Dakota Live! Podcast

What happens when a firm that helped pioneer minority investing in asset managers decides to step off the private equity treadmill? In this episode of Dakota Live!, Robert Morier welcomes Brad Mook, Managing Director of Investments and Finance at Rosemont Investment Group, for a conversation about the evolution of GP stakes, the economics of owning investment management businesses, and the importance of permanent capital in building sustainable firms. Founded in 2000, Rosemont was among the...

Is a traditional background in high finance, big tech, or startups required to break into venture capital? The short answer is no. Maddi Holman is living proof of that. In today’s episode of the Dakota Live! podcast, Maddi Holman, Co-Founder of Daring Ventures and host of the Let’s Be Heard podcast, sits down with Robert Morier to discuss her unique entrance into venture capital. Daring Ventures is an NYC-based venture capital firm focused on pre-seed investing in B2B vertical SaaS and appl...

What does it take to earn a place in a portfolio when the default answer is no? For Chip Caravati and Chris Dion of Brockenbrough, selectivity is not simply a feature of manager research. It shapes the way the firm allocates capital, builds portfolios, chooses partners, and thinks about its own business. In this episode of Dakota Live!, Chip, Brockenbrough’s Chief Investment Officer, and Chris, Co-Chief Investment Officer for Institutional Investments, join Robert Morier for a wide-ranging ...

What does it actually take for a private real estate manager to earn an institutional allocation? In this episode of the Dakota Live Podcast, host Robert Morier sits down with Liz Bell, Managing Director and Co-Head of Real Estate at Hamilton Lane, for an inside look at how institutional investors evaluate real estate managers, underwrite opportunities, manage risk, and make investment decisions. Liz takes us behind the investment committee doors and into the manager due diligence process—fro...

Erwin Thompson, CEO of EQT Infrastructure Company (EQIC) and 17-year EQT veteran, joins Robert Morier on Dakota Live! to break down the AI data center and power build-out, a capital expenditure wave that hyperscalers are expected to push past $4–5 trillion by 2030. Erwin explains why the U.S. is adding an estimated 15–20 gigawatts of data center demand a year against a fraction of that in new supply, why hyperscalers are now on pace to outspend the U.S. Department of Defense, and how EQT, the...

Most CIO conversations happen years after a transition is finished, or years before one starts. This one happens in the middle of it. Trevor Graham was named Co-Chief Investment Officer of TIFF Investment Management in 2026 as part of a planned leadership transition alongside longtime CIO Jay Willoughby. In this episode, he walks Robert Morier through a succession plan as it unfolds in real time: why a lengthy handoff is a gift rather than a formality, what he's borrowed from watching GP succ...

GP seeding is one of the least understood corners of private equity — and one of the fastest growing. In this episode of Dakota Live, Robert Morier sits down with Eric Zoller, Co-Founder and CEO of Taproot Capital, to break down how first-time funds and spin-out managers actually get launched, capitalized, and raised. Eric founded SixPoint Partners in 2007, built it into one of the largest independent fund placement advisors in the middle market, sold it to PNC in 2019, and led private ca...

What does it look like to sit in the CIO seat? This episode of Dakota Live was recorded on campus at West Virginia University, bringing students directly into the room with institutional investors responsible for billions in capital. Rob Morier sits down with: • Jim Bethea, CIO of the WVU Foundation • Craig Slaughter, CIO of the West Virginia Investment Management Board • Josh Hall, Dean of the WVU Business School This is not a surface-level discussion. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at h...

In this special On the Road episode, we travel to Baylor University in Waco, Texas, to record a live, on-campus conversation with some of the most thoughtful allocators and investment leaders in the institutional investment world. Hosted from Baylor’s campus, this episode brings together endowment leadership, OCIOs, asset managers, and students for a wide-ranging discussion on long-term investing, manager research, risk, character, and relationship-driven decision-making—the things that actu...

In this special episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast, host Robert Morier takes the show back on the road to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he sits down with Jim Dunn, Chief Executive Officer of Verger Capital Management. From his beginnings as a first-generation college graduate and collegiate soccer goalie to leading one of the most respected OCIO firms in the country, Jim shares how formative experiences in athletics, lifeguarding, and family life shaped his views on risk, leadership, ...

