Entrepreneurship – Improving Alpha:

Improving Alpha: Decoding the Research in Secondaries, Co-investing, and Impact Funds

By Improving Alpha | June 30, 2026

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What have been the main motivators in LP investors looking at secondary markets and co-investments? Can larger asset owners like sovereign wealth funds and major endowments play in this space, or is it better left to more nimble allocators?

Back in April, Improving Alpha welcomed Simon Mayer from Carnegie Mellon University to discuss his thoughts on academia’s influence on institutional investing (definitely worth a listen here). In this brand new episode, we build on that discussion, welcoming Josh Lerner, Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking, Harvard Business School, to discuss his research and perspectives on secondaries, co-investments, impact funds, and his future research on how geopolitics could impact and transform venture capital.

Additional highlights that Josh and Michael covered are below:

How is the growth of private equity and venture capital pacing in relation to secondaries?
Can endowments leverage secondaries effectively? Does their organizational size impact their approach to these financial vehicles?
What are the benefits of LPs investing in co-investments vs. traditional private equity structures? Based on the research, do these structures end up at the same place in terms of performance?
Does Josh believe that we’re in an overvaluation period as it relates to AI investments? When could we see a correction, and what organizations will most likely capture the value from AI innovations?
Are impact funds making a real contribution to society and pioneering technologies that more traditional funds avoid? What does their performance look like for allocators looking to get involved?
In the last 30 years, up until 2022, we have seen venture capital moving away from “tough technologies”. How is the game evolving today?
What is Josh’s perspective on why large corporations fail at internalizing disruptive tech in favor of buying venture-backed start-ups instead?
and more.

Resources:

The Infinite Alphabet: And the Laws of Knowledge by Cesar Hidalgo

Connect with Josh Lerner:

Connect with Michael Oliver Weinberg:

About Our Guest:

Josh Lerner is the Jacob H. Schiff Professor at Harvard Business School and Co-Director of the HBS Private Capital Project. Much of his research focuses on venture capital and private equity organizations and innovation policy. He has been recently recognized as among the forty most influential economists worldwide by ScholarGPS and research.com.

He has co-directed the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Productivity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship Program since 2010 and serves as co-editor of their publication, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Policy and the Economy. He founded and runs the Private Capital Research Institute, a nonprofit devoted to encouraging access to data and research and has been a frequent leader of and participant in the World Economic Forum projects and events.

In the 1993-1994 academic year, he introduced an elective course for second-year MBAs. Over the past three decades, “Venture Capital and Private Equity” has consistently been one of the largest elective courses at Harvard Business School and whose teaching materials are used in business schools around the world. He has taught numerous executive and doctoral courses on venture capital, private equity, and entrepreneurship and has introduced a series of entrepreneurship classes at Harvard College.

He graduated from Yale College with a special divisional major. He worked for several years on issues concerning technological innovation and public policy. He then earned a Ph.D. from Harvard’s Economics Department.

The information covered and posted represents the views and opinions of the guest and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Vidrio Financial, and/or our host, Michael Oliver Weinberg. The Content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional investing advice. Always seek the advice of your financial advisor or other qualified financial service provider with any questions you may have regarding your investment planning.

The release date may not correspond to the recording date.

Improving Alpha: Sandro Salsano exploring synergies in investments, philanthropy and deep value strategies

By Improving Alpha | January 8, 2024

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When it comes to geopolitical risk, company risk, or even balancing the costs of capital with the desire for quick profits, institutional investors are now taking a long-term approach to their future investments. How does this perspective impact the risk-reward dynamic for future returns, and are there sectors that may not be as flashy but offer better opportunities for generating alpha?

To answer these questions and more, Michael Oliver Weinberg, host of the Improving Alpha podcast invited Sandro Salsano, President of the Salsano Group, to get a sense of what he’s seeing in the world of emerging markets, private equity, philanthropy, and more.

Sandro discusses:

the fascinating story behind his family office and Goldman Sachs interactions, and his insights into his innovative global strategies in the realm of private equity, emerging markets, and more.
his core sectors and investment horizon, and how they’re delivering alpha and positive cash flows in this market.
how he views partnerships with larger institutions to assist in putting capital to work for longer periods of time.
his view of the Latin American markets (including Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru) and how inflation plays a role in his strategic investments across the region.
balancing investments across philanthropic ideas and how these moves led him to a seat on the Board of Trustees at the University of San Diego.
how he applies a measure of psychology to investing, and how being humble in life and investing has led to his overall success.
And more!

Connect with Michael Oliver Weinberg:

Connect with Sandro Salsano:

About Sandro Salsano:

Sandro Salsano has been at the forefront of successful initiatives in investments, philanthropy, and education for more than two decades. Forbes called him the Warren Buffett of Central America on its cover and one of the world’s most iconic visionary and financial titans. The World Economic Forum named him Young Global Leader for his exceptional vision, courage, and influence to drive positive change in the world. In 2014 he formalized his philanthropy by co-founding the Salsano Shahani Foundation to focus on education. He is a Chairman of Global Dignity, a Member of the Judging Academy for the World’s Best School Prize, a Partner of the Tent Partnership for Refugees, a Member of the Academy for Global Teacher Prize, a Steering Committee member of 1640 Society, and pledged his support to TerraCarta. Sandro is President of Salsano Group, a multi-billion dollar private conglomerate holding company investing in private equity, real estate, and technology globally and he is President of Salsano Family Office. Sandro serves as a Trustee for the University of San Diego California and is on the Investment Committee for the Endowment of the University. A graduate of Bocconi University Milan with full grades, he also studied at Harvard, Oxford, and Princeton University. He and his wife Johanna have been married since 2014 and have two children.

The release date may not correspond to the recording date.