The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) recently announced a $1 billion commitment to back emerging private equity managers. The goal is to foster more innovation and entrepreneurship in the investment industry by backing the next generation of managers. CalPERS, with around $440 billion of assets as of June 2022, is a juggernaut in the investment industry and can drive change.

The announcement references private equity, but this is a big deal for the venture capital industry. Venture capital is a subset of private equity and should receive some of these dollars.

Many studies have shown that emerging managers generate alpha, and the CIO of CalPERS recognizes this. This quote from her stood out to me:

It’s not about a diversity play. . . . It’s about generating alpha in a more thoughtful way, and leveraging partners we will work hand in glove with.

Can’t wait to see the impact that CalPERS’s commitment has on early-stage venture capital.

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