Swimming with Allocators
Swimming with Allocators dives into the intriguing world of Venture Capital from an LP (Limited Partner) perspective. Hosts Alexa Binns and Earnest Sweat are seasoned professionals who have donned various hats in the VC ecosystem. In each episode, we explore where the future opportunities lie in the VC landscape with insights from top LPs on their investment strategies and industry experts shedding light on emerging trends and technologies. Follow along and subscribe at swimmingwithallocators.com. See you later, Allocator!
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 44 minutes
- Episodes
- 73
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
Building Relationships with Asian Limited Partners with Chris Shen of Revere VC
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Chris Shen's Background and LP Career Journey (0:52)
- US-China Geopolitics, History, and MacroEconomics (3:27)
- Developing Relationships with Asian Alloca…
Opportunities in Today’s Secondary Market with Christopher Johnson of Knightsbridge Advisers
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Christopher’s Background and Journey in Venture (0:13)
- Venture Capital as a Place of Hope (4:33)
- Macroeconomic Trends in Venture (5:50)
- Activity in the S…
DDQ: Megafunds Are Back; Adjusting Your LP and VC Strategy Accordingly with Earnest Sweat and Alexa Binns
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- The Series A Crunch (0:59)
- Concentration of LP Capital in Mega Funds (4:22)
- Partnership Questions in VC (12:24)
- Start, Bench, Cut of Alternative Investme…
Venture Capital for the State of California with Derrick Tang of IBank California
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Derrick’s background in venture capital (0:19)
- Transition to public sector (2:27)
- The Government's role in innovation (4:55)
- Public perception of governm…
Starting a Public Venture Program from Scratch with Peter Teneriello
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Peter’s background and journey Into finance (0:58)
- Strategy of Institutional LPs (2:30)
- Bandwidth Constraints and Time Management (5:53)
- Lessons Learned …
Impact Investing: Past, Present, and Future with Margot Kane of Spring Point Partners
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- The Growth and Evolution of Impact Investing (0:47)
- Misconceptions about Impact Investing (3:34)
- Impact Investing in Political Climate (7:59)
- Spring Poin…
QED Chronicles: Lessons Learned from a Top VC for Selecting New Managers with Alex Edelson
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Alex's experience as a VC turned LP (0:51)
- Insights into evaluating smaller funds (2:20)
- Characteristics of a good LP (6:44)
- Role of an LP as a sounding …
Expanding Your Investment Strategy to Include Venture Capital with Kate Nevin
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- The Origin Story of TSWII (1:04)
- Kate entering the finance industry (6:07)
- Family dynamics and alignment in investing (8:28)
- Transition to private invest…
The Strategy for Selecting Top Co-Investments as a Limited Partner with Josh Porter
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- The LA venture ecosystem (0:43)
- Unique investment opportunities in LA (3:54)
- Leveraging entertainment and deep tech in LA (6:42)
- The Partnership between …
How Should Fund Managers Approach Pension Plans in Private Market Investing? Featuring Edward Comerford
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Edward and Earnest’s Basketball Memories (0:47)
- The importance of pension investments (5:42)
- How fund managers should approach pension plans (7:59)
- Uniqu…
Private Detective to Private Investments: Life Lessons from Caprock’s Chris Schelling
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Chris’ background and expertise in private market investments (0:12)
- Challenges of Venture Capital (2:14)
- Multifamily Offices and Client Demographics (…
Continuous Improvement: How to 10x Your LP and VC Processes with Jason Calacanis
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Jason’s background as an LP (0:27)
- Learning as an LP (3:00)
- Deal Flow and Decision Making (4:54)
- LP Archetype and Relationship Building (9:07)
- Venture Inv…
Start, Bench, or Cut: Which Emerging Manager Archetype Do You Want on Your Team?
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Themes from Allocators (1:29)
- Opportunities and Market Trends (5:49)
- Debate on Venture Returns and Fund Strategies (8:22)
- Opportunity and Market Bifurcat…
Eric Sippel the Emerging Manager Mentor: Guidance from the Family Office Investor on Twelve LPACs
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Eric’s background in venture and investing (0:02)
- Lessons from a Bottom Decile Experience (2:20)
- Motivation to Enter the Venture Capital Space (3:45)
- Cha…
The Deck Deluge: Boris Wertz’s Journey Through 200 Decks from Emerging Managers Raising Today
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Boris’ Reasoning for Investing in Emerging Managers (0:57)
- Wrong Reasons for VC Investment in Emerging Managers (3:15)
- Funding Strategy at Version One (…
Why Invest in Early-Stage Key-Node VCs with Frank Tanner
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- The Venture Landscape (0:23)
- Investing in Venture (3:18)
- The Evolution of Venture (5:16)
- Rise of Key-Nodes (8:38)
- Challenges and Opportunities for Key-Nod…
How Company Creation Funds Outperform Traditional Venture Capital with Sarah Anderson
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Sarah's background in innovation and corporate partnerships (1:02)
- Challenges with Corporate Partners and Innovation (5:06)
- Strategic Corporate LPs and …
From the Other Side: What Sapphire Partners Wishes More VC Managers Knew Featuring Nate Leung
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Nate’s background and journey in VC (0:46)
- Sapphire’s Approach (1:36)
- Emerging Managers Program (4:30)
- Criteria for Evaluating Managers (8:02)
- Assessing E…
Translating Silicon Valley Venture for Brazilian Multifamily Offices with Avanish Sahai
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- Avanish’s background and experience in venture (1:16)
- Diligence and Relationship Building (3:21)
- Allocation and Time Horizon (5:32)
- Insider Segment: Expl…
Venture Capital: Build a Profitable VC Position through a Correction Featuring David York of Top Tier Capital Partners
Highlights from this week’s conversation include:
- David’s background and journey to founding Top Tier (1:38)
- Confidence in Fund to Fund Strategy (6:35)
- Technology Consumption and Venture Capital (11:53)
- …