The Role of AI in Investing38:07 Content and Investment Decisions39:25 Starting Capital Allocators41:00 Learning from Podcasting43:40 Building a Business from a Podcast45:26 The Value of Relationships in Investing47:06 Content Strategy for Managers49:44 Effective Content Modalities50:43 Direct Communication vs. Algorithms51:13 Brand vs. Direct Sales52:35 Insights from Podcast Conversations54:23 Favorite Private Market Investments56:05 AI and Investment Perspectives57:37 Partnering with AI Experts58:12 The Importance of People in Investing Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast ...