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Swimming with Allocators

Earnest Sweat, Alexa Binns
Venture Capital
Emerging Managers
Private Equity
Investment Strategies
Impact Investing
Family Offices
Limited Partners
Private Markets
Artificial Intelligence
Opportunity Funds
Portfolio Construction
Co-Investments
Angel Collective
Asset Allocation
Diversity In Venture Capital
Startup Ecosystem
AWM Capital
Investment Strategy
Risk Management
Secondary Market

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 sheddin... more

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes105Founded3 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
BusinessEntrepreneurshipInvesting

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Artwork for Swimming with Allocators

Latest Episodes

This week on Swimming with Allocators, Earnest and Alexa welcome Teddy Repko of the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, who shares how his global upbringing, risk-aware personality, and early trading career shaped his investing approach, and how a shif... more

This week on Swimming with Allocators, Kate Simpson joins Earnest and Alexa to share her journey from starting as a history major at the UNC endowment to leading the venture strategy at multi-asset OCIO firm GEM. She explains how she learned institut... more

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In this 100th episode of Swimming with Alligators, Earnest and Alexa dive into how emerging managers and VCs can truly differentiate in a world where everyone shows the same logos and track records. They unpack why LPs increasingly care about who act... more

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This week on Swimming with Allocators, Earnest and Alexa welcome Mike Kakenmaster, Director of Investments at Loyola University Chicago, to discuss how a small endowment builds and scales a modern private capital and venture program. Mike shares his ... more

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Recent Guests

Chuck Daly
Partner, Sidley Austin; regulatory expert on VC fund regulation
Sidley Austin
Episode: A New Playbook for Deep Tech Fund Investing
Anthony Giambrone
Partner at StepStone Group, former Greenspring Associates executive
StepStone Group
Episode: Power Laws, Secondaries, and Staying Consistent: StepStone’s VC Framework
Zach Ruchman
HB Wealth portfolio construction for high net worth families across private markets
HB Wealth
Episode: How to Separate Yourself When Everyone Has the Same Deck
Marcia Mitchell
Investor with Mesa Lane Capital; former FF Venture Capital and New York Ventures
Mesa Lane Capital
Episode: Built for Venture: Problem-Solving Meets People Work
Iliana Oris Valiente
Managing Director at Accenture; LP advocate; founder of Capital Decoded
Accenture
Episode: The New Rules of Venture: What Next-Gen LPs Should Know First
David Clark
CIO of Vencap International, with extensive experience in the venture capital field
Vencap International
Episode: Inside VenCap’s Data-Driven Playbook for Venture Returns
Laura Thompson
A well-regarded figure in venture capital from Sapphire Partners, known for her expertise in venture fund underwriting.
Sapphire Partners
Episode: SWA’s Best of 2025 (Part 2)
Megan Reynolds
Leader at a major private equity firm, focusing on capital formation and LP-GP relationships.
Episode: SWA’s Best of 2025 (Part 2)
Joshua Berkowitz
A family office investor focusing on venture capital
Episode: SWA’s Best of 2025 (Part 1)

Hosts

Alexa Binns
Host of Swimming with Allocators; long-time VC/LP practitioner with experience across allocator perspectives and fund governance.
Earnest Sweat
Co-host focusing on LP perspectives, governance, and capital formation in private markets.

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 31 ratings
  • Top venture capital investing insight

    Swimming with Allocators takes a deep yet easy to understand and enjoyable approach to the twists and turns, guests and guesses, of venture capital investing🐊

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    rbtrage
    United States3 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests consistently bring insiders' visibility into LP-GP dynamics.
Content is practical, data-informed, and useful for sponsorship decisions.
Listeners appreciate governance and capital-formation insights in private markets.

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

DDQ: Celebrating 100 Episodes with Swimming with Allocators
Q: With all the change, has anything in your approach to diligence changed?
They discuss doing referrals earlier, asking harder questions about business models, distribution, and how teams create durable momentum that can carry them through future rounds, rather than relying on pitch quality alone.
DDQ: Celebrating 100 Episodes with Swimming with Allocators
Q: Is it worth building anything for my fund in terms of AI operations and workflows, or is this product going to be delivered for all emerging managers?
The hosts suggest a practical approach: don't build an exclusive LLM, but experiment with AI to improve workflows and decision-making, with a focus on using AI to surface relevant information and automate routine processes rather than creating new bespoke tools.
What It Takes to Win With Institutional LPs
Q: A lot of our listeners have not had an institutional fundraise. Could you give them a couple of insights into the process?
Pensions have regulatory requirements that shape diligence and compliance, often requiring external IDD/ODD partners to verify work; expect more time and carefully structured disclosures around conflicts and fund operations.
Cultivating a Venture Program Without Chasing the Hype
Q: What initially drew Loyola to expand its private capital allocation and how did you approach starting in venture?
We increased private capital allocation from about 10% to 20% and started with buyouts, then cautiously expanded into venture as part of a long horizon, endowment framework. The approach was conservative, driven by governance and structure, and focused on learning before committing significant capital.
What LPs Want and GPs Need to Hear
Q: Do you mind just rattling off for folks everything that you could include in that infrastructure in the firm building?
Regina details the full infrastructure needed to form and run a GP, including entities, legal docs, hiring, fund administration, tax accounting, audits, tech, and the broader team and back-office resources; emphasizes the chicken-and-egg problem of funding firm-building activities before LPs and fees materialize.

Audience Metrics

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Frequently Asked Questions About Swimming with Allocators

What is Swimming with Allocators about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Venture-focused discussions from the LP perspective with an emphasis on long-horizon, disciplined capital allocation and governance. Episodes center on building and managing venture programs for institutions, family offices, and foundations, with guests ranging from institutional LPs to regulatory and regulatory-savvy practitioners. Listeners typically encounter practical frameworks for sourcing managers, evaluating edge, co-investments, and the evolving secondary market, along with real-world stories about governance, transparency, and program design. The show often highlights how LPs balance returns with mission and social impact, and features hands-on guidance for building durable, patient portfolios in private markets. A standout elemen... more

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Swimming with Allocators launched 3 years ago and published 105 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Swimming with Allocators?

Recent guests on Swimming with Allocators include:

1. Chuck Daly
2. Anthony Giambrone
3. Zach Ruchman
4. Marcia Mitchell
5. Iliana Oris Valiente
6. David Clark
7. Laura Thompson
8. Megan Reynolds

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