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Swimming with Allocators

How Should Fund Managers Approach Pension Plans in Private Market Investing? Featuring Edward Comerford

This week on Swimming with Allocators, Earnest and Alexa welcome Edward Comerford, Director of Private Markets at the San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS). They delve into Edward’s role in managing San Francisco's private market portfolio, his experience with private markets investing, and the unique mission of pension plans. The conversation covers the significance of venture capital in pension portfolios, the challenges of market fluctuations, and the importance of consistent investment strategies. Edward also reminisces about his business school days with Earnest, including their shared passion for basketball. The episode provides insights into the thoughtful approach required for pension plan investment management and the evolving landscape of venture capital. Also, don’t miss our insider segment as Nik Talreja of Sydecar.io talks about how Sydecar is revolutionizing venture capital operations.

Broadcast on:
08 May 2024

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)
  • Unique challenges of pension plans (10:41)
  • Role of venture in the portfolio (13:02)
  • Impact of public markets on venture deployment (14:14)
  • Looking for new managers in 2024 (16:11)
  • Investment vehicles (18:17)
  • Insider Segment: Revolutionizing Venture Capital Operations (20:44)
  • Fund administration best practices (23:24)
  • Trends in SPVs (24:52)
  • Warehousing deals (28:33)
  • Comparison and tracking of managers (31:02)
  • DPI and Valuation Accuracy (32:50)
  • Liquidity and Capital Strategies (35:06)
  • Zombie Funds and Succession Planning (37:44)
  • Venture Capital and Portfolio Diversification (44:08)
  • Final Thoughts and Takeaways (45:38)

The San Francisco Employees’ Retirement System (SFERS) is dedicated to securing, protecting, and prudently investing pension trust assets, administering mandated benefits programs, and providing promised benefits to more than 77,000 active, vested, and retired City and County of San Francisco employees and their survivors. SFERS administers two benefit programs, a $33 billion Pension Plan (defined benefit plan) and a voluntary employee 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan. For more information, visit their website.

Sydecar.io is a frictionless deal execution platform for venture investors. Our platform handles back-office operations for venture investors, automating banking, compliance, contracts, and reporting so that customers can focus on making deals and building relationships. Learn more at www.sydecar.io.

Swimming with Allocators is a podcast that 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. 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. 

The information provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this podcast are for general informational purposes only.