E100: CIO of $2.9 Billion University of Illinois Endowment

10/03/24 • 36 min

Travis Shore, CIO at University of Illinois Foundation sits down with David Weisburd to discuss how CIOs can adapt to the next big change in time, the critical mistakes made in mastering risk in uncertain markets, and identifying which strategy may save your endowment in the next crisis.

The 10X Capital Podcast is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: turpentine.co

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X / Twitter: @dweisburd (David Weisburd) @uofi_foundation (University of Illinois Foundation)

LinkedIn: University of Illinois Foundation:https://www.linkedin.com/company/universityofillinoisfoundation/ Travis Shore: https://www.linkedin.com/in/travis-shore-cfa-34a05712/ David Weisburd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/

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Links: University of Illinois Foundation: https://uif.uillinois.edu/

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Questions or topics you want us to discuss on The 10X Capital Podcast? Email us at [email protected]

TIMESTAMPS:

(0:00) Episode Preview (1:28) Evolution of University of Illinois endowment and investment philosophy (3:09) Navigating herd behavior and the financial crisis impact on strategy (6:32) Evaluating venture managers and approach to asymmetric risks (8:34) Investor vs. allocator roles and decision-making in teams (11:18) Leadership principles and the value of iterative decision meetings (14:28) Developing institutional knowledge and asset allocation flexibility (17:49) Managing market cycles, risk, and liquidity (22:21) Adapting to market changes and liquidity management strategies (25:36) Governance's impact on endowment performance and board relations (30:36) Addressing bias in growth strategies and investor re-ups (33:11) Transition challenges to a CIO role and asset allocator decision-making (36:41) Closing remarks

The 10X Capital Podcast is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: turpentine.co

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X / Twitter: @dweisburd (David Weisburd) @uofi_foundation (University of Illinois Foundation)

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Links: University of Illinois Foundation: https://uif.uillinois.edu/

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Questions or topics you want us to discuss on The 10X Capital Podcast? Email us at [email protected]

TIMESTAMPS:

Previous Episode

E99: How to Pick Top Decile Venture GP’s

Albert Azout, Managing Partner at Level Ventures sits down with David Weisburd to discuss how to spot unicorn founders early in Venture Capital, what separates great fund managers from the rest, and digging deep into the role of data in unpacking venture fund performance.

The 10X Capital Podcast is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: turpentine.co

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X / Twitter: @dweisburd (David Weisburd) @levelvc (Level Ventures)

LinkedIn: Level Ventures: https://www.linkedin.com/company/level-ventures/ Albert Azout: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertazout/ David Weisburd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/

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Links: Level Ventures: https://levelvc.com/

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Questions or topics you want us to discuss on The 10X Capital Podcast? Email us at [email protected]

(0:00) Episode Preview (1:39) Data-driven approach to investing and predicting top-performing managers (3:20) Building social capital and early investment indicators (4:38) Follow-on investments, market timing, and macro factors (6:33) Ownership strategies and discipline in seed investments (8:13) Offensive strategy and value-add for GPs (10:18) Evolution of Level VC's value-add approach (13:16) Flywheel effect in investment networks (14:31) Learnings from Coda Capital and systematic sourcing (16:03) Recognizing great founders and contextual quality of GPs (17:07) Fund size control, co-investing, and portfolio construction (20:28) Collaboration, differentiation, and venture capital insights (22:11) Closing remarks

Next Episode

E101: Lessons from University of Texas ($70B) and Stanford Endowment ($40B)

Mark Shoberg, CIO & Partner at Capital Creek Partners sits down with David Weisburd to discuss the keys to successful institutional investing, how large should an endowment be for optimal returns, and how to build the perfect investment platform for family offices and endowments.

The 10X Capital Podcast is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more: turpentine.co

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X / Twitter: @dweisburd (David Weisburd) @shoberg (Mark Shoberg) @CapitalCreekTX (Capital Creek Partners)

LinkedIn: Capital Creek Partners: https://www.linkedin.com/company/capital-creek-partners/ Mark Shoberg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-shoberg/ David Weisburd: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dweisburd/

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Links: Capital Creek Partners: https://www.capitalcreek.com/

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Questions or topics you want us to discuss on The 10X Capital Podcast? Email us at [email protected]

TIMESTAMPS:

(0:00) Episode Preview (2:19) Comparing solo and team approaches in investment management (4:18) Venture investments and the allure of spinouts (6:57) Analyzing the pros and cons of anchoring a fund (8:29) Exploring first call alpha and the dynamics of LP relationships (11:29) Balancing economic arrangements between LPs and GPs (14:29) The critical role of partnerships in successful investing (17:06) Strategies for portfolio construction in large endowments (18:15) Delving deeper into market timing and portfolio allocation (21:40) Tailoring real estate investments for tax-exempt entities (24:26) Understanding scale in endowments and its impact (28:38) Introducing Capital Creek Partners and their objectives (30:04) Customized portfolio construction for diverse clients (31:51) The art of sourcing managers and managing legacy relationships (34:57) Closing remarks