This week on Swimming with Allocators, Earnest and Alexa welcome Teddy Repko of the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, who shares how his global upbringing, risk-aware personality, and early trading career shaped his investing approach, and how a shift at Columbia’s endowment from hedge funds to relationship-driven venture gave him a front-row seat to the asset class. He breaks down how LPs really underwrite managers—balancing base rates, power-law math, and portfolio construction with deep people and relationship assessment—and flags both opportunities and risks in today’s market, from mega funds, AI-driven valuations, and rapid funding cycles to concentrated DPI, late-stage growth, and crypto. Also in this episode, Nick Cassin explains how Sidley advises on secondary fund liquidity transactions, outlining the legal risks around transfers, why not all secondaries are created equal, and how structures like LP trades and strip sales are used across asset classes, including venture.

Highlights from this week’s conversation include:

Teddy’s Origin Story and Global Upbringing (1:14)

Discovering the Columbia Endowment Allocator Role (3:06)

Base Rates, Venture Math, and Manager Differentiation (8:20)

Rise of Mega Funds and Impact on Seed Ecosystem (11:07)

Valuation Concerns, AI Pace, and Compressed Diligence (13:47)

Nick Explains Legal Risk and Why Not All Secondaries Match (16:10)

Sidley’s Secondaries Practice Across Private Markets (20:18)

Risks in Later Stage Growth and Crypto Ecosystem (23:04)

Debating China Risk and Capital Return Constraints (26:23)

Background on Yahavitatam Tribe and Sovereign Wealth Fund (0:27:10)

How New Allocators Add Differentiated Value to Portfolios (30:15)

Israeli Seed Ecosystem and Top of Funnel Differentiation (32:38)

Relationship Building, AI Noise, and Handwritten Notes (36:34)

Final Reflections on Venture FOMO and Consistent Allocating (37:02)

Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Sovereign Fund is a sovereign wealth fund managed from the Reservation of the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation near Highland, California. Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation is a federally recognized American Indian tribe that exercises its inherent sovereign right of self-governance and provides essential services for its citizens through infrastructure development, governmental and civil services, and the advancement of social, economic, and cultural initiatives. The assets of the sovereign fund are managed by its executive leadership team in support of the Nation's long-term objectives and future generations.

Sidley Austin LLP is a premier global law firm with a dedicated Venture Funds practice, advising top venture capital firms, institutional investors, and private equity sponsors on fund formation, investment structuring, and regulatory compliance. With deep expertise across private markets, Sidley provides strategic legal counsel to help funds scale effectively. Learn more at sidley.com.

Swimming with Allocators is a podcast that dives into the intriguing world of Venture Capital from an LP (Limited Partner) perspective. Hosts Alexa Binns and Earnest Sweat are seasoned professionals who have donned various hats in the VC ecosystem. Each episode, we explore where the future opportunities lie in the VC landscape with insights from top LPs on their investment strategies and industry experts shedding light on emerging trends and technologies. 

The information provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this podcast are for general informational purposes only.

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