From the Research Desk – AI: From Emerging Allocation to Dominant Investment Framework

If you wanted one structural shift to track in alternative investments over the next two years, it would be the rise of the family office as a primary LP for fund managers across strategies.

The shift is not new. What is new is the speed of it. According to the iConnections Global Allocator Report 2026, 67% of allocators plan to increase their allocation to alternatives in 2026, with over 90% intending to maintain or increase exposure. That commitment is the backdrop. The question for fund managers is which slice of that capital actually moves fastest.

Across iConnections, where 6,000+ LPs representing $50T+ in LP capital interact with 1,400+ GPs in real time. Family offices and family-office-aligned vehicles are increasingly the LP cohort fund managers describe as their highest-velocity buyer. This piece walks through why, drawn from manager and allocator interviews in the 2025 research, the public Global Allocator Report 2026, and platform engagement signal.

Three Forces Driving Family Office LP Growth in Alternatives

1. Speed of Decision

Family offices generally make decisions faster than institutional LPs. They have shorter committee cycles, fewer process layers, and decision-makers who are often closer to the original wealth creation, which means they evaluate funds the way an operator evaluates a partnership, not the way an institutional process evaluates an RFP.

For fund managers racing to a final close, that speed compounds. A family office that meets in March can commit in April. A public pension that meets in March is meeting again in September, if at all.

The implication on the platform side is that velocity is observable. Allocator Intelligence on iConnections surfaces live mandate activity, recent meeting cadence, and behavioral signal by allocator type.

2. Strategy Flexibility

Family offices are increasingly willing to write checks across strategies that institutional LPs treat as separate buckets. A single family office on the platform might commit to a venture fund, a private credit fund, and an emerging-markets hedge fund in the same calendar year. Pensions and endowments rarely do this; they staff and budget by strategy bucket.

For fund managers in any of the “in-between” strategies (private credit niches, secondaries, lower-middle-market buyout, sector-specific venture), family offices are increasingly the most natural buyer.

Platform engagement reflects this breadth. Looking at where family office attention actually goes on the platform, Long/Short Equity leads family office meeting activity at 24% of all meetings taken, followed by Private Credit at 22%, with Long Only Equity at 14% (iConnections Allocator Intelligence). The spread itself is the point. Family office capital is not concentrated in a single bucket; it shows up across strategies that institutional LPs would route through separate teams.

This is one of the reasons iConnections built Search and Violet (iConnections agentic AI) to filter the network by mandate behavior rather than by category alone. A family office with a stated venture preference and a six-month track record of credit meetings shows up in a credit manager’s network when the underlying signal supports it, not just when the catalog category matches.

3. Network Density

The third force is the one most people miss. Family offices increasingly source managers through other family offices. A single positive reference inside a family office network can fill a fund manager’s calendar with new meetings within a month.

The broader allocator data confirms how widespread this pattern is. Nearly 80% of LPs say they discover new managers through their professional networks, and over half cite conferences and industry events as a primary sourcing channel (iConnections Global Allocator Report 2026). Family offices sit at the most network-dense end of that spectrum.

This is also the structural reason iConnections built three formats of Regional LP Gatherings (Coffee & Connections, Roundtables, and Intimate Receptions) on top of the year-round platform. The format is small-group, allocator-first, and city-local: 15 to 30 allocators per Coffee & Connections, 10 to 25 per Roundtable, evening receptions in major financial hubs. Family offices are disproportionately represented in those rooms because the rooms are sized for the way family-office decision-making actually compounds, peer to peer, in person, in their own city.

“Conferences are great. Roadshows are personal. Both belong in your year, but Roadshows are the one I built our schedule around.”— a family office allocator on iConnections

The iConnections Roadshow format is built around the same network density. An allocator member shares a mandate (strategy focus, fund size, openness to track record). The platform surfaces matching fund managers. The allocator selects three to five for a focused in-office week, and iConnections handles the coordination. It is mandate-driven matching, not mass outreach, and it produces the kind of small-group, high-fit conversation family offices repeatedly tell us is the format they want more of.

