Generating Alpha Podcast

Amir Fischer
  • 5.0 (4)
  • INVESTING
  • UPDATED DAILY

Generating Alpha brings the next generation of investors face-to-face with legends of finance. Hosted by a 16-year-old, it features rare conversations with icons like Steve Cohen, Howard Marks, Barry Sternlicht, Jim Chanos, and Tim Draper. Guests open up with untold stories: from childhood sparks to empire-building moments, sharing lessons you won’t find in textbooks. For students, young professionals, and anyone curious about how the greats think, Generating Alpha offers an unfiltered look into the minds shaping the future of investing. New episodes every Thursday.

  1. 3D AGO

    Episode 48: Dmitry Balyasny - Managing Partner and CIO of Balyasny Asset Management

    This week on Generating Alpha, I sat down with Dmitry Balyasny, Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Balyasny Asset Management (BAM), one of the world's most successful multi-strategy hedge funds with over $30 billion in assets under management. Dmitry's journey began in 1992 when he joined Schonfeld Securities as a proprietary trader straight out of Loyola University Chicago. Over nine years, he honed his craft in volatility arbitrage and options trading, eventually becoming Head of the Volatility Arbitrage Group. In 2001, he founded Balyasny Asset Management with a clear vision: build a best-in-class platform that attracts and retains exceptional investment talent across multiple strategies. Under Dmitry's leadership, BAM has become known for its rigorous risk management, disciplined capital allocation, and ability to generate consistent alpha across market cycles. The firm operates dozens of portfolio management teams spanning equities, quantitative strategies, commodities, and credit, unified by a culture of intellectual rigor and accountability. Dmitry built one of the industry's most sophisticated infrastructures for portfolio management, combining centralized risk oversight with decentralized decision-making that empowers talented investors. In our conversation, we explored how Dmitry thinks about talent evaluation and building high-performance investment teams. We discussed his framework for risk management at scale, the evolution of multi-strategy investing over two decades, and how BAM has maintained its edge as the industry has become increasingly competitive. We also talked about his philosophy on capital allocation, learning from losses, and creating a culture where the best investors want to build their careers. It's a rare look inside one of hedge fund investing's most disciplined minds and a masterclass in building institutional excellence. Presented by: rho.co/generatingalpha

    53 min

  2. 5D AGO

    Episode 47: Pete Muller - Founder of PDT Partners

    This week on Generating Alpha, I sat down with Peter Muller, founder and CEO of PDT Partners, one of the most successful and secretive quantitative trading firms in modern finance. Pete's journey is unlike any other on Wall Street. After graduating with honors in mathematics from Princeton, he moved to California to compose music for rhythmic gymnastics teams before landing at BARRA, where he discovered his passion for quantitative finance. In 1993, he pitched Morgan Stanley with a radical idea: using quantitative models rather than human traders to manage portfolios. They gave him two years to make it work. He founded Process Driven Trading (PDT) and built it into a legendary operation that reportedly generated over $20 billion in cumulative profits before spinning out as an independent firm in 2012. What made PDT extraordinary wasn't just the returns—reportedly averaging over 20% annually through 2010—it was the culture. Pete recruited physicists, mathematicians, and unconventional thinkers who thrived in an environment valuing precision and innovation, maintaining consistent performance through multiple market cycles while staying almost entirely out of the public eye. Beyond finance, Pete is an accomplished singer-songwriter and pianist who has released six albums, performed at the Montreux Jazz Festival, and famously busked in New York City subways. He creates crossword puzzles for The New York Times, serves as a trustee of Berklee College of Music, and co-founded Math for America. In our conversation, we explored how Pete builds models that actually work, manages risk through volatile markets, and created a culture that attracts the brightest minds in finance. We also discussed the parallels between music and quantitative trading, and why the best strategies come from asking better questions. It's an extraordinary window into one of finance's most brilliant and enigmatic minds. Presented by: rho.co/generatingalpha

