Alt Goes Mainstream: The Latest on Alternative Investments, WealthTech, & Private Markets

Today marks the launch of a new show on Alt Goes Mainstream: Going Public with Evercore’s Glenn Schorr.

17 years ago, there wasn’t a single alternative asset manager that was part of the public markets. Today, not only are a number of the industry’s largest firms public, but in 2024, the industry’s largest alternative asset manager, Blackstone, entered the S&P 500.

Understanding the inner workings, strategic moves, and financial performance of the industry’s largest players can help to explain many of the trends that are making alternatives become mainstream and these firms become mainstays in the financial services ecosystem.

Going Public will make private markets more public with expert analysis.

Glenn Schorr is a Senior MD and Senior Research Analyst at Evercore ISI, where he covers brokers, banks, asset managers, and trust banks as an analyst. 

He has covered financials since 2000 and started coverage of alternative asset managers when the first firms went public.

He’s consistently come up as one of the most thoughtful and well-respected analysts in the space. He balances deep research with a creative flair (just read one of the titles of his research reports and you can see his love of the game). He’s been named to Institutional Investor’s All-America Research Team for his coverage, most recently ranking #2 and runner up in 2023, #1 and #2 in 2022. Prior to Evercore, Glenn was a Senior MD at Nomura, serving as the lead financials analyst. 

Listen in as Glenn shares market stories, the evolution of alternative asset managers as businesses, the biggest and most exciting trends in private markets based on what the industry’s largest players are doing, and we go “around the horn” for his analysis on the publicly traded firms. 

Show Notes
00:38 Introduction to the Going Public Series and award-winning Wall Street Analyst, Glenn Schorr
01:54 Glenn's Career Journey
03:08 The Early Days of Alts Managers Going Public
03:26 Skepticism and Challenges in Going Public
04:06 Investor Skepticism and Challenges
07:00 Transformation and Tipping Points
09:03 Structural Tailwinds and Market Trends
10:57 The Decision to Go Public vs. Staying Private
12:39 Ambition and Vision in Asset Management
14:51 The Distribution vs. Manufacturing Debate
17:03 Lessons from Traditional Asset Management
18:55 Discipline and Growth in the Alts Market
20:03 The Future of Public and Private Markets
20:50 The Role of Distribution in Asset Management
21:59 Success Stories and Acquisition Strategies
23:02 Manufacturing Competency vs. Acquisitions
24:40 The Rise of Private Markets
26:07 How Alternative Managers Make Money
27:02 Valuation Factors for Alternative Managers
28:44 Profitability and Margins in Asset Management
29:23 Building a Business: Costs and Competitive Advantages
29:50 The Moat of Success in Business
30:15 Challenges for Traditional Asset Managers
30:56 The Importance of Vision and Technology
31:22 Scaling a Business with Proven Success
31:40 Insurance Asset Management: Strategic Moves and Structural Advantages
32:17 Structural Advantages in Asset Management
33:05 The Rise of Private Credit Managers
34:43 The Impact of Interest Rates on Private Credit Managers
35:32 Navigating Rate Sensitivity in Capital Markets
38:25 Deployment and Monetization in Asset Management
39:08 The Challenge of Dry Powder in Private Equity
41:14 The Role of Deployment in Investment Success
41:46 The Resilience of Publicly Traded Alts Managers
43:26 Spotlight on Blackstone's Growth and Innovation
46:38 KKR's Global Expansion and Innovation
48:41 Apollo's Market Leadership and Challenges
50:11 Blue Owl's Strategic Investments and Challenges
53:56 TPG's Public Transition and Growth
55:11 Carlyle’s Progress and Future Challenges
56:11 Looking Ahead: Key Trends and Expectations

