Superclusters is a podcast designed to help the emerging LP think like an established LP allocating to venture capital as an asset class. Our goal is to answer one question: How do the world's wealthiest institutions and individuals pick VC firms to invest in?
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Data updated on 23/08/2026
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What is the density of your founder NPS? | El Pack w/ Charlotte Zhang
Season 7 · Episode 10
Monday, June 15, 2026 • Duration 01:13:52
“We’re going into a world where there will be an increase in inequality in terms of the have’s versus have-not’s. And so if you are invested in some of the have’s, I would actually bet on their acceleration of value aggregation in the later stages of scaling which is why I, personally, think a winning strategy is to hold onto them for as long as possible."
Charlotte Zhang from Inatai Foundation is back! And if you've tuned into her first episode on Superclusters, you'll know exactly why. Charlotte has been one of my favorite guests on the podcast, marrying both her profound ability for deep analysis with strong framework-oriented assessments. You might remember her 4 P's to underwriting every manager from our prior episode.
Naturally I had to have her back for an El Pack episode to answer your questions on how to build a venture capital fund. We bring on 3 GPs at VC funds to ask 3 different questions.
99VC's Lisa Yu asks about what LPs look for in Fund I's beyond track record.
Escape Velocity's Mahesh Ramakrishnan asks about recycling and what happens when you have 30% of your fund size as distributions in the first few years of the fund.
Founder Embassy's Helena Gagern asks about investing in AI frontier labs where the first round of financing already puts the company at $400M+ in valuation. And also, how do you communicate to LPs that you have an "exceptionalism" bucket to invest out of?
As the director of investments at Inatai Foundation, Charlotte Zhang oversees the selection of external investment managers, conducts portfolio research, and helps to institutionalize processes, tools, and resources. She previously served as a senior associate at ICONIQ Capital and, before that, Medley Partners. When not working, you can find her globetrotting (18 countries and counting), writing a Yelp review about the best bite in town, or cuddling up with a book and her two adorable cats.
"You don't have enough dopamine in your pitch!" | El Pack w/ Asher Siddiqui
Season 7 · Episode 9
Monday, June 8, 2026 • Duration 01:18:12
“How you modulate a good story is by inserting dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins at the right times to be able to deliver that story so that the person listening to that story can form an opinion.”
Asher Siddiqui from the Song Family Office joins me on El Pack to answer your questions on how to build a venture capital fund. We bring on 3 GPs at VC funds to ask 3 different questions.
Inuka Capital's Gautam Shewakramani asks about what GPs typically overshare and under-share when they're pitching an LP. As well as how an LP identifies if a GP has great sourcing if they're a generalist fund.
Unshackled Venture's Manan Mehta asks if VC is still only one asset class. Is early stage now a combination of discovery and validation capital?
Keymaker VC's Tim Wang asks what do most LPs overvalue in GPs.
Asher Siddiqui is a global tech investor, M&A dealmaker, and venture fund builder with over 25 years of hands-on experience across venture capital, entrepreneurship, and more than $15B in executed M&A transactions.
He began his career as a software engineer and entrepreneur in the US and UK before spending a decade leading M&A and corporate venture at Etisalat Group (now e& Group), one of the world’s largest listed TMT investment groups. There, he led acquisitions, exits, and strategic transactions across multiple continents.
In 2016, Asher joined the global leadership team at 500 Startups in San Francisco, helping scale the platform to $2B+ AUM, with a portfolio that includes 35+ unicorns and 160+ centaurs.
Since then, he has helped launch and scale several institutional VC firms—including Race Capital, Lumikai, Sukna Ventures, Zayn VC, and Humanrace Capital—and serves on the advisory boards of funds such as FootPrint Coalition Ventures, Merus Capital, and The Treasury.
To date, Asher has made 100+ venture investments (both direct and LP), raised hundreds of millions in LP commitments, mentored hundreds of emerging VC managers globally, and advised countless founders.
The Hardest Fund I to Underwrite | Zach Ruchman
Season 7 · Episode 8
Monday, June 1, 2026 • Duration 01:32:09
“The question at Fund IV is, ‘Okay, you’ve proved that you’re a great firm builder. Congratulations, you’re raising Fund IV. Are you still a great investor?’”
Zach Ruchman joined HB Wealth in 2025 as a Shareholder after working with WMS Partners since 2023. In his role as Managing Director, Private Markets, Zach leads the team responsible for research and due diligence of private market investment opportunities across a variety of asset classes, including private equity, growth equity, venture capital, private credit, infrastructure, and real assets.
Before joining HB Wealth, Zach was a Senior Vice President at RockCreek and a Vice President at BlackRock, where he led direct co-investment transactions as well as manager research for both primary and secondary commitments in the Americas, Europe, and Asia on behalf of both institutional and family office clients. He began his career as a consultant with Alvarez & Marsal. In this episode, we also talk about how he worked out of the National Democratic Institute's DC office writing grants and tracking political regimes in the Middle East, including the Arab Spring.
In the community, Zach serves as a member of the finance committee for the Howard and Geraldine Polinger Family Foundation.
