Improving Alpha: Innovation in Investing, ESG and Technology

The Improving Alpha: Innovation in Investing, ESG and Technology podcast with host Michael Oliver Weinberg, is built to engage with innovative allocators on forward thinking investment management business strategies and the challenges across alternative investment sectors. Through each of these discussions we will explore achievements, lessons learned and future advice for dealing with today’s financial markets. This podcast series is being powered by Vidrio. Learn more at Vidrio.com.

Improving Alpha: Innovation in Investing, ESG and Technology is a business podcast hosted by Michael Oliver Weinberg, with 45 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Michael Oliver Weinberg hosts Improving Alpha: Innovation in Investing, ESG and Technology, a business show with 45 episodes published.

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  Improving Alpha: Innovation in Investing, ESG and Technology

  Improving Alpha: How Frank Mihail Runs One of America’s Top Sovereign Wealth Endowments

  Aug 17, 202629 min

  When looking at the latest oil and gas headlines across the United States, many immediately think of Texas. North Dakota ranks #3 among the largest oil-producing states in the nation and is home to the $9BN North Dakota Trust Lands sovereign wealth endowment. This streamlined team generates revenue from oil royalties and taxes and is one of the healthiest institutions in the nation. So what’s their secret against a world with higher inflation, volatility, and more? In this episode of the Improving Alpha podcast, we welcome Frank Mihail, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, North Dakota Trust and Lands . In this discussion, Frank discusses his early beginnings as an oil and gas engineer, which quickly evolved into selling Beverly Hills real estate, and eventually into building out a hedge fund book and a portable alpha program, which presented him with the opportunity to join North Dakota Trust Lands. Additional takeaways from this episode: What is different in running a sovereign wealth endowment versus some of the other guests that we’ve had recently ( Kevin SigRist, North Carolina Investment Authority , or Andrew Junkin, Virginia Retirement System )? How are Frank and his team advocating for better benchmarks in private infrastructure, and what is their diversification approach with the portfolio to improve alpha? Where does he see asset class opportunities for adding capital and generating liquidity for the portfolio? How does Frank and his team navigate board discussions and manager red flags against current allocation decision-making? What does Frank think about the debate surrounding the usage of a Total Portfolio Approach in institutional investing? And more. Resources: Book: Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara Connect with Frank Mihail: LinkedIn: Frank Mihail Website: State of North Dakota Connect with Michael Oliver Weinberg: Michael Oliver Weinberg Vidrio About Our Guest: Frank Mihail, CFA, is the Chief Investment Officer of North Dakota Trust Lands, where he oversees the investment strategy for one of the state’s sovereign wealth funds. He leads the management of a multi-billion-dollar endowment that supports public education through long-term investing across public and private markets. Before joining North Dakota Trust Lands, Frank held investment leadership roles at New Mexico PERA and previously worked in private wealth management after beginning his career as a mechanical engineer and real estate professional. He is a CFA charterholder and earned his MBA from UCLA, bringing a disciplined, long-term approach to institutional portfolio management, strategic asset allocation, and investment governance. T he information covered and posted represents the views and opinions of the guest and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Vidrio Financial, and/or our host, Michael Oliver Weinberg. The Content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional investing advice. Always seek the advice of your financial advisor or other qualified financial service provider with any questions you may have regarding your investment planning. The release date may not correspond to the recording date. Source

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  Improving Alpha: Innovation in Investing, ESG and Technology

  Improving Alpha: Institutional Investors and the Critical Minerals Battle

  Jul 22, 202643 min

  Institutional investors seeking strategic opportunities around the world today need to be aware of how extreme political shifts, government corruption, asset volatility, and other factors can affect their portfolios. Taking the center stage of this discussion is the play on critical minerals and mining, and what sort of innovations or alternative ecosystems can be developed to help improve investment strategies. In this episode of the Improving Alpha podcast, host Michael Oliver Weinberg welcomes Nicolas Stavros Niarchos, Journalist and Author of The Elements of Power . In this discussion, Nicolas covers his observations on conventional sovereign risk models and what happens when you get on the wrong side of the wrong person in these macro-political crisis environments.   Additional points of investor interest in this discussion include: What level of caution should institutional investors take when any rule of law is minimized in assessing investment targets? How can investors balance gatekeeper risk in critical-mineral mining, and is it better to avoid gatekeepers entirely? What does Nicolas see across the Congo and the treatment of their critical mineral operations? How can investors efficiently deploy capital into these supply chains, and what are some of the investment innovations that exist today? For critical mining operations in general, is it better to keep costs low and give up control to Chinese miners, or take on a higher cost and have a higher control level for the future? If institutional capital does continue to flee from these mining jurisdictions due to perceived risk, governance risk, ESG risks, and FCPA liability, will it then equate to lighter sets of legal constraints and more unscrupulous actors gaining ground in these areas? What exactly is the “green paradox”? Based on Nicolas’s research, will technology substitution and innovation change the way we look at battery chemistry, resulting in the destruction of demand for cobalt and nickel? And more. Connect with Nicolas Niarchos: LinkedIn: Nicolas Niarchos Instagram: @apostcardfromthevolcano Connect with Michael Oliver Weinberg: Michael Oliver Weinberg Vidrio About Our Guest: Nicolas Stavros Niarchos is a journalist and author whose work focuses on global supply chains, critical minerals, conflict, energy, and international affairs. He has reported from regions across Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, bringing attention to the economic, political, and human impacts of resource extraction and global trade. A former fact-checker at The New Yorker, Nicolas has built a reputation for deeply researched reporting and on-the-ground investigations. He is the author of The Elements of Power, a book that examines the critical minerals driving modern technology, clean energy, and geopolitical competition, with a particular focus on cobalt production in the Democratic Republic of Congo. T he information covered and posted represents the views and opinions of the guest and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Vidrio Financial, and/or our host, Michael Oliver Weinberg. The Content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional investing advice. Always seek the advice of your financial advisor or other qualified financial service provider with any questions you may have regarding your investment planning. The release date may not correspond to the recording date. Source

