Podcast
Thematic Investors
Hosted by Kieran Cavanna · EN
Welcome to Thematic Investors, powered by Vidrio Financial. The Thematic Investor podcast is hosted by Kieran Cavanna who is the Co-Founder and CIO of Old Farm Partners. This podcast will focus on institutional investment trends that are being explored, researched, and executed today by some of the best investors in the world. Listeners can expect forward-thinking insights from our monthly guests. The range of ideas and themes are expansive, and will include energy transition, emerging markets, technology, endowment allocation strategies, as well as exploring quantitative and discretionary investing strategies. Join us in listening to these innovative investors as it will be the best thirty minutes spent for those in the institutional investing arena. This podcast is being powered by Vidrio Financial.
12episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Thematic Investors: Analog Century Management a Billion Dollar Perspective on Hard Technology
Mar 12, 202501:00:56Tap to summarizeIn the world of institutional investing, many trailblazers didn’t start in finance. This field boasts talents from backgrounds, including musicians, philosophers, and even physicists. Take Val Zlatev, for instance. Originally a physicist, his journey took a thrilling turn during a Chicago event when he visited the commodities exchange. Upon looking down at the trading floor he saw enthusiasm and energy that he imagined could be larger and more exciting than the amount of energy in physics for the last 500 years. He was hooked. In this latest episode of the Thematic Investors podcast, Val Zlatev, Portfolio Manager and Partner, Analog Century Management sits down with host Kieran Cavanna to discuss hard technology and agentic AI investing. This discussion focuses on the core belief that as a thematic investor, you develop a conviction and ultimately decide whether you can create capital from your thesis. Key discussion points include: How to recognize, and formulate a solid investing strategy on what you know and understand about the markets. What exactly is the true potential of AI, how are chain-of-thought models evolving, and how likely is it that we will experience a terminator moment in the future. What makes models like DeepSeek so unique, and what Val sees in their evolution and how Elon Musk and Meta might be involved. Is the investment industry right to panic in their assessment of scaling laws being broken and AI reaching a peak? What does Val believe about broad cyclical trends and what may or may not be coming from Silicon Valley. What is the state of play in China as it relates to hard technology and cutting-edge semiconductors. And more. Previous Episode of Interest: Thematic Investors: Scott Bessent a Global Macro Veteran on the Path Ahead Connect with Kieran Cavanna: LinkedIn: Kieran Cavanna Old Farm Partners Kieran Cavanna is the Co-Founder and CIO of Old Farm Partners. Old Farm is a hedge fund allocation firm focusing on small and mid-sized hedge funds, as well as co-investment opportunities with $600m under management. Prior to Old Farm, Mr. Cavanna worked at Soros Fund Management where he served as the Head of the External Manager Selection team. Mr. Cavanna and his team performed due diligence on and allocated to a select group of hedge funds that deployed a wide variety of hedge fund strategies. Prior to Soros, Kieran was a Partner and the Head of Research at Titan Advisors, a $5b fund-of-hedge funds. In total, Mr. Cavanna has been allocating to hedge funds for 18 years. Mr. Cavanna started his financial career at KPMG Consulting as Senior Analyst. Mr. Cavanna graduated from the University of Richmond with a BA and received an MBA from Vanderbilt University. Connect with Val Zlatev: LinkedIn: Val Zlatev Analog Century Management Please note, the information covered and posted represents the views and opinions of the guest, and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Vidrio Financial and or our host, Kieran Cavanna. The content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional investing advice. Always seek the advice of your financial advisor or other qualified financial service provider with any questions you may have regarding investment planning. Source
Transcribe →Thematic Investors: Arvind Sanger on Long-Short Energy Transition Investing
Feb 26, 202500:49:19Tap to summarizeLong-short investors seriously targeting the energy sector need to adjust their nets and focus on placing bets on everything from coal, oil, natural gas, uranium, and other relevant sectors. This investment style isn’t about making massive directional wagers like a CTA fund; instead, it’s about leveraging macro trends to balance risks and seize opportunities in this dynamic market. Join host Kieran Cavanna as he sits down with Arvind Sanger, founder and managing partner, Geosphere Capital Management. Arvind explores his background, how he became interested in alternative energy sources, and where there are real demonstrable money-making opportunities to be made in today’s market. Key insights that Arvind shares with our audience include: How a macro-overlay strategy helps manage risk and exposure for portfolios. How his sensible energy transition thesis looked at real energy transition goals, removing the popular belief, that fossil fuels would disappear if investors stopped targeting these opportunities. What is most important in US power and how policy regulations and current deal-making strategies might be pushing out green energy in favor of AI and data center investments. The use of small modular reactors (SMRs) to help energy transition goals when considering nuclear applications. Why coal is still a good strategy for long-short investors and why demand is still not at a peak level. What he thinks about Scott Bessent’s 3-3-3 plan in the oil and gas sector. (You can listen to more of Scott’s interview with Kieran here). And more. Connect with Arvind Sanger Geosphere Capital Management Arvind Sanger is the founder and managing partner of Geosphere Capital Management, a global long-short equity hedge fund focused on natural resources and industrial companies worldwide. A former portfolio manager at SAC Capital where he managed a team of six investment professionals in New York and Singapore, Arvind’s career also includes 15 years as a top-ranked sell-side oil services and equipment analyst at a number of firms, including Deutsche Bank, DLJ and Kidder Peabody. Arvind graduated with a BTech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and received his MBA from Tulane University. He is a member of the Business School Council at The A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University and is a former chairman of Pratham USA. Connect with Kieran Cavanna: Old Farm Partners Kieran Cavanna is the Co-Founder and CIO of Old Farm Partners. Old Farm is a hedge fund allocation firm focusing on small and mid-sized hedge funds, as well as co-investment opportunities with $600m under management. Prior to Old Farm, Mr. Cavanna worked at Soros Fund Management where he served as the Head of the External Manager Selection team. Mr. Cavanna and his team performed due diligence on and allocated to a select group of hedge funds that deployed a wide variety of hedge fund strategies. Prior to Soros, Kieran was a Partner and the Head of Research at Titan Advisors, a $5b fund-of-hedge funds. In total, Mr. Cavanna has been allocating to hedge funds for 18 years. Mr. Cavanna started his financial career at KPMG Consulting as Senior Analyst. Mr. Cavanna graduated from the University of Richmond with a BA and received an MBA from Vanderbilt University. Please note, the information covered and posted represents the views and opinions of the guest, and does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Vidrio Financial and or our host, Kieran Cavanna. The content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional investing advice. Always seek the advice of your financial advisor or other qualified financial service provider with any questions you may have regarding investment planning. Source
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