E111: KFF’s (Kaiser Family Foundation) CIO on their $700 Million Venture Capital Edge

Dean Duchak, Chief Investment Officer at KFF sits down with David Weisburd to discuss the lessons learned from 13 years at KFF, how to create a culture of collaboration in endowments, and Dean’s perspective on diversifying investment strategies. (0:00) Introduction to $700 million endowment and venture capital allocation (1:27) Overview of KFF and asset allocation strategies (3:46) Correlation between assets and macroeconomic trends (7:07) Thematic investing in healthcare and AI (8:29) Sponsor: Carta (9:21) Leveraging GP relationships for investment insights (10:27) Daily portfolio management activities (15:14) Strategies for managing a $700 million endowment (20:47) Challenges of illiquidity in venture capital (22:24) Persistence of returns and tax policy impact (24:29) Navigating through different market cycles (26:16) Timing and diversifying the venture market (29:43) Exploring new asset classes and investment processes (31:27) Key lessons from 13 years at KFF (33:09) Developing skills for new institutional investors (35:54) The role of networking in investment success (36:50) Closing remarks and sponsor message