As wildfires engulf residencies once considered safe, floods sweep through sleeping towns, inundating their populations, and hurricanes decimate communities, these natural disasters have created more opportunities for capital to flow the catastrophe re-insurance market.

Pillar Capital, which is partially owned by Berkshire Hathaway’s Transatlantic Holdings, has established a track record for investors looking for attractive risk-adjusted returns that have little to no correlation to the financial markets, as well as  favourable liquidity terms.

Stephen explains the process, philosophy and people that populate their business. He describes the clients for whom this is most suitable, the incidence and change in natural disasters, the annual liquidity and the playing field of operators.

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UK wealth and capital markets are a significant niche on the global stage, and opportunity abounds.

Fragmented investment offerings, extreme valuation opportunities in the small cap space, and over £5tn of intergenerational wealth transfers, estimated to occur over the next 20 years. It all adds up to an intriguing cocktail of opportunity for those willing to build & acquire. 

In this Curated Channel episode, we aim to understand how Oberon Investments is positioning themselves to capitalise on some of these trends. In a different format, we have 3 legs to the conversations.   

First, CEO Simon McGivern sets the stage in explaining the genesis and vision of Oberon. Why is the opportunity so compelling? Who are the backers? Why are they aiming to offer an alternative to the larger, consolidated businesses?

Next, Richard Penny, a highly regarded veteran of the small-cap space, explains why he believes the UK offers some of the most compelling investment opportunities he can remember in his career.

Finally, senior portfolio managers Peter Martin and Toby Clothier explain the investment approach, the opportunities they see, and why they don’t fit in with the more typical approach found in this space.

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In this conversation we discuss the investment objectives of the £6bn+ endowment, charged with growing investors’ capital by an average of 5% per annum in real terms, and to achieve this at a lower volatility than would be experienced by investing solely in the public equity markets. 

Neamul discusses the investment approach, their priorities, and vital principles. He reviews the division between public and private equity allocations, how quickly they can move, venture capital, the network of managers with whom they work and the importance of not being too rigid. 

He talks about responding to investment failures, how to adapt, and the qualitative factors they look at when examining managers both current and potential.

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Julia Hoggett delivers a master class in diagnosing the issues that have confronted stock markets, capital raising, risk appetite, and pension allocations here in the UK.

She describes some of the immense transformations taking place, with top of the list being the ability for private companies to have their shares transacted on the London Stock Exchange, whether UK or overseas, now!

She describes the absence of risk appetite, the planned changes to address this, how the 27,000 active pension schemes in the UK, representing the second largest pensions market globally, are being brought together to emulate the best of Canada and Australia.

Julia explains the changes to make capital raising simplified, to assist scale ups, to encourage them to stay in the UK and finally why the UK IPO market may have a lot more good news coming down the tracks!

To quote Ian Dury and the Blockheads: “Reasons to be cheerful…”

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If you liked the music from Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones or Stranger Things, did you ever wonder who owns the rights and royalties and where the investment opportunity may lie?

In this conversation of an intriguing “alternative investment”, we welcome a founder and CEO who sits at the epicentre of this web, capitalising upon the powerful growth which is changing ways music, film and television are consumed.

Philip explains why there has been proliferation of digital platforms and content, matched by an increase in demand for media music usage, and how digitsation has allowed singers to know and to collect their entitlements.

He describes the forces driving these developments, the interplay between the cogs of the music machine and the opportunity they identified in an addressable market estimated to be worth £30bn. He explains Cutting Edge Group’s path to become a world leading music partner to the film and TV industries.

From the revenue model, the financing, through to the integrated platform they have built, Philip discusses how complexity around the ecosystem creates opportunity. He references why their recent JV with Warner Bros Music significantly increases the assets under CEG’s management and underscores its growth from a niche player into a major partner for Hollywood studios.

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Designed for finance professionals, these episodes offer deeper and more intricate insights into a range of investment funds and other finance businesses. 

Produced in partnership with firms, they help support the main show and ensure we can bring you more insightful and inspiring finance content! Enjoy our trailer here!

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In the investing universe, where long/short hedge funds are fewer and passive has reigned supreme, Orgueil Capital was established in February 2024 as an investment fund with an aspiration to quintuple investment capital over the next 8-9 years! 

Founder Stephen Roberts, previously of Horseman Capital, explains why he came out of retirement to run a return-seeking, concentrated, thematic fund (with his family as a cornerstone investor).  

He explains how they use a mix of thematic and fundamental research, helped by a macro-overlay to identify a range of opportunities. 

Stephen covers why, at the time of recording, they’re long on Chinese technology companies like Alibaba and UK house builders, but short on European car manufacturers.   

Whilst he recognises that long/short is not an approach for everyone, he contends it is suitable for a slice of an investor’s allocation. 

Stephen’s conviction about the available opportunity set and willingness to back his convictions emphatically means his approach is more reminiscent of many of the hedge funds that were once a much larger part of the investing world. Recorded on 9th June 2025.  

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RETRACTION: In the introduction (00:50) Simon states that Orgueil Capital aims to "...quintuple capital through returns over 5-7 years." In fact, Orgueil Capital hopes to quintuple capital over the next 8-9 years. For more information on this, please visit their website.

