Tag: Active Management

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Thematic Investors: Titan Advisors on Maintaining Focus to Build Resilient Portfolios

Thematic Investors: Titan Advisors on Maintaining Focus to Build Resilient Portfolios

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The early days of hedge funds can be described as somewhat akin to the Wild West, characterized by limited information flow, higher volatility, and the risk of losing focus that could easily derail any performance gains made. Today, the industry is run more efficiently with improved information flows and regulatory oversight, which cuts down on the “nefarious characters” that have existed in the past.  

In this latest episode of the Thematic Investors podcast, host Kieran Cavanna, welcomes George Fox, Principal & President, Titan Advisors, LLC, to discuss his career and how removing your ego and hubris from running a hedge fund business is a great first step toward success.

Additional highlights from this discussion include:

  • How did an early career in commodities lead to George building Titan Advisors?
  • Why is focus key when creating a diversified portfolio that will become a volatility dampener versus a volatility enhancer?
  • How does George and his team look at the “block and tackling” approach on risk and the stewardship of capital from allocators like pensions, sovereign wealth funds, hospital foundations, and insurance companies?
  • Why do poor liquidity promises and allowing larger style drifts impact fund managers to such a large degree? Should hedge fund managers be more concerned with principles of how to run a business first?
  • Does George agree with some of the emerging market theories that Rob Citrone expressed in the last episode of Thematic Investors?
  • How the game of golf can be used to temper your expectations in running a hedge fund business.
  • What prompted the launch of Esker Point Advisers and the team’s greater focus on commodities?
  • And more.

Titan Disclaimer:
All views and opinions expressed in this podcast are unique, provided as of the date of this interview and do not necessarily reflect those Titan Advisors, LLC or its affiliates.  The statements and opinions contained herein may change at any time, based on market or other conditions. This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.  This podcast is not intended to constitute investment advice; nor does it constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security, investment product, or service. No recommendation or advise is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. This podcast may contain forward-looking statements.  There is no representation, warranty, guarantee, or other assurance whatsoever that any such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Past performance is not indicative of future results. 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 any investment decision.

Connect with Kieran Cavanna: 

Connect with George Fox:

About George Fox:

George Fox has been investing in hedge funds for over 30 years and leads Titan Advisors as its President. He is responsible for Titan’s business development efforts and actively engages in the firm’s research and portfolio management process as a member of the Investment Committee. George entered the New York financial markets in 1984 as a floor trader at the Coffee, Sugar and Cocoa Exchange and at Commodity Exchange Inc., where he traded for his own account for seven years. In 1992, he created G. Fox & Co., a hedge fund advisory firm and the predecessor to Titan Advisors.  In December 2000, after years of commodities trading and advising investors on hedge fund allocations, George Fox launched Titan Advisors, LLC.  George graduated with a B.A. from Tulane University in 1981 and earned a law degree from the University of Richmond (VA) in 1984.

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Thematic Investors: Analog Century Management a Billion Dollar Perspective on Hard Technology

Thematic Investors: Analog Century Management a Billion Dollar Perspective on Hard Technology

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In 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:

Connect with Kieran Cavanna: 

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:

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.

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