Origins: Inside Venture Capital

What does it look like when one of the world’s most longstanding institutional investors ($120B) decides to go deeper into venture capital? And what happens when one of the most respected LP teams in the business joins forces with them?Thomas Kristensen, who is responsible for the venture capital business at LGT Capital Partners, joins hosts Nick and Beezer for a wide-ranging conversation that doubles as an announcement: the Sapphire Partners team – including Beezer, Laura and Nate – have joined LGT Capital Partners. Thomas explains why the fit made sense.LGT Capital Partners manages over $120 billion on behalf of more than 700 institutional clients and is owned by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein. That ownership brings a long-term perspective, often measured in decades rather than years, and it shapes how Thomas and his team approach venture: with patience, close partnership and a willingness to be both buyer and seller in private markets.Together with Nick and Beezer, Thomas unpacks the firm's recently published white paper on the case for increasing venture allocation, built on three pillars: lifecycle diversification, an innovation hedge against AI-driven displacement and the maturation of secondary markets as a liquidity tool. He also offers a frank assessment of the current market, noting that the pace of deployment feels reminiscent of 2020-2021, and that a valuation dip may be coming regardless of how transformative AI ultimately proves to be.From the endowment model's stress test to the temptation of clinging to a single fund-returner, this is a thoughtful conversation about long-term thinking from an investor who has spent more than two decades refining his approach.Quotes“It’s not new that incumbents are challenged by new entrants. I think what’s new is the speed at which this is happening. In the age of AI, it feels like there is a risk that many incumbents could be displaced quite quickly. And so including venture capital in your portfolio is a way of hedging against this.”“Are LPs gonna run out of capital? I don't know. Sometimes I wonder if the world is going to run out of capital to fund CapEx for AI right now. We always say, ‘Listen, if you come into venture capital as an asset class, if you're an allocator, you can go in when it's hot, you can go in when it's not. You will only really figure out in hindsight.’ The most important thing if you start committing to venture is, make sure that you can commit at a steady pace over a long, long period of time because it's a market you cannot time. There's just no way.”Time Stamps04:13 Meet Thomas Kristensen, Head of Venture Capital at LGT Capital Partners05:52 The Princely Family of Liechtenstein and the Long-Term Mindset08:37 The White Paper: Why LGT Capital Partners Is Increasing Its Venture Allocation09:45 Three Pillars: Lifecycle Diversification, Innovation Hedge, and Secondary Markets12:35 Big News: The Sapphire Partners Team Joins LGT Capital Partners17:35 LP Consolidation: What It Means for GPs23:47 GP Advice: Keep First Things First on LP Alignment32:03 Engineering a More Liquid Private Portfolio37:07 AI Market Heat and Fundraising Pace45:44 Closing Remarks and What’s NextLinksConnect with the guest and hosts on LinkedIn!• Thomas Kristensen• Beezer Clarkson• Nick ChirlsLearn more about:• LGT Capital Partners• Asylum Ventures• OpenLP• LGT Venture Capital White Paper

Origins hosts Nick Chirls (GP, Asylum Ventures) and Beezer Clarkson (LP, Sapphire Partners) react to their conversation with Nicholas Csicsko, a public/private investor at Trinity. They dig into his framing of “cynical optimism” and why it might be the right posture for venture investing, unpack the growing obsolescence risk for SaaS companies from earlier vintages, and cap it off with a live question: if sovereign wealth pulls back from US venture, what breaks first?For a monthly roundup of the latest venture insights, including the newest Origins episodes, subscribe to the OpenLP newsletter – delivered straight to your inbox: https://subscribe.openlp.vcCHAPTERS:00:00 Welcome to Origins00:54 Musicians as Investors01:39 Cynical Optimism Explained02:47 Investor Role Beyond Cheerleading03:11 Steadying Founder Emotions05:59 SaaS Obsolete Before Liquidity07:06 Old SaaS Playbook Breaks08:00 Lovable Growth Reality Check09:01 Creative Destruction Across Portfolios10:17 LP Optimism and Venture Nuance11:26 Ugly Truths About Great InvestorsLearn more about OpenLP: https://openlp.vcLearn more about Asylum Ventures: https://asylum.vcLearn more about Sapphire Partners: https://sapphire.vc