What the Allocator Side Tells Us About Workflow

The broader LP-side research surfaces a consistent set of behaviors. Allocators want fewer logins, cleaner data, and tighter integration between discovery and decision.

iConnections addresses that consolidation by design. The platform combines AI-powered Search (200+ filters), Violet (agentic AI that takes action on your behalf), full meeting and pipeline management, fund Documents with download tracking, peer-allocator group chats, Business Trip Connections, and Allocator Intelligence (live first-party behavioral signals from the network) in one workflow. Allocators initiate nearly half of all platform meetings precisely because the platform surfaces the right fits rather than asking allocators to dig.

What This Means for Fund Managers Raising in 2026

The implication for fund managers is not “switch the entire raise to family offices.” That would over-correct. The implication is that the LP mix in the target list needs to reflect where the velocity actually is.

For most fund managers raising in 2026, the working ratio inside a target list is shifting toward more family office. Multi-family office names than would have been the right answer two or three years ago. Pension and insurance names stay on the list, but they are increasingly relationships built for the next fund, not the buyers expected to close this fund.

Three Practical Adjustments

For fund managers adjusting to this distribution, three changes are showing up across the research:

1. Compress materials for an operator audience. Lead with thesis and team, not with process. Family offices generally do not need a 60-page ODD pack as the first read. Upload the materials on iConnections so allocators can triage on substance before requesting a meeting, and use Get Verified to take performance provenance off the table from day one.
2. Build network density before you need it. The single highest-ROI activity in a fundraising year is being in the rooms where family offices talk to each other. Roadshows, Coffee & Connections, and the four Global Alts flagship events are designed around that density by intent.
3. Reset the calendar to family office cycles. Meaningful first-half progress is possible if the team starts in January. Waiting until Q3 to begin outreach forfeits the velocity advantage entirely. iConnections built the year-round platform, Violet’s proactive surfacing, and Allocator Pro so the calendar runs continuously, not in event-only bursts.

The Bigger Picture

The story under the family-office shift is that the architecture of alternative investments is moving from institutional gatekeepers to a denser, faster, more relationship-driven network of private capital. Family offices are the most visible part of that shift, but they are not the only part. Multi-family platforms, single-family operating capital, and private-wealth vehicles are all moving the same direction.

For fund managers who adjust, the result is a shorter raise. For fund managers who do not, the cycle just keeps getting longer.

Ask any allocator who has been navigating LP-GP relationships in alts for a decade how they actually found the managers in their portfolio, and the answer will sound almost identical across the LP types. Not from a database. Not from a cold email. From a conversation with another allocator, a former colleague who joined a fund, a manager met in passing at an event two years before the first meeting that mattered.

This is the unglamorous truth that the marketing copy around capital introduction rarely tells you. The architecture of how money moves in alternatives is relational. The platforms and events that work are the ones built to compound those relationships, not replace them.

Nearly 80% of LPs say they discover new managers through their professional networks, and over half cite conferences and industry events as a primary sourcing channel, per the iConnections Global Allocator Report 2026. That is not a soft statistic. It is the operating reality of the business. Any fundraising strategy that ignores it gets the casualty count it deserves.

This article walks through the three stages of how LP-GP relationships in alts actually form, and how the iConnections platform is built around the way the work already happens, not against it.

Stage 1: Discovery, Through the Network, at Network Speed

The most common misconception among first-time fund managers is that LP discovery starts with a database query. It does not. It starts with a name surfaced through a connection.

The fund managers who describe the most efficient outreach all say a version of the same thing. They use the platform to find people they already have some link to, then run the relationship from there.

The difference between a 4% reply rate and a 22% reply rate on first outreach is, almost always, whether the manager built the list around relational signal (prior co-invest, shared portfolio company, alumni overlap, prior employer link) or around demographic filters alone. The demographic filter produces a name. The relational filter produces a route in.

This is one of the structural reasons iConnections Search runs on 200+ filters and a network of 26,000+ active members rather than on a static database. Violet, the iConnections agentic AI, sits on top of that network and is designed to do exactly the kind of relational query a fund manager would otherwise piece together by hand: filter thousands of allocators down to the ones who match a mandate, surface shared affiliations, and rank fits by behavioral signal rather than just demographic filters. The 100K+ AI-driven searches happening on the platform in any given 90-day window are this work compounding at scale.

For LPs, the same Violet engine works in reverse. Create a mandate, scan the network continuously, and surface fund managers the moment their strategy and behavioral signals fit. Allocators on iConnections initiate nearly half of all platform meetings precisely because the discovery flow is built around live mandate matching, not catalog browsing.