Disclosures
Evercore ISI
Glenn Schorr
Company Coverage and Disclosures
Ticker      Company
APO         Apollo Global Management, Inc.
BAC         Bank of America Corporation
Glenn Schorr holds a long position in equity securities of Bank of America Corporation.
BK            Bank of New York Mellon Corp.
Glenn Schorr holds a long position in equity securities of Bank of New York Mellon Corp.
BLK          BlackRock, Inc.
Glenn Schorr holds a long position in equity securities of BlackRock Inc.
BX            Blackstone, Inc.
Blackstone, Inc. is a client of Evercore LLC, and Evercore LLC has provided investment banking services to Blackstone, Inc. in the last 12 months.
Evercore ISI or an affiliate expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from Blackstone, Inc. within the next three months.
An employee, employee's immediate family member, director or consultant of Evercore ISI or one of its affiliates (but not the covering research analyst or a member of the covering re advisory board member of Blackstone, Inc..
Evercore ISI or an affiliate has received compensation from Blackstone, Inc. for investment banking services in the last 12 months.
Analyst has a financial interest in a private equity fund managed by Blackstone, Inc.
Glenn Schorr holds a long position in equity securities of Blackstone, Inc.
OWL         Blue Owl Capital, Inc.
Evercore ISI or an affiliate has acted as a manager or co-manager of a public offering of securities by Blue Owl Capital, Inc in the last 12 months.
Blue Owl Capital, Inc is a client of Evercore LLC, and Evercore LLC has provided investment banking services to Blue Owl Capital, Inc in the last 12 months.
Evercore ISI or an affiliate has received compensation from Blue Owl Capital, Inc for investment banking services in the last 12 months.
BSIG        BrightSphere Investment
C               Citigroup, Inc.
An employee, employee's immediate family member, director or consultant of Evercore ISI or one of its affiliates (but not the covering research analyst or a member of the covering re advisory board member of Citigroup, Inc.
Glenn Schorr holds a long position in equity securities of Citigroup, Inc.
BEN          Franklin Resources, Inc.
Glenn Schorr holds a long position in equity securities of Franklin Resources, Inc.
GS            Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
IVZ           Invesco Ltd.
JPM         JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Glenn Schorr holds a long position in equity securities of JPMorgan Chase & Co.
KKR          KKR & Co. Inc.
KKR & Co. Inc. is a client of Evercore LLC, and Evercore LLC has provided investment banking services to KKR & Co. Inc. in the last 12 months.
Evercore ISI or an affiliate has received compensation from KKR & Co. Inc. for investment banking services in the last 12 months.
MS            Morgan Stanley
Glenn Schorr holds a long position in equity securities of Morgan Stanley.
NTRS       Northern Trust Corp.
STT          State Street Corp.
Glenn Schorr holds a long position in equity securities of State Street Corp.
TROW     T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.
Evercore ISI or an affiliate has received compensation for products or services other than investment banking services from T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. in the last 12 months.
T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. is a client of Evercore ISI or an affiliate and Evercore ISI or an affiliate has provided non-investment banking securities-related services to T. Rowe Price.
CG           The Carlyle Group Inc.
The Carlyle Group Inc. is a client of Evercore LLC, and Evercore LLC has provided investment banking services to The Carlyle Group Inc. in the last 12 months.
Evercore ISI or an affiliate expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from The Carlyle Group Inc. within the next three months.
An employee, employee's immediate family member, director or consultant of Evercore ISI or one of its affiliates (but not the covering research analyst or a member of the covering re advisory board member of The Carlyle Group Inc.
TPG         TPG Inc.
TPG Inc is a client of Evercore LLC, and Evercore LLC has provided investment banking services to TPG Inc in the last 12 months.
Evercore ISI or an affiliate expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from TPG Inc within the next three months.

What is Alt Goes Mainstream: The Latest on Alternative Investments, WealthTech, & Private Markets?

Alt Goes Mainstream podcast is the place to turn to for interviews with some of the brightest and most experienced minds in the world of alternative investing, private equity (PE), venture capital (VC), real estate, crypto, collectibles and more. For anyone looking to invest into alternative assets (from experienced wealth managers to family offices to the individual investor looking for a more diversified investment portfolio), you’ll hear inside stories from executives and founders at some of the world’s largest financial institutions, alternative investment firms, and FinTech startups. More than a personal finance podcast, Alt Goes Mainstream dives deep into trends, investment strategies, firm building lessons, and innovative technologies that are enabling investors to access private markets and invest into alternative assets.