Every allocator says they're looking for great investors. Jason Howard argues they're actually looking for something else. In this conversation, the founder of New Catalyst Strategic Partners introduces an idea that deserves far more attention in institutional investing: fundability. Some investors generate exceptional returns but never build enduring firms. Others create organizations that attract capital for decades. The difference isn't always the track record. It's the ability to build tr...

Private markets are moving deeper into wealth management. But access is only part of the equation. The harder questions are: Which managers should you invest with? How should you construct a private markets portfolio? And when does a fund of funds actually justify another layer of fees? On this episode of Dakota Live!, Robert Morier sits down with Samir Kaji, Co-Founder and CEO of Allocate, to discuss the rapidly changing intersection of private markets, wealth management, manager selection, ...

Few investment leaders have spent more than three decades selecting, evaluating, and overseeing the world's best investment managers. Even fewer have done it while leading one of the industry's largest multi-asset investment platforms. In this special episode of dakota live!, Robert Morier sits down with Chris Vella, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer of BNY Advisors, who oversees an investment organization responsible for more than $175 billion in client assets across institution...

The lines between institutional investing and wealth management are disappearing. In this episode of Dakota Live, Robert Morier sits down with Dhruv Maniktala, CFA, Chief Investment Officer and Partner at True North Advisors and CIO of Western Alternative Strategies, to discuss how a nearly $6 billion wealth management platform evaluates private markets, constructs institutional-quality portfolios, and sources differentiated investment opportunities. For asset managers, consultants, RIAs, fam...

On this episode of Dakota Live!, host Robert Morier sits down with Tim Yates, President & CEO of Commonfund OCIO, whose path to leading an $18 billion investment platform is anything but typical — he started out teaching Spanish and Italian at Fordham Prep in the Bronx. Tim shares how a rotational analyst role pulled him into private equity, what emerging markets investing in Latin America taught him about risk and currency, and how the 2003 market dislocation gave birth to Commonfund's O...

On this episode of Dakota Live!, Robert Morier sits down with Chris Brimsek, Founder and Managing Partner of CAB Advisory, for a deep discussion on one of the most important—and underexplored—topics in private markets: how great investment firms are built. Chris advises founders and senior leadership teams across private equity, venture capital, real estate, infrastructure, private credit, and GP solutions. His work focuses on the organizational, strategic, and human capital questions that of...

The RIA landscape is changing fast. Today’s top wealth advisors are doing far more than traditional portfolio management. They’re acting as investment committees, tax strategists, coaches, and long-term partners helping families navigate increasingly complex financial decisions. In this episode of dakota, we sit down with Fulcrum Capital’s Kathryn Fisher, Chief Wealth Strategist, and Hans Krippaehne, Director of Investments, to explore how modern RIAs are evolving to meet that challenge. We d...

Stephen Chase, Associate Director of Investments at Drexel University, joins host, Robert Morier to discuss how a three-person investment office oversees approximately $1.25 billion across the university's endowment and investment portfolio. In this conversation, Stephen shares his unconventional path from studying anthropology at Trinity College to helping manage one of Philadelphia's leading university endowments. We explore how qualitative thinking, manager due diligence, portfolio constru...

What happens when you leave the conference stage and sit down with investors where they actually work? Over the past year, Dakota Live! has traveled the country, recording conversations with CIOs, investment office leaders, consultants, OCIOs, foundations, endowments, family offices, and institutional investors. This special episode brings together the most important themes, market observations, and portfolio discussions from those conversations. In this episode, we explore: • How allocators ...

Melody Koh, Partner at NextView Ventures, joins the Dakota Live Podcast to discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping venture capital, startup building, company scaling, and the future of work. As both a seed-stage investor and the leader of NextView's AI and data initiatives, Melody offers a unique perspective on what separates winning founders from the rest in an AI-native economy. From evaluating startup teams and identifying durable competitive advantages to redesigning venture capi...

