Listen "E196: Professor Steve Kaplan: Do Privates Really Outperform the S&P 500?"
Episode Synopsis
Why do Harvard and Yale seem to be exiting private equity? What does the most rigorous data actually say about buyout and venture performance? And how should serious LPs think about real estate, hedge funds, and co-investments?
In this episode, I’m joined with Steven Neil Kaplan—Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, co-creator of the Kaplan-Schoar PME metric, and one of the most widely cited academics in private equity and venture capital. Steve breaks down decades of private market performance data, busts myths around IRRs and overmarking, and gives a rare, honest evaluation of asset class performance through multiple cycles.
This conversation is a masterclass in understanding what the real numbers say—direct from the person who helped shape how performance is measured.
In this episode, I’m joined with Steven Neil Kaplan—Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, co-creator of the Kaplan-Schoar PME metric, and one of the most widely cited academics in private equity and venture capital. Steve breaks down decades of private market performance data, busts myths around IRRs and overmarking, and gives a rare, honest evaluation of asset class performance through multiple cycles.
This conversation is a masterclass in understanding what the real numbers say—direct from the person who helped shape how performance is measured.
More episodes of the podcast How I Invest with David Weisburd
E274:How LPs Miss Early Asymmetry by Waiting
02/01/2026
EP269: The $350M 30-Year Fund Model
24/12/2025
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