iConnections Insights: News, Research & Thought Leadership for Alternative Investors

As we head into 2026, the pace of change is hard to miss. Driverless cars are showing up on city streets, drones are delivering food, and new technology is built into the tools we use every day. What once felt futuristic has become part of our daily routines. Our industry has evolved alongside that shift.
The tools are better, the reach is broader, and the pace is faster, but the foundation of this business hasn’t changed. The best opportunities still come from people spending time together, asking the right questions, and building enough trust to move forward with confidence. That balance is what we focused on in this issue.
You’ll notice there are two covers, one focused on Al and the other on human connection, designed to be viewed together. The intention isn’t to frame them as competing ideas, but to show how closely they’re connected and how much stronger our industry is when technology supports relationships instead of trying to replace them.
After 25 years in this business, it’s clear that real progress rarely comes from tools alone. Capital moves when people are aligned, partnerships form when there’s shared perspective, and lasting relationships are built through conversations that happen over time.
That’s how this industry has always worked, and it’s why trust remains at the center of everything we do.
Technology plays an important role in making those connections easier to start and easier to maintain, especially as our community becomes more global. Since 2020, Connections has facilitated more than 84,000 one-on-one meetings, helping investors and managers find the right conversations.
That same focus on connection is what drives Global Alts Miami. From February 23-26 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, we’ll bring together more than 5,000 attendees and over 200 thought leaders, while facilitating more than 20,000 meetings across hedge funds, private equity, private credit, venture, real estate, infrastructure, and digital assets, all in one place.
We built Connections to strengthen human connection. Technology helps us stay organized and find each other more efficiently, but it’s the relationships themselves that give the work meaning and move the industry forward.
Start with Al or start with humanity. Either way, you’ll end up where both meet: where technology enhances what makes us human.