Episode Details

Welcome back to the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast.

Today’s episode is with someone who is running the long race — in investing and in running.

We sit down with prolific long distance runner, Blue Owl Capital’s Ivan Zinn, who has been a pioneer in alternative credit and asset-based finance.

Ivan has had a long career in private credit. He started at DLJ before joining Leonard Green & Partners and Highbridge Capital. He then joined HBK before founding pioneering private credit firm Atalaya Capital Management, where he was also the CIO. Ivan and team grew Atalaya to over $10B in AUM from 2006 to 2024 before being acquired by Blue Owl Capital for $450M (and $800M with earnouts).

As part of the transaction, Ivan became Managing Director at Blue Owl and is the Head of Alternative Credit, where the firm is now expanding its footprint due to Atalaya’s expertise. Ivan is as prolific outside of the office as he is in it — he is a long distance runner, running 100 mile races, and was a NCAA All-American tennis player, which comes as no surprise given the discipline, focus and expertise required to excel at the activities he’s done throughout his career in work and sport. He’s also a Board member of the USTA Foundation.
Ivan and I had a fascinating conversation about the evolution of private credit and the growth of asset-based finance. We discussed:

• How and why ABF has grown within the private credit ecosystem.
• ABF’s market structure and a “trip down main street.”
• The potential size of the ABF market.
• Why moving assets off bank balance sheets can help the financial system.
• Why private credit is a data rich asset.
• Where ABF fits in a portfolio.
• Why consumer credit is potentially misunderstood within private credit.

Thanks Ivan for coming on the show to share your wisdom and expertise on private credit and ABF. Good luck to anyone keeping up with you on a long run though!

You can also see a recent Q&A with Ivan about private credit and ABF on AGM here.

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A word from AGM podcast sponsor, Ultimus Fund Solutions

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