Stage 2: The First Meeting in LP-GP Relationships in Alts, and What Earns the Second

The first meeting in alternative investments is not a sales pitch. It is a calibration. Both sides are figuring out whether the other is worth a second conversation.

The LP side is brutally efficient about the first cut. Allocators are managing hundreds of inbound requests, and they triage on signal density.

The volume of inbound is an industry-wide pain point.  What changes the outcome inside that volume is whether the manager arrives with materials organized and credible. The LPs who are likely to invest tell themselves a story about the manager’s competence in the first ten minutes, and that story is usually built on one or two specifics, not on the pitch as a whole.

This is exactly the workflow iConnections Documents and the manager profile system are built around. Fund managers upload pitch decks, DDQs, track records, and investor updates once and share them everywhere on the platform. Allocators evaluating a meeting request can see strategy, AUM, fund documents, and the full profile before deciding to accept. For funds participating in the Get Verified program, performance data flows directly from the fund administrator into the platform with a visible green From Administrator badge, which removes one of the most common back-and-forth questions before a first call even happens.

The fast-closing managers prepare more sharply on the two or three specifics the LP is going to test. They upload the materials ahead of time. They cite a specific portfolio company or trade that earned a result. They use the Get Verified badge to take performance provenance off the discussion list. They get a second meeting because they earned the right to it through specifics, not because they covered every slide.

Stage 3: The Follow-Up, Where Real Pipelines Compound

The single most under-resourced stage of LP-GP relationships in alts is the one between the first meeting and the second meeting. This is where relationships either compound or die.

The mechanics of a stalled follow-up are predictable. The manager sent materials. The allocator did not respond. The manager sent a nudge. Three months later, the allocator starts a new diligence project, remembers the meeting, but cannot find the materials, and the relationship that should have moved forward resets to zero.

What makes the follow-up work, when it works, is structure. The managers who close fast describe a follow-up cadence built around a single new piece of information per touchpoint (a portfolio update, a new co-invest, a relevant conference appearance), not a generic check-in. The allocators respond to those touchpoints because the marginal cost of reading them is low and the marginal value is non-zero.

How iConnections Keeps the Pipeline Moving Between Events

iConnections builds this structure in as the default, not the exception. Pipelines give fund managers visual boards for the full LP-by-LP workflow, with meeting notes, diligence stage tracking, document engagement history, and activity across both events and the year-round platform. When an allocator opens a deck, a track record, or a new fund update, the manager sees it. When a profile is refreshed or new performance lands through the administrator, the relevant LPs are notified.

This is the structural difference between an event-only relationship and a year-round relationship. The event creates the meeting. The platform keeps the meeting alive between events. Roadshows, Coffee & Connections, and Digital Gatherings (Webinars, Manager Showcases, Meet the Allocator live Q&A) layer in real-world and virtual touchpoints across the calendar so the relationship never resets between Global Alts cycles.

What Network Density Actually Means in Practice

Network density is the most over-used term in alternative investments. Most of the time it means “we know a lot of people,” which is the wrong frame entirely.

The right frame is this: network density is the number of paths to a yes that a single relationship creates. A fund manager with low network density has one path to one allocator, and if that path stalls, the relationship is dead. A manager with high network density has three or four paths to the same allocator, including warm references from other managers in the allocator’s portfolio, peer allocators who have already moved similar strategies through diligence, and shared service providers who can offer informal commentary.

This is exactly what 26,000+ active members across 6,000+ LPs, 1,400+ GPs, and the service providers connecting them produce by design. It is also why the same Global Alts events that anchor the four-flagship calendar (Miami, New York, Asia, and the inaugural Europe debut in April 2027) are designed around concentrated, pre-scheduled LP-GP meetings rather than open networking. Nearly half of live event meetings on iConnections are allocator-initiated, which is the clearest single signal that the network is operating as a relational system rather than a catalog.

What This Means for Fund Managers Raising in 2026

Three takeaways from the research and the platform data, kept short.

