Financial Innovation – Improving Alpha:

Improving Alpha: Creating Synergies between Academia and Alternative Institutional Investors

By Improving-Alpha | April 20, 2026

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As the complexity in alternative financial markets grows, is the bridge between academia and institutional investing being stretched to a point of collapse? Both researchers and investors deal with similar problems in institutional investing. Solution approaches may differ, but could a value be found in combining points of view, so that investors benefit from greater combined intelligence and portfolio performance gains?

In our latest episode of the Improving Alpha podcast, we welcome Assistant Professor of Finance, Simon Mayer, from Carnegie Mellon University. Alternative investors who are wondering where academic theory and practitioner insights intersect will gain a tremendous view of the synergies that can be achieved today.

Catch the latest as host, Michael Oliver Weinberg, and Simon Mayer cover these synergies and trends across digital assets, ESG investing, continuation vehicles, and SPACs.

Highlights include:

What new developments are emerging when it comes to private capital markets?
What is the attraction to stablecoins, and how will it impact the larger financial ecosystem, especially in light of the Genius and Clarity Acts?
Why do private equity continuation vehicles exist, and just how great is the risk of zombie CVs and/or GPs sitting on both sides of the deal table?
What is the current state of ESG today, failures, passive investment when allocators wish to go greener, and shareholder activism?
What can be learned from the previous SPAC boom? Are they still useful, and how should you ride this roller-coaster for future strategic investments?
What does Simon believe will occur with the tokenization of other alternative assets as the market evolves?
And more.

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Connect with Michael Oliver Weinberg:

About Our Guest:

Simon Mayer joined Carnegie Mellon University as an Assistant Professor in Finance in summer 2023. Prior to joining CMU, Simon has been faculty at HEC Paris and a research fellow at Chicago Booth. He received his PhD in Financial Economics in 2021 at Erasmus University Rotterdam. His research interests include Corporate Finance, Financial Intermediation, Private Capital Markets, and Financial Technology. Simon has published in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, and the Journal of Financial Economics. At Tepper, he is teaching courses on Corporate Finance and Financial Markets.

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: John Coffey’s blueprint for a shadow SEC and further regulations under a new Trump Administration

By Improving-Alpha | January 13, 2025

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In just a few days the second Trump administration will be sworn in to the office of the presidency. There has already been a lot of debate around security regulations and what that might mean for institutional investors. Could we see Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies go higher, how will carbon emissions be regulated and reported to investors, and how will active, index, and quantitative investors be impacted by this new administration.

In our first 2025 episode of the Improving Alpha podcast, host Michael Oliver Weinberg sits down with John C. Coffee, Jr., Adolf A. Berle Professor of Law, Columbia Law School to explore these issues while presenting case examples covering Elon Musk’s compensation battles, SouthWest Airlines, and more.

John further highlights his insights on:

The formation and purpose of a shadow SEC to advise on current securities regulation issues and hopefully keep Congress from legislating in a manner that disrupts the actual SEC.
The three major institutional investment groups holding over 70% of US public corporations’ stocks and how they approach policy changes and systemic risk.
what is the right amount of institutional investment intelligence regarding carbon emissions today?
the Delaware Court’s competence on rulings in governance, and corporate law versus other state court approaches.
activist investing and how he came to write, The Wolf at the Door: The Impact of Hedge Fund Activism on Corporate Governance.
And more

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Connect with John Coffee:

About Our Guest:

A prolific scholar, sought-after speaker, and frequent news commentator, John C. Coffee Jr. is active in several fields and is a recognized leading authority on securities law, corporate governance, white-collar crime, complex litigation, and class actions.

Coffee has been elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is a life fellow of the European Corporate Governance Institute and the American Bar Foundation. He has also been repeatedly listed by the National Law Journal on its annual list of the 100 most influential lawyers in America.

The release date may not correspond to the recording date.

Improving Alpha: Koray Caliskan on the ‘Data Money’ of cryptocurrency and future applications

By Improving-Alpha | December 16, 2024

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Back in the 16th century, when paper money made its debut in Venice, skeptics doubted it could ever replace the clinking of metal coins. Fast forward to today, and we find ourselves seamlessly blending paper, coins, and cryptocurrency. This cutting-edge currency has skyrocketed to a market capitalization of $2-$3 trillion and continues to surge. Just last month, Bitcoin values were on the brink of reaching the monumental $100K milestone.

In our latest Improving Alpha podcast, host Michael Oliver Weinberg sits down with Koray Caliskan, Co-Director, MS Strategic Design and Management, The New School Parsons to discuss more on crypto, taxation, governance, and social innovation.

Koray highlights the following:

why are there losers and survivors in cryptocurrency and how can allocators navigate the nuances of these systems when making strategic asset allocations.
how will the regulation of cryptocurrencies need to evolve for wider adoption and can you tax crypto with normal paper and metal money.
his views on social innovation and why it’s so important for his students to pay attention to when choosing a career path.
where will artificial intelligence and LLMs feature in institutional investing and how are his students applying best practices today.
And more

Connect with Michael Oliver Weinberg:

Connect with Koray Caliskan:

About Our Guest:

With 25 years of experience in research and design, Koray is a scientist and designer who works in economies, management, and societies. His latest book is Data Money: Inside Cryptocurrencies and their Communities, Blockchains and Markets (Columbia UP). It is based on his award-winning multi-methods research, which was selected as the Scientific Breakthrough of the Year in Social Sciences and Humanities by the Falling Walls Foundation in 2021. He is also a co-founder of Mamame, a social enterprise that empowers under-represented women’s labor, and a former filmmaker whose work has been shown at the Cannes Film Festival. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Design Strategies and an Associate Editor of the Journal of Cultural Economy.

The release date may not correspond to the recording date.