Espresso Chats

AI in Venture Capital: Separating Hype from Opportunity

AI is everywhere — but what does it actually mean for investors? In this kickoff episode of our AI mini-series, Commonfund Institute's Amanda Novello, Senior Policy and Research Analyst, sits down with Luke Rossiter, Managing Director on CF Private Equity's venture capital team, to break down where we really are in the AI cycle, what separates a genuine investment opportunity from the hype, and how institutional investors should think about risk and reward in this moment.

Charitable Giving in a Changing Policy Landscape

In this episode, Brian Flahaven, VP of Strategic Partnerships at CASE, discusses the fundraising and philanthropic landscape facing schools, colleges, and universities today. The conversation covers key trends in giving — including the persistent "dollars up, donors down" phenomenon — and examines how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act introduces both new incentives and new limitations for charitable giving. Flahaven also shares how institutions can sharpen their narrative around the value of education and highlights the work of the Charitable Giving Coalition [https://www.charitablegivingcoalition.org/] in preserving and expanding the charitable tax deduction. Additional resources: * Charitable Giving Coalition website [https://www.charitablegivingcoalition.org/] * CASE Summary of Key Provisions in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act [https://www.case.org/summary-key-https:/www.case.org/summary-key-provisions-hr-1-budget-reconciliation-package-hr-1-budget-reconciliation-package] * CASE Insights on Voluntary Support of Education [https://www.case.org/research/surveys/case-insights-voluntary-support-education]

Independent School Endowment Insights

In this episode, Jeff Shields, President and CEO of NBOA, discusses highlights from the recently released Commonfund Benchmarks Study® of Independent Schools, including two consecutive years of double-digit investment returns for independent school endowments - a rare occurrence not seen in 15 years. The discussion explores the growing divide between larger and smaller independent schools in terms of resources and opportunities, while addressing persistent challenges like faculty retention and operational pressures. Shields advocates for strategic thinking during this period of strong returns, encouraging school leaders to make decisions today that ensure institutional sustainability for the future.

Trends and Challenges in Higher Education

In this episode, Liz Clark, VP of Policy and Research at NACUBO, discusses findings from the recently released NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments, including major themes such as spending. The conversation dovetails into broader challenges in higher education today and emphasizes that successful institutions are those that stay focused on their core educational mission.

Real Assets and Sustainability: Investing in a Changing Policy Environment

In this episode of Espresso Chats, Dan Connell from CF Private Equity’s Real Assets and Sustainability team discusses how the investment landscape for real assets and sustainability has evolved over the past year. He addresses how policy changes, demand growth, and cost-effectiveness have driven the economic advantages of utility-scale solar and natural gas, and how institutional investors can use real assets for portfolio diversification, inflation hedging, and alpha generation.