April 28, 2025
As part of ION Analytics’ Influencer Fireside Chat series, Kelly Barofsky, a Director in GEM’s Investment Research Group, sat down with Giovanni Amodeo for an in-depth discussion on how GEM defines, sources, and selects investment opportunities in the lower mid-market. Kelly begins by outlining her journey to investment management before elaborating on the attributes that make the lower mid-market an attractive market segment. They then discussed why GEM believes sector specialization is an advantage for managers, the implications of growing a fund slowly vs. scaling more quickly, and how we assess a manager’s ability to translate their strategy into true value creation for their portfolio companies. Kelly concludes by providing an outlook for the market, noting the resilience of GEM’s buyout portfolio while also acknowledging a challenging IPO environment and ongoing investor concerns related to tariffs, recession risk, and the broader macroeconomic landscape.
Watch the full conversation below.
In this edition of The Long View, Co-CIO Matt Bank explains why managing risk with structure, discipline, and flexibility is essential for long-term investors, and how GEM’s approach helps portfolios endure uncertainty.
In an interview with FundFire, GEM’s Co-CIO, Matt Bank, addresses critiques of the endowment model and explains why disciplined execution in private markets remains essential to long-term success.
Head of Investments Jay Ripley joined Ted Seides on the Capital Allocators podcast to discuss his path from private equity to GEM, the firm’s approach to backing emerging managers and independent sponsors, and the importance of strong manager selection amid growing dispersion.
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