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How I Invest with David Weisburd is a podcast that interviews the world's leading institutional investors. Previous guests include The Ford Foundation, Northwestern University Endowment, CalPERS, Stepstone, and other top limited partners.
310 Episodes
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Why has liquidity across private markets broken down and what does it mean for institutional portfolios?
David Weisburd speaks with Alex Ambroz about collapsing distributions, the rise of continuation vehicles and secondaries, and why many allocators are facing a structural mismatch between models and reality. They explore whether “private is the new public,” how incentives shape GP behavior, and what LPs must change to adapt to a new normal of prolonged illiquidity.
What happens when AI stops assisting humans and starts replacing decision-making itself?
David Weisburd speaks with Camilo Acosta about the rise of agentic AI, why incumbents still leave massive openings for startups, and how AI will reshape labor, venture capital, and entire asset classes. Camilo explains how investing ahead of regulation, betting on founders over ideas, and building for a fully agentic future define the next era of venture.
What happens when capital markets move from batch processing to real time?
David Weisburd sits down with Yuval Rooz to discuss his path from Citadel and DRW to founding Digital Asset and building the Canton Network. Yuval explains why blockchain is less about crypto speculation and more about upgrading the infrastructure of global capital markets—unlocking 24/7 settlement, asset utility, and new forms of liquidity across public and private markets.
How do you compete with Sequoia and Andreessen while running a $650M fund and still expect to outperform?
In this episode, I sit down with Glenn Solomon, Managing Partner at Notable Capital, to break down how focused early-stage investing can outperform mega-platform venture funds. Glenn explains why 70%+ of venture dollars now go into mega-rounds over $100M, why Notable stays disciplined at seed and Series A, and how delivering “unscalable” founder support creates real edge. We also go deep on Anthropic, the so-called “software apocalypse,” AGI narratives, and where durable alpha exists in an AI-dominated world.
Why does execution velocity matter more than pedigree at the earliest stages of company building?
David Weisburd speaks with Eric Bahn about the concept of “hustle,” why early judgments about founders tend to persist, and how throughput, learning speed, and grit outperform traditional signals in pre-seed investing. Eric explains Hustle Fund’s wide-net strategy, its community-driven platform model, and how changing startup timelines are reshaping venture economics.
Why are vertical AI applications emerging as some of the most defensible opportunities in technology today?
David Weisburd speaks with Nick Beim about why context—not raw intelligence—is becoming the key driver of AI performance, and how vertical software is reshaping wealth management, legal services, and defense. Nick shares how legacy infrastructure, industry economics, and human-centered workflows create enduring opportunities for AI-driven transformation.
How should investors think about risk when traditional measures like volatility fall short?
David Weisburd speaks with Jeff Blazek about portfolio construction across institutions and family offices, why drawdown matters more than standard deviation, and how allocators should balance public and private markets. Jeff shares first-principles thinking on liquidity, behavioral risk, and building resilient portfolios across market cycles.
Where does real edge still exist in public markets and how do you size risk when certainty doesn’t exist?
In this episode, I talk with Ari Levy, Founder and CIO of Lakeview Investment Group, about applying probability theory, arbitrage, and disciplined position sizing to public equity investing. Ari explains how early lessons from card counting and game theory shaped his approach to risk, why small-cap markets remain structurally inefficient, and how activism, arbitrage, and management access can create asymmetric outcomes—without blowing up the portfolio.
What actually creates sustainable alpha in endowment portfolios and why do most investors mistake activity for edge?
In this episode, I talk with Larry Kochard about building investment programs that endure across cycles. Drawing on his experience as CIO at Georgetown and the University of Virginia and later at Makena Capital, Larry explains why preparation before crises matters more than heroics during them, how governance and stakeholder buy-in reduce behavioral mistakes, and where real alpha still exists in increasingly efficient markets. We unpack liquidity discipline, rebalancing under stress, manager sizing, and why “people are upstream of everything.”
After 300 interviews with the world’s top investors, what does alpha actually look like and why is it almost never what people think it is?
In this special episode, the roles are reversed. David Weisburd, host of How I Invest and Co-Founder of Weisburd Capital, steps into the guest seat as his co-founder Curtis Pierce takes over as host. Together, they unpack the most important lessons David has learned from more than 300 conversations with CIOs, LPs, GPs, founders, and allocators representing trillions in assets. The discussion centers on why real alpha is hard, boring, and often low-status, how structural advantages drive sustainable outperformance, and why governance and portfolio construction matter more than any single trade.