What happens when one of the world’s largest asset managers starts rethinking portfolio construction in the age of AI? On this episode of Dakota Live!, Robert Morier sits down with Michael Gates, Managing Director and Head of Model Portfolio Solutions for the Americas within BlackRock’s Multi-Asset Strategies & Solutions platform. The conversation explores how BlackRock is thinking about: • Model portfolios and advisor scale • Active vs. passive portfolio construction • The rise of active...

Tax used to sit downstream from the investment process. Today, it’s moving upstream. In this episode of Dakota Live!, Robert Morier sits down with Dave Sekula, CEO of GTM (Global Tax Management), to discuss how tax strategy, technology, operational complexity, and institutional investing are becoming increasingly intertwined. The conversation comes at a timely moment, following the SEC’s recent proposal to potentially shift public companies from quarterly to semiannual reporting. While the he...

On this episode of the Dakota Live Podcast, we sit down with Andrew Deck, Vice President and Head of Alternative Investments at LPL Financial, alongside his colleague Matt Doyle, Head of Investment Due Diligence, for an inside look at how one of the largest advisor platforms in the country is thinking about alternatives, manager research, sourcing, and portfolio construction today. LPL Financial is one of the largest independent wealth management and advisor platforms in the country, supporti...

In this special on-the-road edition of the Dakota Live Podcast, host Robert Morier brings the show to Atlanta for a live recording at Georgia State University in front of students from GSU's Student Managed Investment Fund and Drexel University. Joining Robert on the podcast: Holly Sailers — Interim CFO and Comptroller, Georgia State University Foundation Markus Krygier — Co-Chief Investment Officer, Strategic Investment Group Degas Wright — CIO of Decatur Capital Management & Executi...

Before something becomes an asset, a platform, or a strategy, it has to become a habit. And it's exactly why this conversation matters for allocators, investors, and operators alike. On this episode of Dakota Live, Robert Morier sits down with Chris Doody, founder of Piada Italian Street Food, and Lance Juhas, the company's CEO, to go inside one of the most disciplined growth stories in American fast casual. For the investment salesperson: This episode gives you a rare, tangible example of ...

In a market where allocators are increasingly focused on healthcare innovation, growth equity discipline, and the role of operators in driving outcomes, this episode sits directly at the intersection. This conversation with Sal DeTrane of Empactful Capital extends a theme we’ve been hearing consistently from CIOs, OCIOs, and allocators across the Dakota Live platform: the next wave of value creation in private markets is being driven by execution, not just access. Sal brings that lens into fo...

Join Dakota Live! as we sit down with senior leaders from one of the largest investment consultants in North America, Callan, for a deep dive into private markets, hedge funds, and their process behind manager selection. Ashley Kahn leads private equity manager research at Callan. Her work lives at that intersection of pattern recognition, judgment, and repetition, seeing enough deals to know what’s real and what’s just a good story. Tony Lissuzzo sits on the other side of the table as an i...

Join dakota Live! as we sit down with Jeff Croteau, Founder & CIO of Tide Cycle Resources, to discuss building durable portfolios, the evolution of the OCIO model, and why patience—not prediction—drives long-term success. We explore what it means to step away from a traditional institutional consulting career and launch a focused, high-conviction investment platform designed for families and foundations navigating increasingly complex markets. With approximately $3 billion advised acros...

This episode starts as a parody. An April Fool’s take on private equity, financial media, and the way we position ourselves in the investment industry. It’s exaggerated. It’s intentional. And it might feel too familiar. Then we shift. Because behind the character is a real conversation about something that matters— how content is created, how differentiation actually works, and why most financial firms get it wrong. What You’ll Get: • A satirical look at private equity culture and messagi...

What does it look like to sit in the CIO seat? This episode of Dakota Live was recorded on campus at West Virginia University, bringing students directly into the room with institutional investors responsible for billions in capital. Rob Morier sits down with: Jim Bethea, CIO of the WVU Foundation Craig Slaughter, CIO of the West Virginia Investment Management Board Josh Hall, Dean of the WVU Business School This is not a surface-level discussion. It’s a behind-the-scenes look at how ...

