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

Welcome back to the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast.

Today’s episode is a special show with Ben Harrison, the Co-Founder of DealCloud, which is now part of Intapp, where he is President, Industries.

Ben is a former banker and private equity professional at Falfurrias Capital Partners who went on to co-found DealCloud to make the process of managing deals and relationships for alternative asset managers and related industry service providers more streamlined and seamless.

Ben and team have done just that at Intapp DealCloud. They’ve built a unified deal and relationship management software business that is more than just a CRM. They’ve integrated a CRM function with business development, marketing, pipeline, deal management, fundraising, and investor relations features into a single platforms to enable firms in private markets to better run their day to day processes. They have a roster of over 2,500 customers, which includes many of the industry’s leading alternative asset managers.

Ben and I had a fascinating conversation about the evolution of enterprise software that serves private markets and why it’s such a large and growing opportunity, which was shared through the lens of an experienced and successful operator in this space who has grown his business to hundreds of millions in ARR that both alternative asset managers and founders and operators in private markets software will find interesting.

We discussed:
  • Why scale matters in enterprise software just like it does in alternative asset management.
  • The strategic question of building a comprehensive end-to-end software solution versus building a point solution.
  • What are alternative asset managers looking for when building or buying software solutions for their business?
  • How are alternative asset managers thinking about data and tech differently?
  • Why and how the TAM for software solutions for private markets is growing in lockstep with AUM industry growth.
  • How data helps investors make better decisions.
  • Where AI can help automate processes for alternative asset managers.
  • Is AI over- or under-hyped?
Thanks Ben for sharing your thoughts and wisdom of building an industry-leading software company for private markets and for Intapp and DealCloud’s partnership with Alt Goes Mainstream. We hope you enjoy.

Show Notes
00:00 Introduction and Background
03:54 Building Industry-Specific Software Solutions
08:02 Strategic Approach: Point Solutions vs. End-to-End Solutions
13:11 Evolution of Alternative Asset Management and its Impact on Software Solutions
16:24 Benefits of Technology for Large and Small Firms
19:11 Building Software for Large Managers vs. Small Managers
23:10 Technology's Impact on Firms' Efficiency and Productivity
25:49 The Role of Technology in Professional Development
28:24 Key Features and Benefits of DealCloud's Software Platform
32:00 The Future of Technology in the Alternative Asset Management Industry
35:49 Unlocking the Potential of Technology
38:46 The Shift Towards a User-Friendly and Automated User Experience
45:18 The Importance of Data-Driven Decision-Making
52:21 Growth Opportunities in the Private Markets Industry
01:04:16 The Role of AI in Enhancing Software Capabilities

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.