Absolute Return Podcast

#257 - Crypto Treasury Companies with Upexi’s CSO Brian Rudick and Meteora’s CIO Vik Mittal

On today’s show we welcome special guests, Upexi’s Chief Strategy Officer, Brian Rudick and Meteora Capital’s Chief Investment Officer, Vik Mittal. Brian and Vik have been involved in the creation of crypto treasury companies and are experts in the space. Upexi is a Solana Treasury Company. On the show, we discuss:

• What is a crypto treasury company and how do they create value long term?
• Why should investors buy a crypto treasury company instead of buying the crypto themselves or through an ETF?
• How are SPACs and RTOs involved in this dynamic?
• How has the regulatory environment changed in the U.S. around digital assets?
• And more!

#256 - Quant Investing in Digital Assets with Starkiller Capital CIO Leigh Drogen

On today’s show we welcome special guest, CIO of Starkiller Capital, Leigh Drogen. Starkiller Capital is an institutional investment firm applying quantitative data-driven strategies to blockchain based digital assets. On the show we discuss:

• Core tenets of their approach to crypto investing
• Trend following and yield farming in crypto
• Their approach to risk management 
• His top emerging trends in the digital asset space to have on your radar
• And more!

#255 - Trends in Private Credit with Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's President Michael Occi

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund's President Michael Occi. Morgan Stanley Direct Lending Fund (MSDL) seeks to achieve attractive risk-adjusted returns by investing primarily in directly originated senior secured loans issued by U.S. middle market companies. On the show, we discuss:

• Why investors should consider an allocation to private credit
• What explains the significant market share growth of private credit in financing buyouts
• MSDL’s defensive approach to lending, with a focus on first lien loans
• His thoughts on the current market environment for private credit loans
• And more

#254 - Gold Investing with American Gold Exchange President Dana Samuelson

On today’s show we welcome special guest, American Gold Exchange President, Dana Samuelson. American Gold Exchange is a leading national precious metals and rare coin company specializing in dealer-to-dealer trading and direct sales. On the show, we discuss:

• Why investors should own gold as an investment
• If Trump’s election effects the bull case for gold
• Whether investors should prefer gold over bitcoin
• Risks and reward of owning physical gold
• And more

#253 - The Nuclear Revolution with Mirion Technologies CEO Tom Logan

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Mirion Technologies CEO Tom Logan. Mirion designs, manufactures, and provides radiation detection, measurement, analysis and monitoring products to the nuclear power and medical markets. On the show, we discuss:

• The path from private equity ownership to the public markets
• The macro bull case for the nuclear industry
• Mirion’s approach to mergers and acquisitions
• His learnings as a long-tenured CEO
• And more

#252 - State of the Markets: Navigating Q4 and Beyond

On today’s show, listen to Julian and Mike have a live discussion on the State of the Markets: Navigating Q4 and Beyond.

On the show, we discuss:

• The opportunities within global equities, including the sector we are most bullish on
• Why investors should stay away from fixed income and which investments allocators should use for yield
• The outlook for mergers and acquisitions along with a potential positive catalyst
• Why gold is a must own asset and may outperform bitcoin
• And more

A point of disclosure, Accelerate funds may have long or short positions in the securities discussed in this episode.

#251 - A Systematic Approach to Crypto Investing with Martin Green of Cambrian Asset Management

On today’s show we welcome special guest, the co-CIO of Cambrian Asset Management, Martin Green. Cambrian is a quantitative investment firm for digital assets. On the show, we discuss:

• Cambrian’s approach to crypto investing and how it is differentiated
• Navigating crypto’s volatility and macro events including the FTX bankruptcy
• Keys to success and staying power in the digital asset space
• And more

#250 - Navigating the Real Estate Market with Whitestone REIT CEO Dave Holeman

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Whitestone REIT CEO Dave Holeman. Whitestone REIT is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that primarily owns, operates, and redevelops retail community-centered properties in Texas and Arizona. On the show we discuss:

• The thesis behind Whitestone’s focus on community and neighborhood centers
• The challenges and opportunities in real estate due to the dramatic increase in interest rates
• Keys to success in the real estate industry
• Which segment of the real estate market he is most bullish on
• And more

#249 - SPAC Market Update with Meteora Capital Founder and CIO Vik Mittal

On today’s show we welcome special guest, Meteora Capital Founder and CIO Vik Mittal, his second time on the podcast. Meteora Capital is an investment firm specializing in SPAC-related instruments in both public and private companies.

On the show, we discuss:

• What has happened in the SPAC market over the past 24 months
• Meteora’s approach to investing in the SPAC market
• A look into Canna-Global Acquisition (CNGL)
• What he thinks is next for the SPAC market
• And more

#248 - AI in Investing with Stanford AI Researcher Dr. Mohammad Rasouli

On today’s show, we welcome special guest, Stanford AI Researcher Dr. Mohammad Rasouli. Mohammad helps funds to realize the benefit of artificial intelligence for alternative asset investment by providing AI education and tailored AI strategy, and by implementing the proprietary InvestAI technology. These include using AI for both alpha generation and operational efficiency, including deal sourcing/insight, fundraising, portfolio transformation, investor communications, and marketing.

 

On the podcast, we discuss:

• Compelling use cases for large language models in investing
• Specific examples of how AI has helped uncover unique investment opportunities more effectively than traditional methods
• How investment managers can balance the use of AI with human judgment
• And more