Scott Malpass on Why Soft Elbows Win Top Fund Allocations
Scott Malpass grew Notre Dame's endowment from $400M to $20B by rejecting aggressive LP negotiation tactics in favor of speed and manager trust.
Notre Dame’s Former CIO on Sequoia, Venture Capital & Concentration
With David Weisburd, Scott Malpass · Sunday, September 6, 2026
Former University of Notre Dame Chief Investment Officer Scott Malpass reflects on his 32-year career growing the university's endowment from $400 million to over $20 billion. He discusses the core traits of elite fund managers, Notre Dame's decades-long partnership with Sequoia Capital, the dangers of fund size expansion, and his concentrated equity strategy at Grafton Street Partners.
Key takeaways
- Scott Malpass spent 32 years steering the University of Notre Dame endowment from $400 million to more than $20 billion, relying on long-tenured relationships with managers like Sequoia Capital. Read more →
- Scott Malpass ran the University of Notre Dame endowment for 32 years, scaling its asset base from $400 million to more than $20 billion. Read more →
- Scott Malpass expanded the University of Notre Dame endowment from $400 million in 1988 to over $20 billion across 32 years as chief investment officer. Read more →
- Scott Malpass built Notre Dame's endowment from $400 million to more than $20 billion over 32 years by securing early access to elite venture managers. Read more →
- Scott Malpass oversaw the University of Notre Dame endowment for 32 years, scaling the portfolio from $400 million to over $20 billion by backing disciplined, concentrated managers. Read more →
5 articles from this episode
Scott Malpass on Why Endowments Over-Diversify
Former Notre Dame CIO Scott Malpass explains why Grafton Street Partners skips credit, real estate, and mega-funds for concentrated equity.
Scott Malpass on Endowment Governance and Hidden Lockup Risk
Scott Malpass details how Notre Dame scaled from $400M to $20B by fixing governance, managing liquidity buffers, and avoiding overlapping lockups.
Why Sequoia Kept Its Early-Stage Fund at $600M
Scott Malpass details how Notre Dame backed Sequoia Capital from $400M to $20B and why keeping early funds small protects venture returns.
Why Scott Malpass Traded LP Fee Discounts for Fund Capacity
Former Notre Dame CIO Scott Malpass explains why asset bloat destroys alpha and why smart LPs negotiate capacity over fee breaks.
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