AIF is a thought leadership forum. Its mission is to promote sound alternative investments by institutional investors.
- Alternative investments are all investments other than traditional investment strategies applied to stocks, bonds, and cash and cash equivalents. Alternative investments include: direct and indirect investments in private equity funds (including buyout and venture capital funds); hedge funds; real estate funds; infrastructure funds; and other real assets.
- Institutional investors are all large pools of capital worldwide that are available to be invested in alternative investments. They include: public, corporate and Taft-Hartley (union) pension plans; endowments; foundations; large family offices; insurance companies; and sovereign wealth funds.
Ideas and communication – AIF aims to:
- Accomplish its mission through discussion forums in which leading alternative investment professionals exchange views and information.
- Expose investors to a broader range of investment ideas.
- Further best practices among investors by aiding their strategic planning, asset allocation, manager selection, and risk management processes.
AIF holds educational roundtable discussion forums in each of the major alternative asset classes. Forums focus on those topics of greatest interest to the investors at the time they are held. Participation is by invitation only.
- AIF strives for an appropriate mix of institutional investors and fund managers by size, type and investment style. A leading consultant or academician in the relevant asset class takes the lead in structuring his or her roundtable and serves as its moderator.
- Each forum is limited to a maximum of 25 participants. Only a top investment decision maker may take a seat at the table. There is a strict prohibition against marketing of any sort. No press, speechmaking, partisanship, or audience is permitted. No tickets are sold. No service providers are present. The goal is to foster a pure, high level, extemporaneous discussion of alternative investments issues among leading alternative investment professionals.
- Forums are held regionally to accommodate investors, schedules and travel policies.
Standards - AIF membership is limited to the most respected investment managers and consultants in their respective asset classes.
Limited Size - AIF’s forums must be large enough to elicit a range of perspectives but small enough to allow for a productive roundtable discussion among all participants.
Cross-section of Members - AIF aims to have a cross-section of members by size and investment style. The goal is to create a forum in which new and fresh investment ideas can be exchanged freely and comfortably in a neutral forum.