Sub-Asset Classes & Sectors
Our directory of fund managers “Portfolio Pros 360” selects fund managers for the following sub-assets, sectors, and regions that have successfully diversified other US college endwment portfolios.
Private Equity
Distressed Debt Funds
funds invest in companies that are facing financial difficulties, by buying their debt at a discount and then work towards restructuring the company and selling it for a profit.
Venture Capital Funds
funds invest in early-stage companies with high growth potential. They provide capital and expertise to support the growth of these companies.
Leveraged buyout funds
funds acquire majority stakes in established companies using a combination of debt and equity. They aim to improve the company's performance and sell it for a profit in the future.
Classic Buyouts
investing in private companies undergoing spinoffs, recapitalizations, or other forms of restructuring.
Mezzanine Funds
funds invest in a company's debt, typically in the form of subordinated debt or preferred equity. They often provide capital for growth or acquisition opportunities.
Growth Equity Funds
funds invest in established companies that are looking to expand and grow. They provide capital for mergers, acquisitions, and other growth initiatives.
Fund of Funds
funds invest in other private equity funds rather than directly in companies. They provide diversification and access to a variety of subasset classes within the private equity space.
Special Situations Funds
funds target unique investment opportunities such as distressed assets, turnaround situations, or special events such as mergers and acquisitions, opportunistic and can provide higher returns but also carry higher risks.
Secondary Funds
funds buy stakes in existing private equity funds from investors seeking to sell their holdings. This allows investors to exit their investments earlier than expected and provides liquidity to the market.
Private Debt Fund
fund that provides loans to mid-size companies and startups, often with a higher risk and potentially higher returns than traditional bank loans.
Hybrid Fund
a private equity fund that combines different types of private equity strategies, such as venture capital, growth equity, and buyouts.
Microfinance Fund
A private equity fund that provides financing to small and medium-sized businesses in emerging markets.
Infrastructure Funds
Smart City Infrastructure Fund
focuses on investments in Smart City technologies and solutions, including smart grid systems, intelligent transportation systems, and energy-efficient buildings.
Waste Management Infrastructure
targets investments in waste disposal and recycling facilities, including landfills, waste-to-energy plants, and recycling centers.
Transportation Infrastructure Fund
focuses on investments in transportation-related assets such as toll roads, airports, seaports, and rail infrastructure.
Logistics Infrastructure
investing in warehouses, distribution centers, and transportation networks that support the supply chain.
E-commerce Facilities
investing in data centers, cloud computing facilities, and telecommunications infrastructure
Classic Infrastructure
investing in funds that finance and develope physical assets such as transportation systems, utilities, and buildings.
Education Infrastructure Fund
focuses on investments in education-related infrastructure assets, such as schools, universities, and educational facilities.
Healthcare Infrastructure Fund
targets investments in healthcare facilities, including hospitals, medical centers, and nursing homes.
Industrial Infrastructure Fund
Focuses on investments in assets related to industrial infrastructure, such as factories, warehouses, and logistics centers.
Power Generation Infrastructure
targets investments in power generation projects such as coal, gas, and nuclear power plants.
Urban Infrastructure Fund
specializing in investments in urban development projects like public transport systems, smart city technology, and affordable housing.
Public-Private Partnership
Invests in assets developed through public-private partnerships, such as toll roads, airports, and public buildings.
Real Asset & Commodities
Natural Gas
invest in the energy sector through ownership of midstream natural gas assets, such as pipelines and storage facilities, which generate stable income.
Renewable Energy
invests in a range of renewable energy assets, such as wind farms, solar installations, and hydroelectric plants, which generate income through the sale of clean energy.
Water Infrastructure
invests in water-related assets, such as water treatment plants, pipelines, and storage facilities, to capitalize on the increasing demand for clean water worldwide.
Art Investment
investors own a stake in a diversified portfolio of art assets, providing exposure to potential appreciation of valuable works of art.
Farmland Real Estate
investors own a stake in farmland assets, providing exposure to the potential long-term appreciation of agricultural land and rental income from farmers.
Timberland Investment
invests in timberland assets such as forested land and trees, providing investors with exposure to the growing demand for sustainable wood products.
Solar Infrastructure
invest in solar energy projects, such as rooftop solar installations or large utility-scale solar farms, and earn returns through the sale of electricity generated.
Precious Metals ETFs
this investment option allows endowments to invest in a basket of precious metals, such as gold, silver, and platinum, without the hassle of owning physical assets.
Private Real Estate
Private funds are structured as limited partnerships and invest in a variety of real estate projects, including income-producing properties and development projects.
Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT)
invest in commercial real estate assets, such as office buildings, shopping malls, and apartments, and earn returns through rental income and appreciation of the properties.
Mortgage-backed Securities Fund
invests in a pool of mortgages, which generate income from interest payments made by borrowers.
International Real Estate Fund
funds invest in properties outside of the investor's ountry, providing opportunities for global diversification.
