'Gaining The Edge': A Preview Of One Of The Top Hedge Fund Conferences

Agecroft Partners will be hosting its third "Gaining the Edge" hedge fund investor leadership summit on Nov. 2 and 3 in New York City. After two sold out events, the 2017 event is expected to receive 600 registrants, including more than 300 institutional hedge fund allocators — meaning, those who decide which hedge funds and strategies get institutional capital.

The conference will comprise several panels hosting investors who will share their independent view of different hedge fund strategies.

A Little Background

"Gaining the Edge" is regarded as one of the top hedge fund conferences in the industry. For instance, Hedge Fund Alert, which keeps a conference calendar, identifies the top eight conferences each year — among more than 100 that they track — and "Gaining the Edge" is one of the main ones, along with the SALT Conference, the SOHN Conference and Context Summit. Other hedge fund publications have highlighted the event similarly.

“What differentiates this conference from most other conferences is, if you go to SALT or SOHN, most of the people that speak at those conferences are hedge fund managers,” Agrecroft Founder Don Steinbrugge told Benzinga. “When you hear a hedge fund manager speak, they’re going to be generally speaking about why you should invest in their strategy and what the opportunities are in this strategy. So, they are usually biased to promote their own strategy to the people in the room. At Gaining the Edge, it is hedge fund investors that speak, not hedge fund managers.”

Picking The Right Hedge Fund

Hedge fund allocators are people dedicated to selecting the best hedge funds and strategies to invest in. So, their picks are not to be disregarded.

“Hedge funds are not an asset class. They are a fund structure that is made up of a lot of different strategies,” Steinbrugge explained. “It is more important to pick the best strategy to invest in (typically in a diversified hedge fund portfolio) than the best manager. So, people who come to the conference are going to hear a day and a half of discussions of many of the leading investors in hedge funds giving their opinions on where are the opportunities, what strategies do they like, what strategies do they not like, how do you protect against tail risk in your portfolio if the market sells off, which hedge fund strategies are going to do the best.

One final note: 100 percent of the profits from the Gaining the Edge Summit will be donated to non-profit organizations that benefit children. For more information, visit https://www.apgainingtheedge.com/

Confirmed 2017 Speakers

• Aberdeen Asset Management — Kevin Lyons, senior investment manager
• Advanced Portfolio Management — Robert Kiernan, CEO
• Alaska Permanent Fund — Ben Chang, Senior Associate
• Alternative Investment Group — David Storrs, president and CEO
• Aon Hewitt Ennis Knupp — Chris Walvoord, partner-global head of hedge fund research
• Aptitude Investments — Jeff Klein, CEO/deputy CIO
• Clearbrook — Tim Ng, CIO
• Cliffwater — Chris Solarz CFA, CPA, CAIA, managing director
• Corbin Capital — Craig Bergstrom CFA, partner, CIO
• Deutsche Asset Management — Chris Umscheid, hedge fund research
• Fairfax County Retirement Systems — Katherine Molnar CFA, senior investment officer
• GAM — Arvin Soh, portfolio manager
• Gapstow — Chris Acito, founder, CEO and CIO
• Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Jonathan Hook, CIO
• Helmsley Trust — Warren Tye, investment officer
• JPMorgan Alternative Asset Management — Paul Zummo, CEO/CIO
• Kenmar Olympia — Peter Fell, director of investment due diligence
• Lighthouse Partners — Timothy Berry CFA, managing director, investments
• Lone Peak Partners — Betsy Battle, CIO
• Man FRM — Tom Williams CFA, CIO Pine Grove Funds
• Massey Quick — Stewart Massey, founding partner
• Maverick Capital — Bates Brown, hedge fund analyst
• Merrimac Corp. — Clark Cheng CFA, FRM, CIO
• The Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board — Matthew Sherwood, senior manager, public markets investments
• NEPC — Neil Sheth, partner, director of alternative asset research
• Optima Fund Management — Erik Welle, director
• PAAMCO — Robert Motoshige, director
• Peninsula Funds — Andy Fisher, CIO
• Pension Consulting Alliance — John Linder CFA, CPA, principal
• Private Advisors — Charles Honey, partner
• Protégé Partners — Michael Weinberg, senior managing director, chief investment strategist
• Russell Investments— Cedric Fan, senior portfolio manager, hedge funds
• SECOR Asset Management — Philip Didio, portfolio manager
• Segal Macro Advisors — Alan Kosan, senior vice president, head of Alpha Investment Research
• Silvercrest — Michael Dubin, managing director
• Sirius Partners — Brad Beatty, CFA, CIO
• Spider Management Company/University of Richmond Endowment — Steve Henderson, director of investments
• Talson Partners — Dominic Napolitano, founder and managing member
• Texas Children’s Hospital — Robert Durden, CIO
• The Investment Fund for Foundations — Jay Willoughby, CIO
• Titan Advisors — Brian Walsh, principal and chief strategist
• UJA-Federation of NY — Colin Ambrose, CIO

More From Benzinga:

Catalyst Funds CEO Talks Alternative Investment Strategies For Retail Investors

Cannabis Industry Has Already Raised Over $730 Million In 2017