1. Build the list around relational signal, not demographic filters alone. Prior co-invest, shared portfolio company, alumni link, prior employer overlap. Use Search and Violet to find them inside the iConnections network of 26,000+ active members.
2. Prepare the first meeting around two or three specifics, not the deck as a whole. Upload materials ahead of time so the allocator can triage in your favor. Consider Get Verified to take performance provenance off the discussion list before it can stall the conversation.
3. The follow-up deserves the same rigor as the pitch — treat it as infrastructure, not heroics. Pipelines, and Violet were built so that a follow-up cadence with substance becomes the default, not the exception. The relationship survives between events because the platform carries it.

The bigger story under all three takeaways is that LP-GP relationships in alts are moving toward denser, faster, more relationship-driven private capital networks. The fund managers who treat capital introduction as a relationship problem instead of a database problem are closing in months instead of years, and they are doing it on the platform that was built for the way the work already happens.

How are investors playing the surge in AI capex?

We surveyed hundreds of global allocators across 2025 and 2026 to map the emerging AI investment framework. The shift is clear and measurable.

The Shift

AI is no longer an emerging opportunity. It is now central to how portfolios are constructed. 

• 2025: 54% of allocators reported investing in AI-related assets
• 2026: 83% cite the AI supercycle as a top investing theme

This is not incremental adoption. It is a structural change in allocator thinking. 

Where Capital Is Going

Allocators are not chasing the most visible parts of AI. They are targeting the buildout. 

• 2025: 44% identify AI infrastructure as the top opportunity
• 2026: Focus areas include data centers, semiconductors, and energy capacity

Recent earnings reinforce this view. Large-cap tech firms are committing significant capital to AI infrastructure, validating that the investment cycle is already underway. 

Where Risk Is Building

Conviction is high, but so is caution. 

• 2025: 59% cite valuation bubbles as the top AI-related risk

Allocators broadly agree on the long-term importance of AI, but remain disciplined on entry points and pricing. 

What This Means

AI has moved from a tactical allocation to a core investment lens. 

Three dynamics define the current environment:

• 2025: High conviction in the long-term theme
• 2026: Targeted exposure across the value chain
• 2026: Increasing selectivity driven by valuation concerns  

This is not a retreat from AI. It is a shift toward more disciplined implementation. 

Bottom Line

Allocators believe in the AI supercycle. 

The question is no longer whether to invest. It is where to gain exposure and how much to pay for it.

GLADWYNE, Pa., April 28, 2026 – iConnections, the leading data-driven platform for LP–GP capital connection and allocation, today released its 2026 Global Allocator Report, underwritten by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, alongside new real-time findings from its Iran Conflict Pulse Check, offering a rare dual-lens view into allocator behavior before and after a major geopolitical shock.

Drawing on insights from more than 5,000 decision-makers representing over $55 trillion in assets, the report underscores a defining shift in institutional strategy: a move toward liquidity, selectivity, and macro-driven resilience in an increasingly uncertain global environment.

While the broader report captures sentiment at Global Alts Miami 2026, iConnections’ follow-on Iran conflict survey provides immediate context for how allocators are reacting to geopolitical escalation in real time.

View official release here→

A market defined by selectivity and macro awareness

The 2026 Global Allocator Report highlights a continued commitment to alternatives, with 67% of allocators planning to increase exposure, but with a markedly more disciplined approach.Institutional investors are increasingly favoring strategies that offer flexibility, liquidity, and the ability to navigate dispersion, including:

• Global Macro
• Multi-Strategy
• Long/Short Equity

At the same time, capital is being actively recycled, with investors reallocating from lower-conviction positions into more targeted, opportunistic strategies.

Macro uncertainty and liquidity constraints remain the dominant portfolio concerns, cited by 26% and 25% of allocators respectively.

Iran conflict data: real-time validation of a “wait-and-see” market

To capture how quickly sentiment can shift, iConnections re-surveyed its allocator base during the early days of the Iran conflict, providing one of the industry’s only pre- and post-event comparative datasets.

The findings reinforce a consistent theme:

1. Monitoring, Not Repositioning

• 55% of allocators reported no material change to asset allocation
• Only 10% are actively making portfolio moves

2. Liquidity Is the First Line of Defense

• 40% are increasing liquidity buffers, signaling preparation for volatility without broad repositioning

3. Targeted Hedging Over Structural Change

• 30% are increasing hedges
• 25% are diversifying selectively, rather than overhauling portfolios

4. Early Signs of Opportunistic Capital Deployment

• A smaller segment (~10%) is already deploying capital into dislocations

The rise of “macro-agile” portfolios

Across both datasets, a consistent structural theme emerges: allocators are redesigning portfolios for adaptability, not just return.