1Can institutional capital really afford to rush or is patience the ultimate edge in fundraising?
In this episode, I sit down with Rahul Moodgal to unpack what it actually takes to build long-duration institutional relationships in today’s cautious capital environment. We talk about why capital raising is harder than it looks, how elite LPs think about alignment over performance, and why the best partnerships are often built over a decade—not a quarter.
What does it mean to be a true partner to lower middle market businesses?
David Weisburd speaks with Peter Elliot Rothschild about building RF Investment Partners around listening first, designing bespoke capital solutions, and investing as the first institutional capital in family-owned companies. Peter discusses minority versus control investing, the role of trust and relationships, and why value creation in the lower middle market is driven less by financial engineering and more by people, incentives, and execution.
How do tax efficiency, private markets, and structural change intersect in modern portfolio construction?
David Weisburd speaks with Jeffrey Fulk about his career across hedge funds, fund-of-funds, and wealth platforms, and how AlTi Global approaches tax-aware investing, private credit, evergreen structures, and evolving access to private markets. Jeff shares insights on where opportunity is emerging as markets shift and why after-tax outcomes increasingly drive investment decisions.
Why do so many advisory boards look impressive on paper but fail to deliver real value when it actually matters?
In his second appearance on the podcast, I sit down again with Matt Curtolo, a senior advisor to both GPs and LPs who has worked with more than 600 general partners across venture, growth equity, and private equity. Matt breaks down the biggest misconceptions around advisory boards and LP advisory committees, why “performative” governance quietly destroys trust, and how the best managers design advisory structures with real purpose. We get tactical on compensation, LPAC construction, advisor selection, and how great firms turn advisors into a true strategic weapon—not window dressing.
What actually separates great institutional investors from average ones and why does governance matter more than brilliance?
In this episode, I talk with Christopher J. Ailman, former Chief Investment Officer of CalSTRS, about the decisions that shaped one of the largest and most successful public pension funds in the world. Chris reflects on more than two decades leading CalSTRS, why asset allocation and governance drive the vast majority of outcomes, and how building a resilient, low-cost, long-term portfolio matters far more than chasing the latest investment trends. We also discuss culture, decentralization, and what CIOs consistently get wrong when managing people and risk.
Why are humans — not models — still the biggest bottleneck to AI progress, and what happens when that bottleneck becomes a business?
In this episode, I talk with Ali Ansari, Founder and CEO of micro1, about the hidden layer powering today’s AI breakthroughs: high-quality human intelligence. Ali explains how micro1 pivoted from an AI recruiting startup into a critical data infrastructure company for frontier AI labs, why expert-generated data is now the limiting factor in model performance, and what needs to change for AI agents to actually work in production. We also explore how focus, market timing, and ruthless prioritization enabled micro1 to scale more than 30× in a single year.
How should families think about portfolio construction when traditional diversification breaks down?
David Weisburd speaks with Michael Phipps about building New Republic Partners, designing portfolios around growth, income, and diversification, and why open architecture matters in multifamily offices. Michael discusses common portfolio mischaracterizations, the role of alternatives and co-investments, and how families can better align risk, liquidity, and long-term objectives.
How do experienced LPs evaluate venture managers in an increasingly crowded and bifurcated market?
David Weisburd speaks with Kate Simpson about her career as a venture allocator, her move to GEM to lead venture investing, and how institutional LPs assess sourcing, portfolio construction, and power-law dynamics. Kate explains how reference calls, fund sizing, access, and long-term relationships shape conviction in venture manager selection.
How does one of the world’s largest pension funds shift its culture, governance, and investment process at scale?
David Weisburd speaks with Nicole about her transition from Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan to serving as CIO of CalPERS, implementing a total portfolio approach, and leading organizational change during a period of market and operational disruption. Nicole shares lessons on governance, board alignment, co-investing, and building long-term investment institutions.
Why have consumer startups fallen out of favor and why might that be the biggest opportunity of the next decade?
In this episode, I talk with Brian O’Malley, founder of Tactile Ventures, about why consumer investing is deeply misunderstood and how AI is unlocking a new wave of products that improve everyday American lives. Brian shares lessons from two decades investing at Accel, Battery, and Forerunner, why incentives—not talent—drive venture outcomes, and how the best consumer companies blend technology, business models, and human behavior. We also explore why AI is moving out of its “toy phase,” why humans still need to stay in the loop, and how early-stage investors win by giving founders something large platforms can’t: time.
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