Derivative Investments
Forward Contracts
A financial contract where two parties agree to buy or sell an underlying asset at a predetermined price and at a specified future date. The value of the contract is derived from the changes in price of the underlying asset.
Futures Contracts:
Similar to a forward contract, but standardized and traded on exchanges. Futures, agreements to buy or sell an asset at a specific date and price in the future, the value is also derived from the performance of the underlying asset.
Options Contracts
A financial instrument that gives the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset at a predetermined price and date. The value of an option is tied to the price of the underlying asset.
Swaps
A financial agreement between two parties to exchange cash flows or assets, typically involving interest rates, currencies, or commodities. The value of swaps is derived from the fluctuations in the underlying assets or rates.
Credit Derivatives:
Financial instruments that allow investors to buy or sell credit risk, including CDS and CDOs. The value of credit derivatives is based on the default risk of the underlying borrowers or securities.
Hedge Funds
An investment vehicle that uses a variety of complex strategies, including derivatives, to generate higher returns for investors. The value of hedge funds is derived from the performance of their underlying investments.
Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDO)
A type of structured asset-backed security where multiple assets, such as mortgages, are pooled together and sold to investors. The value of a CDO is derived from the performance of the underlying assets.
Convertible Securities
A type of bond or preferred stock that can be converted into a predetermined number of common shares at a specified date or price. The value of convertible securities is tied to the value of the underlying stock.
Commodity Derivatives
Financial instruments that allow investors to manage or speculate on changes in commodity prices, include commodity futures, options, and swaps, value is derived from the performance of the underlying commodity.
Currency Options:
type of derivative that gives the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a specific currency at a set exchange rate on or before a specific date. These are often used for hedging against foreign currency risk.
Structured Notes
issued by banks or financial institutions and their value is linked to the performance of an underlying asset, such as stocks, commodities, or currencies, they are derivative investments as their value is derived from the underlying asset.
Credit Default Swaps (CDS)
agreements in which one party pays the other party a premium in exchange for protection against the default of a debt instrument. CDS are derivatives because their value is derived from the underlying debt instrument.
Absolute Return (Hedge Funds) (See Private Equity & Derivatives)
Event-Driven Hedge Fund
funds investing in companies undergoing a significant corporate event such as mergers, acquisitions, bankruptcies, profit from the price movements resulting from these events.
Long/Short Equity Hedge Fund
funds aim to profit from both long and short positions in the equity market, they may buy stocks that will increase in value (long) and sell stocks they believe will decrease in value (short).
Global Macro Hedge Fund
fund that invests in a broad range of financial instruments such as stocks, bonds, currencies, and commodities in order to take advantage of macroeconomic trends in different regions of the world.
Multi-Strategy Hedge Fund
fund employs various investment strategies, such as long/short equity, credit, derivatives, and global macro, in order to generate alpha, this diversifies risk and achieves consistent returns.
Quantitative Hedge Fund
funds use mathematical models and computer algorithms to make investment decisions. The use of technology and complex data analysis can potentially give these funds an edge in the market.
Long-only - Hedge Fund
a long-only hedge fund only takes long positions in the market. These funds may still employ sophisticated strategies to generate returns but without the potential downside risk of short positions.
Fund of Funds
fund of funds (FOF) invests in a portfolio of other hedge funds. This gives the FOF exposure to various strategies and managers, potentially reducing risk and providing diversification.
Convertible Arbitrage Hedge Fund
invests in convertible bonds, which, fund may hedge its position by simultaneously shorting the stock, allowing for potential profits regardless of whether the stock price goes up or down.
Volatility Hedge Fund
fund uses options and other derivatives to hedge against market volatility and potentially profit from sudden market movements. These funds may also use complex trading strategies to generate returns.
Merger Arbitrage
hedge fund strategy that involves buying shares of a company that is being acquired and short selling shares of the acquiring company. This strategy aims to generate absolute returns by taking advantage of price discrepancies between the two companies.
Quantitative Hedge Fund
funds use mathematical models and computer algorithms to make investment decisions. The use of technology and complex data analysis can potentially give these funds an edge in the market.
Long-only - Hedge Fund
a long-only hedge fund only takes long positions in the market. These funds may still employ sophisticated strategies to generate returns but without the potential downside risk of short positions.
Global Long/Short Equity Hedge Fund
hedge fund that takes both long (buy) and short (sell) positions in global stocks. The goal is to generate absolute returns by making profitable trades regardless of market direction.
Managed Futures
managed investment portfolios that invest in a variety of futures contracts, such as commodities, currencies, and interest rates. These portfolios aim to generate absolute returns by actively trading in these markets.
Market-Neutral Fund
fund seeks to generate returns by using a combination of long and short positions in various asset classes with the goal of eliminating market exposure.
Equity
Large Cap Growth
equity fund that primarily invests in companies with high potential for growth in their stock price, typically large, well-established companies.
Dividend Equity
equity fund that primarily invests in companies with a history of paying dividends to shareholders, providing regular income to investors.