Key trends include:

• Increased demand for liquid strategies that can respond to volatility
• Greater emphasis on portfolio resilience and downside protection
• Heightened scrutiny of manager differentiation and repeatable edge

At the same time, enthusiasm for long-term themes—such as AI—remains strong, though increasingly disciplined. While 83% of allocators cite AI as a major driver, many are shifting toward infrastructure plays over higher-valuation segments.

The bottom line: liquidity is paramount

Across both the Global Allocator Report and the Iran Pulse Check, one message stands out:

Liquidity is now the defining constraint—and opportunity—across the alternatives ecosystem.

Rather than retreating, institutional investors are:

• Holding more cash
• Stress-testing portfolios
• Waiting for clearer signals before making large-scale shifts

About the report

The iConnections Global Allocator Report 2026, underwritten by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, combines:

• Survey data from Global Alts Miami 2026
• Proprietary meeting and engagement analytics
• Follow-on geopolitical pulse checks, including the Iran Conflict survey

Together, these datasets provide a multi-dimensional view of allocator intent, behavior, and forward-looking positioning.

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About iConnections

iConnections is the most efficient and effective network for capital connection. Built for fund managers and allocators, the platform facilitates high-quality relationship building, discovery, and fundraising all in one place, all year long. By combining powerful technology with deep institutional participation, iConnections helps investment professionals connect with the right partners, at the right time before, during, and after events. The firm also hosts Global Alts, one of the alternative investment industry’s most influential event series, bringing together thousands of allocators and managers worldwide.

Visit iconnections.io to learn more.

For years, our community has told us the same thing: bring Global Alts to Europe. We listened, and now it’s happening. 

Global Alts Europe 2027 will take place on April 28–29, 2027 at Les Salles du Carrousel, Carrousel du Louvre, in Paris. It’s the first time our flagship capital introduction event crosses the Atlantic, and we couldn’t be more excited about where it’s headed. 

Why Europe, and Why Now

This isn’t a decision we made lightly. We’ve spent years building Global Alts into the largest cap intro event in alternatives. From our flagship in Miami to New York and Asia, the brand has grown steadily. Expanding into Europe, however, had to happen at the right moment.

That moment is now. At our most recent event Global Alts Miami, we surveyed LP attendees about their allocation plans. The results were clear: 55% of respondents said they intend to allocate to Europe over the next 12 to 18 months, up from 47% the year before. That’s a significant shift. For years, sentiment toward the region stayed muted. Now, institutional investors are turning their attention back to European opportunities. That includes private equity, hedge funds, private credit, and beyond.

We built Global Alts Europe to meet that demand. The goal is simple: give allocators and fund managers a dedicated, high-efficiency environment. There, they can build relationships and explore opportunities across the European alternative investments landscape.

Why Paris

When we thought about where to launch this event, Paris stood out for several reasons. It’s a global financial center with deep roots in asset management. It sits at a geographic crossroads that’s accessible to LPs and GPs from across Europe, the UK, and the Middle East. And the venue (Les Salles du Carrousel, inside the Carrousel du Louvre) gives us the kind of setting that matches the scale and prestige our members expect. 

Paris has also become an increasingly important hub for alternative asset managers. In recent years, firms have expanded their European presence beyond London. For an event focused on connecting institutional allocators with managers across the continent, it’s the natural starting point. 

What to Expect

If you’ve attended Global Alts Miami, Global Alts New York or Global Alts Asia, the format will feel familiar. Global Alts Europe 2027 will feature our signature model: curated one-on-one meetings between allocators and fund managers. Additionally, the program includes thought leadership sessions, panel discussions, and dedicated networking time.

The difference is the audience and the focus. We built this event to bring global fund managers face-to-face with European institutional allocators: the LPs actively deploying across the region. Are you raising capital across European strategies? Looking to strengthen your LP network on the continent? This event is designed to be the most efficient way to make those connections.

We’ll be sharing more details on programming, speakers, and registration in the coming months. In the meantime, you can visit the Global Alts Europe 2027 event page for updates. 

