73 Strings' Yann Magnan - unlocking valuation intelligence in private markets

Welcome back to the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast.Today’s episode is with a founder who is building mission-critical valuation and portfolio monitoring software for alternative asset managers.We are joined by Yann Magnan, the Co-Founder and CEO of 73 Strings, to discuss how valuation work and portfolio monitoring is moving from manual to automated and why that’s so important for the industry. 73 Strings has leveraged AI and automation to more seamlessly and cost-effectively extract data, monitor portfolios, and streamline middle-office processes for valuations. 73 Strings works with a number of the industry’s top alternative asset managers and has received investment from Blackstone, Growth Equity at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Hamilton Lane, Golub, Fidelity International Strategic Ventures, and Broadhaven Ventures, amongst others.Yann has brought his experience as a senior member of the Duff & Phelps team, where he was EMEA Market Leader and member of the Global Operating Committee and as a Partner at EY’s Transaction Advisory Services to help bring valuation and portfolio monitoring solutions into the mainstream.Yann and I had a fascinating conversation about how technology innovation and AI are impacting private markets and perspectives on valuation work today. We discussed:The challenges with manual valuation services businesses.How to create uniformity and standardization with private markets fund performance data.How AI is changing private markets post-investment reporting processes.Does automation in private markets help big funds or small funds more?The evolution of post-investment private markets market structure.The biggest technology innovation still missing from private markets.Why the growth of the wealth channel and evergreen funds increases the need for more streamlined reporting and valuation solutions.Thanks Yann for coming on the show to share your expertise, insights, and passion about private markets.Show Notes00:00 AI Since Day One01:06 A Message from our Sponsor, Ultimus02:02 Introduction to Yann Magnan04:11 From Manual To Automated04:44 Excel Google Email04:58 Cloud And Early AI05:07 Governed Auditable Process05:30 Founding 73 Strings05:36 Two Valuation Platforms05:55 Scaling With Alts Growth06:28 Evergreen Acceleration06:54 Retail Investor Expectations07:09 Transactions Need Fresh NAVs07:44 Valuations For Transactions08:14 Continuation Vehicles Context08:42 Reporting To Trading Shift09:07 Illiquid Vs Liquid Compare09:18 Mimicking Public Markets09:43 Valuation Philosophy Changes10:27 Back Office To Front Office11:25 New Stakeholders To Balance11:59 Why Private Must Feel Public12:20 Transparency And Liquidity13:18 Is Liquidity Good15:11 Evergreen Process Differences16:09 Higher Frequency Requirements18:00 Tech Leverage Points18:53 People Plus Technology19:44 Portfolio Data As DNA21:02 No Single Valuation Standard21:47 Consistency Over Time22:20 Human In The Loop22:42 Art And Science Framework24:03 No One Best Method24:55 Wealth Channel Education25:30 What LPs Should Ask26:46 What Top GPs Want27:38 Global Tech Adoption28:49 Fundraising Drives Ops30:23 AI Data Extraction Story31:48 Standardizing Data Labels32:21 Data Model Requirements32:52 Is Data A Moat33:14 Turning Data Into Insights33:54 Scale Versus Specialization35:04 Tech Helps Small Managers36:21 AI Impact On All Funds36:44 Starting Before GenAI Boom37:42 ML And NLP Foundations38:40 Agents Accelerate Valuations39:26 Overnight Valuation Refresh39:57 More Frequent Valuations40:10 Limits Of Daily Data41:03 Explainability And Trust41:42 Next Market Structure Shift42:09 Digital GP LP Data Sharing43:12 Interconnection Needs Trust43:46 Closing ThanksA Word from Our Sponsor, UltimusThis episode of Alt Goes Mainstream is brought to you by Ultimus, the full-service fund administrator and transfer agent powering asset managers in private and public markets. As alts go mainstream, you need real expertise to handle complex fund structures, connect with key distribution partners, and handle sophisticated compliance, reporting, and transparency demands.That’s Ultimus: high-tech, high-touch solutions for over 450 clients and 2,500 funds with $775B in assets under administration. Backed by an expert team of over 1,200 employees, they place client service at the core of their business, helping you navigate complexity during your fund structuring or launch and then supporting you through every stage of growth. Whether you’re already in the market or thinking about entering private wealth, you can trust their team’s deep expertise in retail alternatives to help you reach your goals.Learn more at ultimusfundsolutions.com or email [email protected] thank Ultimus for their support of alts going mainstream.Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant.