This episode starts as a parody.

An April Fool’s take on private equity, financial media, and the way we position ourselves in the investment industry.

It’s exaggerated. It’s intentional. And it might feel too familiar.

Then we shift.

Because behind the character is a real conversation about something that matters—

how content is created, how differentiation actually works, and why most financial firms get it wrong.

What You’ll Get:

• A satirical look at private equity culture and messaging

• The thinking behind one of the fastest-growing finance parody brands

• Practical insight on building content that actually cuts through

• Why copying trends doesn’t work—and what does

• Advice for students, allocators, and managers navigating a changing landscape

Why This Episode Matters:

In a market where everyone sounds the same, content is no longer optional—it’s a strategic advantage.

This episode is about understanding that shift.

Through humor first—then through experience.

Guest:

Johnny Hilbrant — creator of “PE Guy,” a rapidly growing parody brand across LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube, known for its sharp take on private equity culture and communication.

What does it look like to sit in the CIO seat?

This episode of Dakota Live was recorded on campus at West Virginia University, bringing students directly into the room with institutional investors responsible for billions in capital.

Rob Morier sits down with:

• Jim Bethea, CIO of the WVU Foundation
  
  
• Craig Slaughter, CIO of the West Virginia Investment Management Board
  
  
• Josh Hall, Dean of the WVU Business School
  
  

This is not a surface-level discussion.

It’s a behind-the-scenes look at how portfolios are actually built—and what matters far more than most people think.

We cover:

• How endowments and pensions allocate capital
  
  
• The real role of governance in investment outcomes
  
  
• How CIOs evaluate managers (and why it’s not a pure science)
  
  
• Private markets vs public markets today
  
  
• Active vs passive: where the opportunity may be shifting
  
  
• What students and young professionals need to know to break into investing
  
  

One of the biggest takeaways:

Most CIOs don’t spend their time talking about managers.

They talk about governance, process, and decision-making.

If you’re an allocator, asset manager, or student trying to understand how institutional investing actually works—this episode is for you.

Instead of sitting across from an allocator, this week we flip the table—and sit in the seat of an emerging manager building a firm from the ground up.
In this conversation with Brandon Ladoff, Founder & Portfolio Manager of Denmark Capital, we explore what it actually looks like to launch a boutique investment firm in today’s market—where every decision mirrors the exact questions allocators ask behind closed doors.

From fundraising realities to portfolio construction, from volatility to conviction, this episode is a case study in what emerging managers must get right to survive—and win.

What we cover:
• The leap from established firm to founder: “burning the boats”
• How emerging managers think about alignment, patience, and capital base
• The tension between unconstrained investing and allocators’ expectations
• The reality of fundraising when your strategy embraces volatility

Why this episode is different:
Most conversations focus on how allocators evaluate managers.

This one shows you the other side:
👉 What it feels like to be the emerging manager
👉 The trade-offs you don’t see in pitch decks
👉 The conviction required when there’s no institutional safety net

As discussed in the episode, launching a firm is less about theory and more about execution under uncertainty—a real-time test of everything we try to understand in emerging manager due diligence.