Instead of sitting across from an allocator, this week we flip the table—and sit in the seat of an emerging manager building a firm from the ground up. In this conversation with Brandon Ladoff, Founder & Portfolio Manager of Denmark Capital, we explore what it actually looks like to launch a boutique investment firm in today’s market—where every decision mirrors the exact questions allocators ask behind closed doors. From fundraising realities to portfolio construction, from volatility t...

What does it really take to back the next generation of investment managers? In this special live recording of the Dakota Live Podcast from Drexel University’s Boathouse Row, host Robert Morier moderates a rare discussion on GP seeding across three different asset classes—hedge funds, venture capital, and lower-middle-market private equity. While GP seeding is often discussed within a single asset class, this conversation brings together three distinct perspectives to explore how the strate...

In this episode of dakota Live!, we step into a space where venture capital meets operator realism. While we often sit with allocators and emerging manager gatekeepers, today we turn the lens toward the managers themselves — and examine how early-stage consumer investing mirrors the same discipline allocators demand in emerging manager due diligence. Robert Morier sits down with Sean Kelly and Christine Wang of Family Fund to unpack what underwriting consumer brands can teach us about under...

In the latest episode of dakota live!, we step into a part of the market that rarely gets explained well — the mechanics of volatility trading. As equity markets move through higher dispersion, regime shifts, and increasingly systematic flows, some of the most interesting price discovery is happening in derivatives. Volatility isn’t just a hedge or a headline metric. It’s an asset shaped by positioning, liquidity, and structural supply-demand imbalances. We discuss how firms like Zero Delt...

In this special “On the Road” episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast, Robert Morier travels to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville for a live CIO panel discussion on endowment management, private equity, private credit, asset allocation, and manager research & due diligence. Featuring: Rip Mecherle, CIO, University of Tennessee System ($1.8B endowment) Cathy Ulozas, CIO, Drexel University Bridget Sproles, Partner & Co-Head of Healthcare Practice, Cambridge Associates Ryan Farle...

Retail and wealth management platforms inside large banks are increasing exposure to private markets—but not through hype, shortcuts, or “democratization” headlines. They’re doing it through institutional-grade manager research, governance, and due diligence. In this episode of Dakota Live, host Robert Morier sits down with Scott Lavelle, Managing Director and Head of Investment Advisor Research & Product Management at PNC Bank, to unpack how one of the largest U.S. bank platforms evalu...

In this episode of Dakota Live!, host Robert Morier sits down with Scott Schweighauser, Managing Partner of Borealis Strategic Capital Partners, for a wide-ranging conversation on GP seeding, hedge fund history, and why now is such a compelling moment to back emerging managers. Scott brings decades of experience across trading, fund-of-funds investing, and early-stage hedge fund seeding to unpack how the hedge fund industry has evolved—from the early, relationship-driven days through institu...

In this episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast, host Robert Morier welcomes back Chris Schelling for his second appearance on the show—and his first since joining Aksia. Aksia is one of the world’s leading alternatives research and portfolio advisory firms, advising on approximately $400+ billion across private equity, private credit, real assets, and hedge funds. With deep institutional roots and a global footprint, Aksia is known for its rigorous manager research, operational due diligen...

In this episode of dakota live, host Robert Morier sits down with Stephanie Szymanski, Chief Investment Officer of Lakeview Capital Management, for a wide-ranging, practitioner-level conversation on how single-family offices actually invest. Stephanie pulls back the curtain on what it means to run portfolio construction inside a single-family office, covering how family office CIOs think differently from endowments and foundations when it comes to asset allocation, manager selection, liquidi...

In this episode of dakota live!, host Robert Morier sits down with Aaron Dirlam, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Springtide Partners, for a wide-ranging conversation on building conviction in uncertain markets—and why humility remains one of the most underappreciated edges in investing. Founded in 2017, Springtide Partners has grown into a trusted investment partner for RIAs, family offices, and financial institutions, advising on over $80 billion in client assets. In this discuss...

