Jeff Horing - Building Insight Partners - [Invest Like the Best, EP.440]
My guest today is Jeff Horing. Jeff cofounded Insight Partners and has been the Managing Director since 1995. This is one of Jeff’s first public conversations about building one of the world’s most successful technology investment firms with over $100 billion in AUM. Jeff reveals the mechanics behind Insight's legendary sourcing machine—60-80 people systematically calling companies worldwide. He explains their contrarian "one fund" strategy that deploys $12 billion across everything from $10M growth deals to billion-dollar buyouts, and why he thinks this creates unmatched competitive advantages. We discuss remarkable talent diaspora, AI representing a "TAM accelerator," and Insight’s five-ingredient framework for perfect investments. Please enjoy this great conversation with Jeff Horing. For the full show notes, transcript, and links to mentioned content, check out the episode page here. ----- This episode is brought to you by Ramp. Ramp’s mission is to help companies manage their spend in a way that reduces expenses and frees up time for teams to work on more valuable projects. Go to Ramp.com/invest to sign up for free and get a $250 welcome bonus. – This episode is brought to you by AlphaSense. AlphaSense has completely transformed the research process with cutting-edge AI technology and a vast collection of top-tier, reliable business content. Invest Like the Best listeners can get a free trial now at Alpha-Sense.com/Invest and experience firsthand how AlphaSense and Tegus help you make smarter decisions faster. – This episode is brought to you by Ridgeline. Ridgeline has built a complete, real-time, modern operating system for investment managers. It handles trading, portfolio management, compliance, customer reporting, and much more through an all-in-one real-time cloud platform. Head to ridgelineapps.com to learn more about the platform. ----- Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com). Show Notes: (00:00:00) Welcome to Invest Like the Best (00:08:35) Insight Partners' Investment Strategies (00:13:06) Evaluating Software Businesses (00:22:51) The One Fund Strategy (00:29:32) The Evolution of Insight's Sourcing Strategy (00:35:09) Operationalizing the Sourcing Process (00:44:43) Adapting to Market Changes and Strategies (00:49:45) Navigating Market Corrections and Investment Strategies (00:51:40) Challenges and Opportunities in Venture Buyouts (00:54:12) Talent Development and Retention at Insight (00:56:03) The Importance of Sourcing and Pattern Recognition (01:02:08) Scaling and Operationalizing Investment Strategies (01:20:24) Impact of AI on Investment and Software Markets (01:27:40) Reflections on Winning and Selling Strategies (01:30:34) The Kindest Thing Anyone Has Ever Done For Jeff