(22:29) From pursuing the state department to consulting
What Your Lawyer Isn't Telling You About LPA Terms | Apurva Mehta & JD Montgomery
Season 7 · Episode 7
Monday, May 25, 2026 • Duration 01:12:19
“Our best GPs are talking to their founders all the time. And our best GP relationships, we talk to all the time.” — Apurva Mehta
“If you can’t handle something going to zero, then you shouldn’t do one.” — JD Montgomery
Apurva Mehta is the co-founding Managing Partner of Summit Peak Investments, a fund-of-funds that boasts a portfolio of both venture fund investments and direct investments, including the likes of Affirm, Anduril, Airtable, Opendoor, and Wish, just to name a few.
Prior to starting Summit Peak in 2018 with his co-founder, Patrick O'Connor, he previously served as Vice President and Deputy Chief Investment Officer for the Children's Hospital Endowment Portfolio in Fort Worth, Texa. From 2008 to 2011, he was the Director of Portfolio Investments at The Juilliard School in New York City. Apurva began his career in investment consulting and investment banking at Citigroup and Lehman Brothers. He was recognized for his expertise when he was named to aiCIO Magazine’s Top Forty Under Forty in 2012 and 2013 and honored as a Rising Star by Institutional Investor. He holds a BBA in Finance from The George Washington University.
JD Montgomery leads the Family Office division at Canterbury Consulting and is a seasoned advisor with nearly four decades of experience serving prominent families with a focus on strategy, organization and measurement. Based in Newport Beach, he serves a select group of multi-generational families and helps them navigate the complexities of wealth, purpose, and legacy. Mr. Montgomery partners with his clients to help them optimize the allocation of their resources across generations. Over the years, Mr. Montgomery has developed a deep network of relationships in the venture capital industry. He has helped his clients gain meaningful exposure to venture funds and direct investments and develop relationships with leading innovators and investors globally. He is a Managing Director, shareholder, and board member at Canterbury Consulting. He graduated from Stanford University and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation.
How Value Add Differs in PE vs VC | Julia Rees Toader
Season 7 · Episode 6
Monday, May 18, 2026 • Duration 01:18:57
"In private equity, some of the older tricks about just picking on more leverage are not going to work as well now because rates are higher. We need to have more focus on operational improvement and margin expansion. And in venture, you’re not expected to have good margins.” — Julia Rees Toader
Julia Rees Toader is the Founding Partner of PrinCap, an independent investment portfolio strategy firm working with institutions and individuals on manager selection, asset allocation, and strategic advisory. Prior to PrinCap, she was the Head of Portfolio Strategy and Head of Relationship Management at Heritage Holdings, a multi-family office. Before Heritage, Julia was the head of Portfolio Strategy at Goldman Sachs Asset Management ($3Tr assets under supervision). She and her team advised sovereign wealth funds, pensions, financial advisory firms, private banks, and other long-term asset owners on asset allocation. She studied mechanical engineering and computer science at Princeton University and is a CFA charterholder. Before Goldman Sachs, she worked on M&A and business development for an early-stage medical device biotech firm.
(07:30) When did Julia's appreciation for finance start?
(08:05) Conversations around the Rees and Toader dinner table
(09:48) Finance vs mechanical engineering
(13:26) On exceptional talent
(15:18) How to keep a cool head when you're successful
(20:19) Do small emerging managers outperform?
Does a VC's Value-Add Even Matter? | Stacey Kline & Ben Gallacher
Season 7 · Episode 5
Monday, May 11, 2026 • Duration 01:14:12
“GPs over-index on how that value-add ties into a portfolio strategy.” — Stacey Kline
Stacey Kline and Ben Gallacher are co-founders of February Capital, a fund-of-funds dedicated to providing access to the best in venture. Prior to starting February, they've each held roles as professional athletes, corporate lawyers, startup founders, emerging managers themselves, family office allocators, just to name a few.
We spend much of this episode talking about their backgrounds that led them to where they are today, but also on why Stacey and Ben spend so much time underwriting emerging managers' value-adds, as well as their controversial take on it.
(04:03) Why did it take 22 months to set up fund of funds in Canada?
(07:22) Toughest moments when building February Capital
(10:12) How did Ben know he wanted to be an LP?
(12:58) How did Stacey know she wanted to be an LP?
(16:53) The doctor's advice no one expected
(18:32) Ben's first NO from Stacey
(23:06) Why is it called February Capital?
(23:58) What is the role of the LP today?
(27:59) What Ben and Stacey look for in GPs
(31:08) When does non-consensus thinking lead to portfolio divergence?
The 3 Big Family Office Transitions That No One Talks About | JD Montgomery Part 2
Season 7 · Episode 4
Monday, May 4, 2026 • Duration 01:08:33
“To whom much is given, much is expected.” — JD Montgomery
JD Montgomery leads the Family Office division at Canterbury Consulting and is a seasoned advisor with nearly four decades of experience serving prominent families with a focus on strategy, organization and measurement. Based in Newport Beach, he serves a select group of multi-generational families and helps them navigate the complexities of wealth, purpose, and legacy. Mr. Montgomery partners with his clients to help them optimize the allocation of their resources across generations. Over the years, Mr. Montgomery has developed a deep network of relationships in the venture capital industry. He has helped his clients gain meaningful exposure to venture funds and direct investments and develop relationships with leading innovators and investors globally. He is a Managing Director, shareholder, and board member at Canterbury Consulting. He graduated from Stanford University and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation.