We’re kicking off 2026 the same way many investors are setting their New Year’s resolutions: by going straight to the source. In our first episode of the new year, Dakota Live goes on site to SEI’s headquarters in Oaks, Pennsylvania to sit down with Ryan Hicke, CEO of SEI Investments (NASDAQ: SEIC). These on-location CEO episodes consistently generate the strongest engagement across our audience of allocators, asset managers, advisors, and institutional sales professionals—and this one delive...

In this special On the Road episode, we travel to Baylor University in Waco, Texas, to record a live, on-campus conversation with some of the most thoughtful allocators and investment leaders in the institutional investment world. Hosted from Baylor’s campus, this episode brings together endowment leadership, OCIOs, asset managers, and students for a wide-ranging discussion on long-term investing, manager research, risk, character, and relationship-driven decision-making—the things that actua...

In this episode of dakota live!, Robert Morier welcomes Scott Perry, Partner and Head of OCIO Portfolio Strategy at NEPC, one of the largest investment consulting firms in the industry. Scott brings nearly two decades of institutional experience and a candid perspective on how the OCIO model is evolving — from portfolio construction and liquidity management to alignment of incentives, pacing, and risk. We cover what it really takes to be an effective discretionary partner in a world define...

In this week’s episode of Dakota Live, Robert Morier sits down with Jennifer Mink, President of Investment Performance Services (IPS). With IPS advising on approximately $70 billion in assets—98% of which are Taft-Hartley (Union) plans—this conversation offers a rare masterclass on how to navigate the unique ecosystem of union pensions. Jennifer takes us behind the curtain of IPS’s rigorous investment consulting practice, breaking down exactly how her team approaches manager research, ...

In this episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast, host Robert Morier sits down with Paul Cavazos, Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer at American Beacon Advisors. Paul brings more than 25 years of experience managing institutional portfolios for major corporate plans—including Chrysler, Boeing, and DTE Energy—before joining American Beacon to lead their investment strategy, manager oversight, and OCIO business. Paul shares how those years as an asset owner shaped the way he evaluate...

In this episode of dakota live!, host Robert Morier sits down with Chrissie Pariso, Managing Partner of MPowered Capital, to discuss what it takes to identify, underwrite, and empower the next generation of investment managers. With over two decades of allocator experience—from leading Exelon’s Private Equity Manager Program to joining MPowered Capital alongside industry legend Marcia Page—Chrissie offers an insider’s perspective on manager selection, due diligence, and firm building in today...

In this episode, host Robert Morier sits down with Kyle Marmelstein, Investment Director at Crewcial Partners, live from Newport, Rhode Island. With over 15 years in institutional consulting and manager research, Kyle shares insights into building lasting partnerships, managing risk through market cycles, and why empathy and listening are essential tools in the allocator’s toolkit. From the lessons of 2008 to today’s private equity dislocations, Kyle offers a grounded view of wh...

Recorded from the beautiful Castle Hill Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, this special episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast captures the energy and insights of the Havener Capital Partners StorySales Accelerator Capstone Event. In this conversation, host Robert Morier sits down with Evan Butler, Investment Analyst at CW Advisors, to explore the art and science of manager research and due diligence from the perspective of both the Chief Investment Officer and the analyst. Evan shares how CW Adviso...

What’s changed—and what still matters—in the OCIO model? In this episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast, host Robert Morier sits down with Adam Lerner, Senior Director of Investments at Prime Buchholz, to unpack how a research-driven OCIO and consulting platform evaluates managers, constructs portfolios, and serves nonprofit clients across endowments, foundations, healthcare systems, and more. Founded in 1988, Prime Buchholz is one of the industry’s leading independent investment consulti...

In this episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast, host Robert Morier welcomes Sean Poe, Director of Investment Manager Research at Key Private Bank, for an insightful conversation about investment philosophy, rethinking career paths, and the art of selecting managers across public and private markets. With a dynamic background that spans equity research, private investing, and operating roles at firms like Wayfair and Lowe’s, Sean brings a unique perspective to portfolio construction and manager ...