Jason R Escamilla, CFA

Definitely recommend reading the recently released "Climate Capital Reset Project" report, by friends Will Coleman Daniel Firger Bill Tarr and Builders Vision. I wrote about it, and some key lessons in light of recent dramatic events, in my latest Forbes column. I've been investing for more than two decades and I've never seen such a significant market shift so quickly. This is not a time for more-of-the-same from climate investors and capital allocators. Dramatic events call for dramatic shifts, and those who adapt too slowly will fall by the wayside. https://lnkd.in/ekbY69Hp #climateinvesting #privateequity #venturecapital #capitalallocators #wealthmanagement

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Oregon Needs to Bet Big on AI Infrastructure Washington and California have cultivated robust startup ecosystems that continue to drive innovation and prosperity. Oregon, despite its wealth and potential, risks falling behind—not for lack of talent, but for lack of vision. We don’t have the entrepreneurial momentum that powers our neighbors. And without a focused strategy, we may end up like other once-prosperous states that failed to adapt. The opportunity? AI infrastructure. Data centers, energy policy, compute clusters, and the public-private scaffolding to support them. If Oregon is serious about staying relevant in the next economic era, we need to invest—deliberately and aggressively—where the future is being built. Please message me if you agree and want to align to help Oregon. #AI #Infrastructure #Oregon #Innovation #EconomicDevelopment #Startups AI Infrastructure Partners Jason Frank

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Just finished listening to a fascinating podcast about fractional art ownership and couldn't help but geek out over the investment implications. Here's what caught my attention: high-end art apparently has zero or slightly negative correlation with most traditional asset classes. Think about that - while the NASDAQ is down 27% YTD and the S&P off by 15%, the recent Christie's and Sotheby's sales were absolutely crushing it. Why? Because the art market operates on a completely different wavelength than traditional markets. It's driven by a small pool of ultra-wealthy collectors whose decision-making isn't tethered to what equity markets are doing. Companies like Masterworks are democratizing access to this previously exclusive asset class through SEC-registered fractional ownership. Their data-driven approach to art valuation is particularly intriguing - they're essentially bringing quantitative analysis to an historically qualitative market. Is allocating 1-2% of your portfolio to alternative assets like art smart diversification or just the latest fad? The data suggests the former, but I'm curious what my network thinks. #AlternativeInvestments #PortfolioDiversification #ArtMarket #DataDrivenInvesting https://lnkd.in/dspntb99

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The California Wellness Foundation is redefining mission-aligned investing with a $1 billion endowment dedicated to advancing health, equity, and community impact. By piloting new approaches, building strong board consensus, and fully integrating mission-driven guidelines across their portfolio, the foundation has created a cohesive investment strategy that aligns with its values and sets a new standard for impact and innovation in institutional investing. Discover how their strategy is driving meaningful change in our recent Client Story. https://ow.ly/8vTO30sNLhX