    35 min

  3. JAN 30

    Episode 46: Larry Connor - Founder of the Connor Group

    This week on Generating Alpha, I sat down with Larry Connor, founder and managing partner of The Connor Group and one of the most successful real estate investors of the past three decades. Larry's path was unconventional. After graduating summa cum laude from Ohio University with degrees in English and history, he started a painting business in high school, built and sold a tavern with a 300% return, then spent nine years running Orlando Computer Corporation before it failed. That failure became his "PhD in the Hard Knocks of business" and the foundation for an extraordinary career. In 1991, Larry founded what would become The Connor Group with just $400,000 and one investor to buy three apartment communities in Dayton, Ohio. He built the firm on a contrarian thesis: treat apartments not as passive real estate investments, but as operating businesses with dramatic margin improvement potential. Over 32 years, The Connor Group has delivered over 30% average annual IRR to investors—outpacing firms like Brookfield and Blackstone. Out of 241 acquisitions, they've lost money on only eight. Today, the firm manages $5 billion in assets across 18 markets. Beyond business, Larry is one of the world's most accomplished adventurers. In 2021-2022, he became the first person in history to dive to the deepest part of the ocean—the Mariana Trench—and travel to the International Space Station in the same year. He's won national racing championships, competed at Le Mans, flies F-5 fighter jets, and is planning to dive to the Titanic wreckage to prove deep-sea exploration can be done safely. In our conversation, we explored how Larry thinks about counter-cyclical investing and building a culture of extreme accountability. We also discussed his philosophy on hiring people with no industry experience, why failure is the greatest teacher, and what connects exceptional entrepreneurship with pushing the limits of human exploration. It's a rare look at one of America's most distinctive investors and a masterclass in contrarian thinking, operational excellence, and living without limits. Presented by: rho.co/generatingalpha

    43 min

  4. JAN 10

    Episode 45: Keith Rabois - Managing Director at Khosla Ventures

    This week on Generating Alpha, I sat down with Keith Rabois, Managing Director at Khosla Ventures and one of the most accomplished operators and investors in Silicon Valley history. Keith's path was unconventional. After studying political science at Stanford, where he met Peter Thiel and worked on The Stanford Review, he graduated from Harvard Law School, clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and practiced as a litigator at Sullivan & Cromwell. That legal foundation became the bedrock for an exceptional career at the intersection of building and investing. Keith started in tech as an executive at PayPal, then moved to LinkedIn as VP of Business and Corporate Development before becoming COO of Square, helping scale the company through its critical growth years. His operating experience is matched by an extraordinary investing track record. At Khosla Ventures, he led the first institutional investments in DoorDash, Affirm, and Faire, invested early in Stripe, and co-founded Opendoor. At Founders Fund, he led investments in Ramp, Trade Republic, and Aven, and made early personal investments in YouTube, Airbnb, Palantir, Lyft, and Eventbrite. He has ranked as high as number four on the Forbes Midas list in the U.S. and number eight globally. In 2021, he co-founded OpenStore, and recently returned to Opendoor's board as Chairman. In our conversation, we explored how Keith thinks about identifying asymmetric opportunities and how he evaluates talent at the earliest stages. We also discussed his framework for being a great seed investor and why the best people frame themselves as not just the best, but the only. It's a rare look at one of Silicon Valley's most influential builders and a masterclass in execution, leverage, and long-term value creation. Presented by: rho.co/generatingalpha

    40 min

  5. 12/18/2025

    Episode 44: Paul Wachter - Founder and CEO of Main Street Advisors

    This week on Generating Alpha, I sat down with Paul Wachter — founder and CEO of Main Street Advisors, the firm that has quietly become one of the most influential strategic advisory platforms in entertainment, sports, and culture. Paul’s path to building MSA was anything but conventional. After studying at Wharton and Columbia Law School, he began his career in law before moving into senior roles in investment banking at firms like Kidder Peabody and Schroder & Co. That blend of legal rigor, financial sophistication, and strategic thinking would later become the foundation for a new kind of advisory model — one built not just around deals, but around long-term partnership. MSA was born with its first client, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and grew alongside a generation of iconic talent. Under Paul’s leadership, the firm helped redefine what it means to represent creators and athletes — not just as earners, but as owners, builders, and partners. From negotiating LeBron James’s lifetime deal with Nike, to architecting Beats by Dre from idea to its landmark sale to Apple, Paul has been at the center of some of the most consequential transactions in modern culture. In our conversation, we explored how MSA thinks about authenticity and trust when building brands, how Paul evaluates talent early in their careers, and what separates enduring businesses from short-lived influence. We also discussed what great negotiation really looks like at the highest level. It’s a rare, inside look at the strategist behind some of the most powerful figures in music, sports, and entertainment — and a masterclass in building long-term value at the intersection of culture and capital. Presented by: rho.co/generatingalpha

