Max Hilton, Director of Peregrine USA, led the principal investor discussion at the Emerging Manager Breakfast Seminar hosted by Apex Fund Services and Haynes & Boone, at the Haynes & Boone offices in 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
The panel, titled Emerging Managers 2.0: evolution in action, featured panelists Erika Gucfa of Aberdeen Asset Management, Ari Glass of Boothbay Fund Management, and Robert Schrettl of Protégé Partners.
“The consequence of the maturation of the hedge fund industry is that it’s becoming increasingly difficult for emerging managers in their capital raising efforts,” commented Ari Glass. “Emerging managers can help compensate for this challenge by better demonstrating their edge.”
With more than 500 funds having launched in the first half of 2015, the competition among emerging managers is fierce. As such, a main discussion point was the ability for managers to raise awareness of their offering among key investor audience subsets.
“People can’t invest with you if they don’t know who you are,” stated Erika Gucfa. “It’s imperative to have the ability to network your brand and product.”
Other key topics of the discussion included:
- Which key drivers are creating an environment of renewed optimism for emerging managers;
- Key attributes investors are looking for when considering an emerging manager investment;
- How the ‘partnership’ type relationship between emerging managers and early-stage investors is evolving.
If you’re thinking about raising visibility among target investor audiences, whether you are an emerging or established manager, don’t hesitate to contact Peregrine for a free consultancy.