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FEMWEALTH Issue 247 highlights 💌 In the Spotlight 💸 Co-founded by Sara Sargent, Solace connects patients with dedicated healthcare advocates who guide them through the complexities of the healthcare system. The California-based company raised a $130M Series C round at a $1+ B post-money valuation. IVP led, joined by Menlo Ventures, SignalFire, Torch Capital, Inspired Capital, and RiverPark Ventures Startup Funding Highlights - Co-founded by Daniela Amodei, Anthropic, a San Francisco AI company behind the Claude AI assistant, announced a $30B Series G round at a $380B valuation.  - Co-founded by Georgia Gaveras, DO, Talkiatry, a New York City AI-powered clinical operations platform providing in-network psychiatric care, raised $210M in Series D  - Founded and led by Celine Halioua, Loyal, a San Francisco biotech startup developing longevity drugs for dogs, secured a $100M Series C - Co-founded by Hedda Båverud Olsson & Sophie Wilkinson, Lassie, a Stockholm-based pet insurance platform providing claim management and preventive care, closed a $75M Series C  - Co-founded by Elsa Cordonnier, Andercore, a Berlin-based AI-driven trade platform for industrial supply in infrastructure, energy, and construction materials, raised $40M in Series B - Co-founded by Kate Barnard Roberts and Emma Nosseir, Atlas Oncology Partners, a US value-based oncology enablement platform, secured $28M in Series A - Co-founded and led by Luba Rein, Newo.ai, a San Francisco startup developing AI-powered voice and text agents for SMBs, raised a $25M Series A - Co-founded by Richa Kaul, Complyance, a New York startup providing AI agents to manage governance, risk, and data compliance for enterprises, raised a $20M Series A  - Co-founded by Catheryn Li, Simple AI, a San Francisco startup building voice AI agents for inbound and outbound B2C calls, raised a $14M Seed - Co-founded and led by Rosalyn Moran, Stanhope AI, a London startup developing brain-inspired adaptive AI systems, closed an $8M Seed - Co-founded and led by Jana Tian, Upside Robotics, a Candian startup developing solar-powered autonomous robots for agriculture, raised $7.5M in Seed - Founded and led by Milena Nikolic, Heywa Labs, a London startup developing Generative UX, raised a $5M Seed  - Co-founded by Aishwarya Dahanukar, Tangible, a London startup helping tech companies access and manage debt financing, raised a $4.3M Seed - Co-founded by Yidian Liu, PolyGone, a US startup developing microplastic monitoring and removal technology, raised $4M in Seed - Co-founded by Anna Decroix, Demoboost a Polish startup helping B2B software companies to create and track interactive product demos, raised €2.8M - Co-founded by Thiri Shwesin Aung, Nyxium, a London-based agentic scouting platform for energy, data centres, mining and manufacturing, raised a £2.4M Pre-Seed - Founded and led by Luci Holland, VERITAS, a San Francisco startup aiming to provide a trusted way to verify luxury, raised a $1.75M Pre-Seed

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Don't get "stuck in the middle." A recent Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA) white paper highlighted the tensions and concerns that institutional LPs are having over the race for "retail" by alternative asset managers. Balancing the needs and demands of both institutional and wealth channel LPs is a question that’s moving to the forefront of conversations between GPs and LPs as the industry evolves to cater to the needs of the new, relatively untapped LP: the wealth channel. Institutional LPs are wondering how GPs that decide to work with the wealth channel will handle the influx of capital from private wealth and what that means for their own relationships with GPs. Scott Ramsower, Head of Private Equity Funds at the $221B AUM Teacher Retirement System of Texas, said this topic is “is top of mind for limited partners.” Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA) then said the quiet part out loud. "More pointedly, ILPA elevates these issues at a time when the underlying mix of investments of these products may exacerbate a strategy-structure misalignment ..." Reorienting an asset manager to be able to properly serve the wealth channel requires capital, commitment, and comprehension. Perhaps the most important “c” for firms to internalize? Comprehension. Asset managers will do well to comprehend the nuances of balancing the needs of both the wealth channel and their long-standing existing customers, the institutional LPs. EQT Group CEO Per Franzen said it well when he remarked recently that responsible growth is critical: “If I had a magic wand, I would use that and make sure that every larger player in the private markets industry pursues that opportunity in a long-term responsible way.” Responsible is the keyword here. With people’s retirements hanging in the balance, it’s never been more important to get retail right. If asset managers — and the industry — want to be successful, they can’t afford to get “stuck in the middle” of not serving either institutional or wealth channel LPs well. Read on for more👇 This week's Alt Goes Mainstream's AGM Alts Weekly, brought to you by Nomura Capital Management, covers: 🗂️ AGM Index, an index that tracks the leading publicly traded alternative asset managers. 💻 Who is hiring: Senior-level positions from companies Blackstone, KKR, Apollo Global Management, Inc., Blue Owl Capital, Franklin Templeton, iCapital, Goldman Sachs, Partners Group, Ultimus Fund Solutions, Allocate, SageSpring Wealth Partners, MSCI Inc. Subscribe👇 to see the latest trends & navigate this rapidly changing landscape as alts go mainstream. https://lnkd.in/ehsbjSBA

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