    46 min

  6. 12/12/2025

    Episode 43: Ryan Tolkin - CEO and CIO of Schonfeld Strategic Advisors

    This week on Generating Alpha, I sat down with Ryan Tolkin — CEO of Schonfeld, a multi-billion dollar alternative asset manager that has quietly become one of the most powerful and consistent forces in the hedge fund industry. Ryan's history with the firm dates back to a high school internship, where his analytical talent was first spotted. He joined the firm as Chief Investment Officer at 27, a role he ascended to just a few years out of college, demonstrating a precocious understanding of risk and capital markets. It was under his leadership that Schonfeld transitioned from a proprietary family office to a major global player, making the pivotal decision to accept outside, third-party capital in 2016 and build the multi-strategy platform we know today. We discussed how his early experiences—from trading (perhaps even starting with baseball cards) to managing risk at a young age—shaped his systematic approach to portfolio management. In our conversation, we spoke about how Schonfeld designs its platform to maximize manager performance and minimize drawdowns, what it takes to seperate signal from noise in todays age, and the habits and mindset required to compound advantage over decades in a highly competitive industry. It’s a rare look inside the thinking of a modern hedge fund leader helping shape the next generation of top portfolio managers—and the quiet architecture behind enduring success. Presented by: rho.co/generatingalpha

    44 min

  7. 12/08/2025

    Episode 42: Collin Roche - Co-CEO and Managing Partner of GTCR

    This week on Generating Alpha, I sat down with Collin Roche — Co-CEO of GTCR, one of the most influential and consistently successful private equity firms of the modern era. GTCR is widely known for pioneering the Leaders Strategy — a model that flips traditional private equity on its head by first identifying world-class executives, then building companies around them. Under Collin’s leadership, the firm has continued to scale and shape category-defining businesses across healthcare, software, and financial services, quietly creating billions in value behind the scenes. Collin’s approach sits at the intersection of strategy, psychology, and long-term thinking. Rather than chasing trends, he focuses on people, structure, and disciplined execution — the unglamorous but decisive work that turns good ideas into great enterprises. In our conversation, we spoke about what separates elite operators from average ones, how GTCR identifies leaders before companies even exist, and the habits and mindset required to compound advantage over decades. It’s a rare look inside the thinking of a modern private equity leader helping shape the next generation of great companies — and the quiet architecture behind enduring success. Presented by: rho.co/generatingalpha

    41 min

  8. 11/27/2025

    Episode 41: Antonio Gracias - Founder and CEO of Valor Equity Partners

    This week on Generating Alpha, I sat down with Antonio Gracias — one of the few true first-principles thinkers in modern business and a key architect behind some of the most transformative companies of the 21st century.A student of physics and the human brain, Gracias began his career as an operator — stepping into distressed and underperforming businesses and engineering turnarounds through discipline, systems thinking, and relentless execution. He eventually founded Valor Equity Partners, which became one of the earliest and most influential growth investors in America.At Valor, Gracias backed a generation-defining wave of companies long before they were obvious — including Tesla, SpaceX, and other frontier-technology firms that now shape global industry. Beyond capital, he played hands-on operational roles inside several of these businesses, guiding teams through scaling challenges, manufacturing complexity, and strategic inflection points.In our conversation, we spoke about his analytical approach to problem-solving, what he learned from years spent fixing broken companies, the mental models he relies on when backing founders like Elon Musk, and how he evaluates technologies that could define the next several decades.It’s a rare look inside the mindset of an investor-operator who has quietly influenced industries from electric vehicles to space exploration — and whose first-principles approach continues to shape some of the most ambitious companies on the planet.

    40 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Generating Alpha brings the next generation of investors face-to-face with legends of finance. Hosted by a 16-year-old, it features rare conversations with icons like Steve Cohen, Howard Marks, Barry Sternlicht, Jim Chanos, and Tim Draper. Guests open up with untold stories: from childhood sparks to empire-building moments, sharing lessons you won’t find in textbooks. For students, young professionals, and anyone curious about how the greats think, Generating Alpha offers an unfiltered look into the minds shaping the future of investing. New episodes every Thursday.

Information

  • Creator
    Amir Fischer
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Amir Fischer
  • Show Website
    Generating Alpha Podcast

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