(07:48) The 3 considerations for succession planning
(11:14) The "why" of succession planning
(12:59) Building self-esteem in children
(17:14) How do you help children choose their long-term passions?
(20:16) When should next gen of family offices know how rich they are?
(23:35) How do next gen family office members first get exposure to VC?
What Makes a VC Inevitable | Sam Huleatt
Season 7 · Episode 3
Monday, April 27, 2026 • Duration 01:19:47
“Lower barriers to entry doesn’t mean higher probabilities of success.” — Sam Huleatt
Sam Huleatt is the co-founder of The Side Letter, a platform driving network-based research for capital allocators. Prior to The Side Letter, he created and ran the The LP Institute at VC Lab, as well as let On Deck Angels at On Deck. Moreover, he's a serial founder, active angel investor in over 35 companies, and an active allocator in emerging fund managers, including the likes of Notation Capital, Orange Fund, Inuka Capital, Asylum Capital, and more.
(03:24) The most persistent myth about Sam he never bothered to correct
(05:47) Bottom-up vs top-down investor
(13:37) Can career VCs develop empathy for the founder
(18:43) Traits of someone who should definitely start a fund
(26:45) Traits of someone who should NEVER start a fund
(28:09) Air of inevitability
(33:44) Why was Outlander VC inevitable?
(36:11) Where should 60% of your Fund I capital come from?
(41:47) Starting a VC fund is hard
(44:46) Do LPs like GP accelerators?
(51:35) Top 3 considerations for first-time LPs
(58:03) How many GPs should 1st-time LPs meet?
"I Write-Off Every Sourcing Slide" | Alex Felman
Season 7 · Episode 2
Monday, April 20, 2026 • Duration 01:06:36
“The game you play as you’re building a reputation becomes a different game than when you have a reputation. And I tend to find, from an LP’s perspective, when you’re building reputation, that’s actually when you deliver the most value.” — Alex Felman
Alex Felman is an entrepreneurial and family office professional. For over 10 years, as a second-generation member, he has run his own family office, Felman Family Office, and works with family offices around the world through his family's multifamily group, MSF Capital Advisors. Using his expertise in Molecular Toxicology and Bio-entrepreneurship (B.A from University of California -Berkeley, MBA from Copenhagen Business School), he advises them in biotechnology, healthcare, and other futuristic tech industries with the goal of maintaining long-term wealth through innovation. He regularly speaks at family office and private wealth events on topics such as tech investment, manager selection, generation and succession issues, rising generation trends, and more.
He has used his experience within the family office industry and 20 year background as an educator to create Exponential U, a family office education program designed to help families become multigenerationally sustainable. His proprietary L^3 framework (Learn, Leverage, Legacy) allows the holistic development of family members to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
(16:06) Risk appetites for asset owners & allocators
"Venture is a Who Business, Not a What Business" | JD Montgomery
Season 7 · Episode 1
Monday, April 13, 2026 • Duration 01:17:10
“One thing that is unique to private equity and venture capital is persistence is a little easier because of the brand. ‘They did good deals, so therefore, the good deals come to find you.’ If you were in a long-only private equity shop or hedge fund, Amazon is not going to come find you because you invested in Shopify.” — JD Montgomery
JD Montgomery leads the Family Office division at Canterbury Consulting and is a seasoned advisor with nearly four decades of experience serving prominent families with a focus on strategy, organization and measurement. Based in Newport Beach, he serves a select group of multi-generational families and helps them navigate the complexities of wealth, purpose, and legacy. Mr. Montgomery partners with his clients to help them optimize the allocation of their resources across generations. Over the years, Mr. Montgomery has developed a deep network of relationships in the venture capital industry. He has helped his clients gain meaningful exposure to venture funds and direct investments and develop relationships with leading innovators and investors globally. He is a Managing Director, shareholder, and board member at Canterbury Consulting. He graduated from Stanford University and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation.
[36:05] How do you get GPs off of their talk track?
[37:36] Non-obvious things JD looks for in GPs
[41:43] Is selling 0.2X DPI in the first 4 years meaningful?
[44:27] Should you recycle capital or deploy out of the next fund?
[46:34] Why did JD choose to work with families?
[48:07] "Never eat alone"
[51:34] How does JD think about time allocation?
[55:06] How many new GPs does JD meet with?
[59:07] How did JD pass on then back Founders Fund?
[1:03:22] The difference between unexplored gold veins and rotting trash
[1:08:13] Mayan Mocha at Austin's Picnik
[1:08:58] JD's secret street taco recipe
[1:11:09] JD's reminder that we're still in the good ol' days
[1:13:20] Post-credit scene: No garlic and onions
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