Small Cap Value
equity fund focuses on investing in small companies that are currently undervalued but have the potential for future growth.
Growth and Income
equity fund aims to provide a balance of growth and income by investing in a mix of both growth-oriented companies and dividend-paying stocks.
Mid-Cap Equity
equity funds invest in stocks of mid-sized companies, adding the potential growth of small-cap companies with the stability of large-cap companies.
Socially Responsible
equity in companies meeting ethical or social criteria, such as environmental sustainability, social responsibility, or corporate governance.
Emerging Markets
equity fund invests in companies located in emerging markets, such as Brazil, China, and India, with growth in these developing economies.
Value funds
funds investing in undervalued stocks with potential for future growth based on financial ratios such as price-to-earnings or price-to-book value.
Index Equity Fund
equity funds track a specific stock market index, such as the S&P 500 or Dow Jones Industrial Average, provides diversified exposure.
Balanced funds
funds invest in a combination of stocks and bonds to provide investors with a balanced portfolio that offers potential for growth and income.
Bottom-Up Equity
funds focus on fundamentals of individual companies, such as their financial health and management team and not market trends.
Top-Down Equity Fund
investment decisions based on economic trends and global market conditions. based on macroeconomic factors rather than individual stocks.
International Equity
fund that primarily invests in stocks of companies outside of the United States, providing exposure to international markets and diversification.
Technology Equity
equity fund that focuses on investing in technology companies, including areas such as software, hardware, and telecommunications.
Healthcare Equity
equity fund investing in companies involved in the healthcare industry, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and healthcare services.
International Investments
International Dividend-Stocks
investing in dividend-paying stocks from different regions, can diversify endowments and receive consistent income.
Sovereign Wealth Funds
Investing in government-owned investment vehicles can offer exposure to international markets and potentially stable returns.
Emerging Market Funds
mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) invest in the securities of companies based in developing countries with potentially higher returns but come with higher risks.
Foreign Private Equity
investments in privately-held companies based in foreign countries have a longer time horizon and involve a higher level of risk but can also offer significant returns.
Foreign Currency
Holding of currency from another country, with the potential for gains or losses based on exchange rate fluctuations.
Global Private Debt
investments in private debt securities such as loans, bonds, and other credit instruments issued by foreign companies with opportunity to earn higher yields.
Foreign Stocks
publicly traded stocks of companies based in foreign countries. They offer investors the opportunity to diversify their portfolio outside of their domestic market.
International Hedge Funds
alternative investment funds that use a range of strategies to generate high returns, usually with higher risks using foreign markets to diversify their portfolio and increase returns.
Global Bonds
debt instruments issued by governments, corporations, and other entities in foreign countries, have different interest rates, currency fluctuations, and economic conditions.
Alternative Bonds
Emerging Markets Bonds
bonds issued by governments or companies in developing countries, provide additional diversification
Convertible Bonds
bonds converted into company shares at a future date provides investors with the potential for capital appreciation and interest payments.
High-Yield Bonds
bonds issued by companies with a lower credit rating, riskier than investment-grade bonds, higher returns to compensate for the increased risk.
International High-Yield Bonds
companies or governments with lower credit ratings, providing diversification and potentially higher yields than investment-grade bonds
Global Balanced Mutual Funds
invest in a combination of stocks and bonds from various regions, providing diversification across asset classes and geographic regions.
Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs)
bonds that are backed by a portfolio of underlying assets, such as mortgages, credit card debt, student loans, or corporate loans.
Catastrophe Bonds
bonds from insurance companies or gov to transfer the risk of natural disasters, if no disaster occurs then high return on their investment.
Green Bonds
bonds issued to finance environmentally friendly projects such as renewable energy projects, clean transportation initiatives
Unsecured Bonds
Also known as debentures, are bonds that are not backed by any collateral, have a higher interest rate to compensate for the increased risk.
Government Bonds
bonds issued by national governments to finance their activities, low-risk investments, as the likelihood of a government default is low.
Treasury Bonds
bonds issued by the US government are considered one of the safest investments with fixed interest rate and a maturity date of 20-30 years.
Municipal Bonds
bonds issued by state or local governments to fund public projects such as public projects, exempt from federal and state taxes.
Corporate Bonds
bonds issued by companies to raise capital have a fixed interest rate and maturity date, and are considered less risky than other types of bonds.
Inflation-Linked Bond
bond has its principal and interest payments indexed to inflation, protecting investors from the effects of inflation on their
Floating-Rate Bond
bond with a variable interest rate tied to a benchmark index, such as LIBOR, interest changes periodically, protection from interest rate fluctuations.
Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS)
bonds that are backed by a pool of mortgages, with the interest and principal payments being passed on to the bondholders.
Asset-Backed Securities (ABS)
bonds that are backed by a variety of underlying assets, such as credit card debt, auto loans, or student loans.
Sukuk Bond
bond issued in accordance with Shariah principles, with returns being generated from the profits of underlying assets rather than interest payments.