Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders

Private markets investment is a giant field, and finding a unique place in the business isn’t easy. But when you pay close attention to timing, the needs and wants of your clients, and building a solid team, you can make a definitive mark in the industry.

Joining me to talk about how that's done is Scott Hart, CEO of StepStone Group, a private markets investment firm. Since its founding in 2006, StepStone’s seen steady growth, and that’s been fueled by their customized investment solutions and advisory and data services. With 23 offices around the world and $137 billion of assets under management, they just keep growing.

Scott joined StepStone in 2007, and he’s held a number of responsibilities across the organization, managing important client relationships, serving as co-head of private equity co-investments, and eventually becoming co-CEO in 2019, and CEO in January 2022.

Scott is also a member of the global executive committee, private equity executive committee, private equity investment committee, and private equity portfolio and risk management committees.

We talked about the factors around StepStone’s huge growth since Scott started in 2007, and the flywheel effect that’s helped get it there. We also took a dive into how diversification helped them carve out a niche built around custom products for a global client base.

Show Notes

Summary:

Private markets investment is a giant field, and finding a unique place in the business isn’t easy. But when you pay close attention to timing, the needs and wants of your clients, and building a solid team, you can make a definitive mark in the industry. 

Joining me to talk about how that's done is Scott Hart, CEO of StepStone Group, a private markets investment firm. Since its founding in 2006, StepStone’s seen steady growth, and that’s been fueled by their customized investment solutions and advisory and data services. With 23 offices around the world and $137 billion of assets under management, they just keep growing.

Scott joined StepStone in 2007, and he’s held a number of responsibilities across the organization, managing important client relationships, serving as co-head of private equity co-investments, and eventually becoming co-CEO in 2019, and CEO in January 2022. Scott is also a member of the global executive committee, private equity executive committee, private equity investment committee, and private equity portfolio and risk management committees.

We talked about the factors around StepStone’s huge growth since Scott started in 2007, and the flywheel effect that’s helped get it there. We also took a dive into how diversification helped them carve out a niche built around custom products for a global client base.

Highlights:
  • Scott tells us about StepStone's mission and how they carry it out (03:16)
  • Some of the important trends StepStone reacted to when they began 15 years ago (05:51)
  • Scott outlines StepStone's strong position within the GP and LP ecosystem (08:04)
  • StepStone's diversification strategies, global approach, and visibility (10:26)
  • What they have offered retail investors versus industrial investors (13:40)
  • Scott discusses StepStone's acquisition of Greenspring Associates (15:02)
  • StepStone's company culture and how they attracted the right people (16:39)
  • The keys to international expansion and managing a global firm (19:31)
  • The resiliency of the private markets after a decade-long bull run (21:57)
  • Scott shares projections for StepStone's long-term organic growth (24:53)
Links:
ICR Twitter
ICR LinkedIn
ICR Website
Scott Hart LinkedIn
Scott Hart Bio
StepStone Website
StepStone LinkedIn

Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, elizabeth@lowerstreet.co.

What is Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders?

In the increasingly crowded and competitive corporate and financial ecosystem, it’s harder than ever for companies to break through the clutter and be heard. The media, investors, agenda-driven influencers, even customers and competitors, are defining your business story on their terms. Therefore, it is imperative that companies take control and proactively drive the conversation with stakeholders in an effort to build & maintain equity value.

In Welcome to the Arena from ICR, Co-Founder & CEO of ICR, Tom Ryan, interviews key business and financial players who influence the fate of public or aspiring public companies in the capital markets. As a former Wall Street Journal ranked sell-side equity analyst and the founder of one of the largest strategic communications firms in the world, Tom understands what it takes to navigate this complex environment.

This is a forum for CEOs, CFOs, institutional investors, sell-side analysts, financial journalists, private equity professionals and other financial community participants to share their stories and give advice in an open and candid conversation.

For more information, visit http://www.icrinc.com