DISCLAIMER: All content on the Money Maze Podcast is for your general information and use only and is not intended to address your particular requirements. In particular, the content does not constitute any form of advice, recommendation, representation, endorsement or arrangement and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making (or refraining from making) any specific investment or other decisions. We try to provide content that is true and accurate as of the date of publishing; however, we give no assurance or warranty regarding the accuracy, timeliness, or applicability of any of the contents. Guests, presenters and other individuals involved in the production of this podcast may have positions in any of the investments discussed. Please note, Money Maze Curated Podcasts are funded by the interviewee or their featured organization, unlike the Money Maze Podcast, which is funded by third party advertising.

Polen Capital is a US investment management organization, founded in 1979, which has a growing global footprint driven by its specialisation in concentrated equity portfolios and high yield credit strategies.  

Stan explains their equity approach, high return on capital and lower volatility. Equally he discusses why they view “credit as different to the agencies” and the opportunities their approach delivers in terms of “yield advantage”.  

He discusses the evolution of the business and its route to managing circa. $60bn today. He then describes the investment in building a lasting culture, their geographic expansion of offices to London, Singapore and Abu Dhabi, and how these fit into their ambitions and growth plans.  

Finally, he discusses recently attracting the European hi-yield team from Aberdeen Investments, the purchase of Somerset Capital and Hong Kong based Income Partners, and strategic goal of pursuing both organic growth and growth by acquisition.   

*Please note that at 21:58, Stan misspeaks when discussing basis points. Where he says "1,500" he means to say "150" basis points. 

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DISCLAIMER: All content on the Money Maze Podcast is for your general information and use only and is not intended to address your particular requirements. In particular, the content does not constitute any form of advice, recommendation, representation, endorsement or arrangement and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making (or refraining from making) any specific investment or other decisions. We try to provide content that is true and accurate as of the date of publishing; however, we give no assurance or warranty regarding the accuracy, timeliness, or applicability of any of the contents. Guests, presenters and other individuals involved in the production of this podcast may have positions in any of the investments discussed. Please note, Money Maze Curated Podcasts are funded by the interviewee or their featured organization, unlike the Money Maze Podcast, which is funded by third party advertising.

In 1965, the BBC launched Tomorrow’s World, a pioneering program that ran for four decades, spotlighting innovations in technology, healthcare, and science—many of which became essential to modern life.

Today, the commercialization of groundbreaking inventions presents significant investment opportunities, but identifying, funding, and nurturing them demands vision, skill, and patience.

In this conversation, Peter Davies, Senior Partner and Portfolio Manager at Lansdowne Partners, shares insights into his approach and their latest fund designed to tap into these opportunities.

He discusses the appeal of UK intellectual property from leading British universities - often underfunded and overlooked - drawing on a decade of experience investing in this ecosystem.

From sourcing and financing to filtering and partnering, Davies explains how technological disruption creates both challenges and commercial opportunities.

He details exciting prospects, the fund’s structure, exit strategies, and why, despite the allure of high rewards, strict process and valuation discipline remain paramount.

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DISCLAIMER: All content on the Money Maze Podcast is for your general information and use only and is not intended to address your particular requirements. In particular, the content does not constitute any form of advice, recommendation, representation, endorsement or arrangement and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making (or refraining from making) any specific investment or other decisions. We try to provide content that is true and accurate as of the date of publishing; however, we give no assurance or warranty regarding the accuracy, timeliness, or applicability of any of the contents. Guests, presenters and other individuals involved in the production of this podcast may have positions in any of the investments discussed. Please note, Money Maze Curated Podcasts are funded by the interviewee or their featured organization, unlike the Money Maze Podcast, which is funded by third party advertising.

If science and innovation hold the keys to tomorrow’s kingdoms, then their successful discovery, nurturing, and commercialisation will give advantage to the nations where they are found and built and in turn, offer the potential for significant investment opportunities.

Greg Smith, is CEO of IP Group, one of the UK’s very few specialised, publicly listed, investors in science and innovation.

In this episode, Greg explains IP’s business and opportunity set. He discusses UK innovation and where and why it is world class.

He explains sourcing opportunities, the investment process, and why he is so excited about their portfolio (covering firms such as Oxford Nanopore, Istesso, Pulmocide, Oxa & Hysata). 

He continues with discussing the hurdles in the UK to commercialising and retaining more of the great innovations found here, and assesses their early mover position. 

Finally he discusses the share price’s discount to NAV, and what may lie ahead.

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DISCLAIMER: All content on the Money Maze Podcast is for your general information and use only and is not intended to address your particular requirements. In particular, the content does not constitute any form of advice, recommendation, representation, endorsement or arrangement and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making (or refraining from making) any specific investment or other decisions. We try to provide content that is true and accurate as of the date of publishing; however, we give no assurance or warranty regarding the accuracy, timeliness, or applicability of any of the contents. Guests, presenters and other individuals involved in the production of this podcast may have positions in any of the investments discussed. Please note, Money Maze Curated Podcasts are funded by the interviewee or their featured organization, unlike the Money Maze Podcast, which is funded by third party advertising.