Swimming with Allocators: Kate Simpson – Why Venture’s Best Opportunities Are Moving to the Edges

June 17, 2026

GEM's Head of Venture Capital, Kate Simpson, recently joined Earnest Sweat and Alexa Binns on Swimming with Allocators to discuss GEM’s approach to building and managing a venture portfolio in today's market. Kate explains why she believes the market has bifurcated into a barbell—with scaled platforms on one end and emerging managers on the other—and why the “crowded middle” warrants extra caution right now. Their conversation also explores how GEM evaluates managers through the lens of sourcing, picking, and winning, why we believe fund math is such an important part of early-stage manager assessment, and what feels different about the current AI-driven cycle.

Watch the full episode below.

 








 

Recent Insights

Swimming with Allocators: Kate Simpson – Why Venture’s Best Opportunities Are Moving to the Edges

Head of Venture Capital, Kate Simpson, joined the Swimming with Allocators podcast to discuss how GEM constructs its venture portfolio, why the market has bifurcated, and where disciplined manager selection creates the most compelling opportunities.

2025 Impact Report: Promise & Precaution

Our 2025 Impact Report explores a key question shaping the future of impact investing: how can investors support AI’s development and deployment in ways that maximize its benefits while mitigating its risks?

Emerging Managers Think Outside the Box in Parched Fundraising Era

As dealmakers leave established firms to launch their own, many are turning to deal-by-deal and hybrid structures first. Caroline Dallas, a Managing Director in GEM's Investment Research Group, spoke with Buyouts about why GEM sees this as a natural market evolution.

Connect with us

Let’s start a conversation about how we can help.