Welcome to the Allocate Podcast, an interview and educational content series to help investors learn and navigate investing in alternatives. Join us to hear from leading founders, fund managers, and allocators on the latest trends and the keys to successfully participating in the private markets.
To kick off 2024, we’re delighted to have Nic Millikan, Allocate’s Managing Director and Head of Client Solutions, host Allocate’s Co-Founder and CEO, Samir Kaji.
Together, they deliver an insightful conversation covering:
the founding of Allocate and why its value proposition is meaningful for the industry
the evolution of investing in venture capital toward a contemporary, frameworks-based approach
the importance of education to enable responsible participation in private markets investing
About Samir Kaji:
Prior to Allocate, Samir spent nearly 22 years in venture banking between SVB and First Republic Bank and closely worked with and advised over 700 venture capital and private equity firms. During this time, he completed over $12B in structured debt transactions and invested personally in over 60 funds and companies, including early-stage investments into Carta (seed), Side (seed), PolicyGenius (Series A), and FanDuel (Series B) as well as Growth investments into Reddit, Alto Pharmacy, and Carbon Health.
Samir completed a finance undergraduate degree at San Jose State University, an MBA from Santa Clara University, and completed the prestigious Kauffman Fellows venture program.
He is also an active writer on venture capital and is the host of a top venture podcast called Venture Unlocked.
In this episode, we discuss:
(01:19) Samir’s transition from selling vacuums at retail to engaging with pioneering companies like Google and YouTube
(08:00) The importance of personalizing investor experiences within Allocate, aiming to match venture capital opportunities with individual investor needs
(09:00) Leveraging AI and data to scale personalization in venture capital
(11:44) Samir’s learning curve as an entrepreneur and the lessons learned from interacting with seasoned entrepreneurs
(14:04) The evolution of the venture capital industry from a generalist approach to a more specialized and segmented ecosystem
(19:02) Samir’s nuanced approach to venture capital investment, and the importance of understanding the diverse risk-return profiles across different venture fund types
(24:30) The critical role of education in venture capital and demystifying the asset class for investors through workshops, webinars, and events
(30:46) How low-interest rates and fiscal policies drove the venture cycle, and why AI may drive a new super cycle
(37:18) Advice to new investors in the venture space
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