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  Improving Alpha: Innovation in Investing, ESG and Technology

  Improving Alpha: Decoding the Research in Secondaries, Co-investing, and Impact Funds

  Jun 30, 202652 min

  What have been the main motivators in LP investors looking at secondary markets and co-investments? Can larger asset owners like sovereign wealth funds and major endowments play in this space, or is it better left to more nimble allocators? Back in April, Improving Alpha welcomed Simon Mayer from Carnegie Mellon University to discuss his thoughts on academia’s influence on institutional investing ( definitely worth a listen here ). In this brand new episode, we build on that discussion, welcoming J osh Lerner, Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking, Harvard Business School, to discuss his research and perspectives on secondaries, co-investments, impact funds, and his future research on how geopolitics could impact and transform venture capital. Additional highlights that Josh and Michael covered are below: How is the growth of private equity and venture capital pacing in relation to secondaries? Can endowments leverage secondaries effectively? Does their organizational size impact their approach to these financial vehicles? What are the benefits of LPs investing in co-investments vs. traditional private equity structures? Based on the research, do these structures end up at the same place in terms of performance? Does Josh believe that we’re in an overvaluation period as it relates to AI investments? When could we see a correction, and what organizations will most likely capture the value from AI innovations? Are impact funds making a real contribution to society and pioneering technologies that more traditional funds avoid? What does their performance look like for allocators looking to get involved? In the last 30 years, up until 2022, we have seen venture capital moving away from “tough technologies”. How is the game evolving today? What is Josh’s perspective on why large corporations fail at internalizing disruptive tech in favor of buying venture-backed start-ups instead? and more. Resources: The Infinite Alphabet: And the Laws of Knowledge by Cesar Hidalgo Connect with Josh Lerner: LinkedIn: Josh Lerner Website: Harvard Business School Connect with Michael Oliver Weinberg: Michael Oliver Weinberg Vidrio About Our Guest: Josh Lerner is the Jacob H. Schiff Professor at Harvard Business School and Co-Director of the HBS Private Capital Project. Much of his research focuses on venture capital and private equity organizations and innovation policy. He has been recently recognized as among the forty most influential economists worldwide by ScholarGPS and research.com. He has co-directed the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Productivity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Program since 2010 and serves as co-editor of their publication, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy and the Economy. He founded and runs the Private Capital Research Institute, a nonprofit devoted to encouraging access to data and research and has been a frequent leader of and participant in the World Economic Forum projects and events. In the 1993-1994 academic year, he introduced an elective course for second-year MBAs. Over the past three decades, “Venture Capital and Private Equity” has consistently been one of the largest elective courses at Harvard Business School and whose teaching materials are used in business schools around the world. He has taught numerous executive and doctoral courses on venture capital, private equity, and entrepreneurship and has introduced a series of entrepreneurship classes at Harvard College. He graduated from Yale College with a special divisional major. He worked for several years on issues concerning technological innovation and public policy. He then earned a Ph.D. from Harvard’s Economics Department. T he information covered and posted represents the views and opinions of the guest and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Vidrio Financial, and/or our host, Michael Oliver Weinberg. The Content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional investing advice. Always seek the advice of your financial advisor or other qualified financial service provider with any questions you may have regarding your investment planning. The release date may not correspond to the recording date. Source

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  Improving Alpha: Innovation in Investing, ESG and Technology

  Improving Alpha: How Institutional Investors Make Sense of Platformocracy in Investing

  May 26, 202649 minS0

  <p>As more institutional investors increasingly rely on massive amounts of data and consolidated software ecosystems, the term Platformocracy is finding its way into everyday usage. The term is defined as how major technology companies function as unelected governments, leveraging their networks to unilaterally dictate free speech, rules around online privacy, and more, all without impartial oversight. Given this landscape, how can institutional investors navigate allocation strategies to avoid risks in their investments and keep their investment strategies private?</p> <p>In our latest episode of the Improving Alpha podcast series, host Michael Oliver Weinberg speaks with Jonathan Bellack, ex-Googler...

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  Improving Alpha: Innovation in Investing, ESG and Technology

  Improving Alpha: Creating Synergies between Academia and Alternative Institutional Investors

  Apr 20, 202637 minS0

  <p>As the complexity in alternative financial markets grows, is the bridge between academia and institutional investing being stretched to a point of collapse? Both researchers and investors deal with similar problems in institutional investing. Solution approaches may differ, but could a value be found in combining points of view, so that investors benefit from greater combined intelligence and portfolio performance gains?</p> <p>In our latest episode of the Improving Alpha podcast, we welcome <b>Assistant Professor of Finance, Simon Mayer, from Carnegie Mellon University.</b> Alternative investors who are wondering where academic theory and practitioner insights intersect will...

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