What happens when a classically trained musician from Juilliard ends up managing a $6 billion endowment? Today's episode of Origins explores exactly that journey - and what it reveals about how the best institutional investors really think.Nicholas Csicsko, Managing Director of Investments at Trinity Church NYC, brings a rare perspective to venture capital - one shaped by years of classical music training, a doctorate from Juilliard, and a decade building out one of America's most unique institutional investors. Trinity Church, founded in 1697 and endowed with 215 acres of Manhattan by Queen Anne in 1705, has grown its diversified investment pool to over $4 billion under Nicholas and CIO Meredith Jenkins.Together with hosts Nick & Beezer, the group digs into what institutional LPs really look for in venture managers, and what puts them off. From the tension between patient capital and the need for liquidity, to skepticism around sky-high private market valuations and the growing disconnect between private and public markets, Nicholas delivers the kind of frank, independent thinking that makes for a truly exceptional investor.Along the way, they explore the virtues of "cynical optimism" in early-stage investing, the institutional pressures that push LPs toward brand-name funds, and why Nicholas believes the best venture managers are those who know themselves deeply. From the challenges of scaling a venture firm to whether today's AI-driven capital surge is sustainable, this conversation offers a grounded, data-aware take on what it takes to build lasting returns in private markets.—Quotes"If you could put a bunch of investments into a line item that wasn't going to receive scrutiny, that left tail risk of something going to zero would probably be less. But if it's visible, it's discussable. You probably don't get fired for doing the next a16z fund, but you might be questioned if you take a flyer on someone who's up and coming. And so there's this institutional pressure towards, dare I say, conformity. But what's safe? What's perceived as safe?”"It's all fine and good that folks think they can raise and put more money to work, but I'm a little worried about where it's taking us because when open AI raises around 4x larger than any IPO in history, I kind of worry that we're creating a market that is not sustainable because ultimately there's not enough liquidity. There is a massive disconnect there.”"Knowing thyself is probably the number one thing I would attribute to all of the best investors I've met. And as they get older and more experienced, they know what they think they need more and more without stopping challenging their bias, without adding that new person to make them better.”—Time Stamps00:55 Meet Nicholas Csicsko, Managing Director, Investments at Trinity Wall Street02:24 Musician Mindset to Investing03:40 From Juilliard to Finance05:56 Trinity Church Endowment Story09:56 Building the Portfolio and Venture12:31 Institutional Risk and Conformity14:47 Private Public Market Disconnect18:57 DPI, TVPI and Secondaries20:41 Backing Off Radar Managers23:47 Cynical Optimism in Venture28:04 Building a VC Firm Team34:34 Where Venture Fits Today39:02 Too Much Capital and Liquidity?42:20 Closing and Next Episode—LinksConnect with the guest and hosts on LinkedIn!Nicholas CsicskoBeezer ClarksonNick ChirlsLearn more about:Trinity Church NYCAlfred P. Sloan FoundationOpenLPAsylum Ventures

Origins hosts Nick Chirls (GP, Asylum Ventures) and Beezer Clarkson (LP, LGT Capital Partners) unpack a recent conversation with David Clark, CIO of VenCap International PLC on megafunds vs small funds and a16z returns. They also discuss Beezer’s article “I See Dead VCs,” which explores how VC is in the first meaningful industry-wide contraction in modern venture history, risks to seed formation, and the workstreams required for emerging managers to institutionalize and endure.For a monthly roundup of the latest venture insights, including the newest Origins episodes, subscribe to the OpenLP newsletter – delivered straight to your inbox: https://subscribe.openlp.vcCHAPTERS:00:00 Welcome to Origins00:33 David Episode Takeaways02:01 I See Dead VCs Article02:59 Venture Contraction Data04:17 Fund Survival Math05:47 Seed Ecosystem Risk07:35 What Gets You to Fund Two08:48 Building a Durable Firm11:13 Traits of Long Run ManagersLearn more about OpenLP: https://openlp.vcLearn more about Asylum Ventures: https://asylum.vcLearn more about VenCap: https://www.vencap.com/Read Beezer’s article “I See Dead VCs”: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-see-dead-vcs-elizabeth-beezer-clarkson-uc4xc/

What does patience look like today when the best companies take 10–15 years to exit, and is it still worth it to wait that long? Today’s episode of Origins dives into one of the most pressing questions in today’s market: how to balance long-term conviction with the need for liquidity.David Clark, CIO of VenCap and a three-decade veteran of institutional venture investing, returns to the show to bring his rare LP perspective shaped by backing some of the most established venture franchises in the industry. Known for a data-first approach, David offers insight into how top-tier firms consistently generate returns, and how those dynamics evolve as fund sizes scale into the billions.Together with hosts Nick & Beezer, the group explores the implications of venture capital consolidation, the persistence of power law outcomes, and the shifting role of liquidity in private markets. From the rise and returns of mega-funds like a16z, to the growing importance of secondaries and delayed IPO timelines, the conversation surfaces the core tension of capturing extreme right-tail outcomes while still delivering tangible distributions to LPs. Along the way, they debate whether “patient capital” is truly a viable strategy, or if today’s venture structure inherently rewards more active portfolio management. Ultimately, today’s discussion offers a data-driven look at how venture is changing and how fund managers can look to stay ahead.—Quotes“If our managers have one of those top 1% companies, we want to encourage them to let it ride. Because we don't see the very best managers selling their best companies prematurely. That's not how we've seen the best fund level performance. And if you are able to hold those companies through to their full potential, that's where the real value is created.” – David Clark“I actually think the late stage private markets have become the public markets for early stage venture fund managers. And I think if you consider [that possibility], you can find much more predictability and consistency in performance, returns, and DPI. As much, or maybe even more than large later stage managers.” – Nick Chirls“What I've seen in the last few years is people taking exits into consideration, which makes my heart very happy. Because for years people were not, and they weren't thinking about returning capital along the way. You can take 10%, 20% and return 1x or 2x your fund. That is a very credible conversation to have with your LPAC.” – Beezer Clarkson—Time Stamps01:13 Meet David Clark, CIO of VenCap03:29 a16z Fundraising Surge05:31 First Principles Venture Model07:18 Public Markets And IPO Scale09:32 Do Big Funds Want Private13:17 Power Law Still Rules14:28 Fund Size And DPI Timing16:36 Early Stage Fund Math20:59 Small Funds Versus Platforms24:02 Portfolio Construction Tradeoffs25:40 Late Stage As New Public28:44 Liquidity As A New Skill30:55 When To Take Chips Off33:25 Founder Secondaries And Alignment35:13 Venture Capital Consolidation Risks40:47 Big Firms Funding Emerging Managers44:30 Patient Capital Debate48:00 Going Public Incentive Concerns—Links Connect with the guest and hosts on LinkedIn!David ClarkBeezer ClarksonNick ChirlsLearn more about:Read Packy McCormick's blog post on a16z: The Power BrokerVenCapOpenLPAsylum Ventures