We announced the event formally a few days ago. You can read the full press release here. 

This is a big step for iConnections, and it’s one our community has been asking for. See you in Paris.

Global Alts Miami has long served as the alternatives industry’s opening bell, and the 2026 gathering, held despite a major Northeast snowstorm, still convened 5,000 decision makers representing over $55 trillion in assets, offering an early read on how the market is positioning for the year ahead.

What differentiates this report is not just access, but vantage point. iConnections sits directly inside the capital formation process, capturing three distinct layers of allocator behavior: what LPs say they want, where they actually spend time, and how they expect to allocate over the next 12 months.

The combination of stated intent, observed meeting behavior, and forward-looking survey data provides a uniquely complete view of the allocator pipeline that no single dataset can offer in isolation.

• 5,000 — Decision Makers at Global Alts Miami 2026
• $55 Trillion — In Represented Assets
• 500+ — Global Allocators Surveyed
• 67% — Plan to Increase Alternatives Allocation in 2026
• 33% — Of LP Contacts Manage $3B+ Portfolios

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The following top takeaways are drawn directly from the 2026 Global Allocator Report

01: Alternatives Remains a Core Allocation

Alternatives remains a core allocation for investors, with two-thirds expecting to increase their allocation to the alts space, and over 90% intending to maintain or increase exposure.

02: Capital Recycling, Not Retreat

Capital recycling, not retreat, is shaping allocator behavior. While three-quarters of LPs reported making at least one redemption in 2025 — with 46% withdrawing from public strategies and roughly 23% from private markets — this pruning is paired with an intent to redeploy capital to higher-conviction strategies.

03: Broad Interest With a Strong Core

Allocator interest remains broad across the alternatives landscape, with a strong core of high-engagement strategies. More than 40% of LPs attending Global Alts Miami 2026 expressed interest in eight major strategies, including Long/Short Equity, Multi-Strategy, Event Driven, Global Macro, Private Equity, Relative Value, Liquid Credit, and Private Credit. Allocators are prioritizing strategies that combine flexibility, liquidity, and the ability to navigate macro uncertainty.

04: Private Markets Remain Core But Are Becoming Crowded

Private markets remain core allocations but are becoming increasingly crowded. The Allocator Demand Map shows Private Equity, Private Credit, Real Estate, and Real Assets continue to attract interest, but each faces growing manager supply relative to LP attention, and a higher bar for future allocations.

05: Liquid, Agile Strategies Attract the Lowest Rejection Rates

More liquid, agile strategies attract the lowest rejection rates. Hedge fund strategies not only rank highest in LP interest but also show the lowest percentage of allocators explicitly saying they are not interested.

06: Liquidity and Macro Uncertainty Dominate Portfolio Concerns

26% of respondents cited global macro risk as the largest threat to portfolios, closely followed by 25% pointing to insufficient liquidity, highlighting why many allocators are gravitating toward strategies capable of navigating volatility and market dislocations.

07: Manager Discovery Remains Overwhelmingly Relationship-Driven

Manager discovery remains overwhelmingly relationship-driven. Nearly 80% of LPs say they discover new managers through their professional networks, while over half cite conferences and industry events as a primary sourcing channel, underscoring the continued importance of in-person allocator ecosystems.

About this report

Survey responses from over 500 global allocators — including pensions, endowments, foundations, and family offices — complete the picture, providing a forward-looking view on allocation plans, strategy demand, and the risks shaping portfolio decisions in the year ahead.

“Taken together, these datasets provide a rare, integrated view of allocator behavior at a pivotal moment, linking intent, action, and outlook into a single framework that highlights not just where capital is today, but where it is moving next.”

It is said that “capital moves at the speed of trust.” The iConnections Global Allocator Report is designed to help managers and allocators source, build, and strengthen that trust through better information and clearer signals.

View official release here→

What’s inside the full report

• Who Attended — LP breakdown by investor type, portfolio size, and region; GP breakdown by strategy and AUM
• A Market Ecosystem in One Place — How 5,000 decision makers and $55 trillion in assets converged in Miami
• Behavior — Meeting activity by strategy, year-over-year demand shifts, and what changed from 2025
• Allocator Demand — The full Allocator Strategy Sentiment Map; which strategies are punching above their weight and which are crowded
• 2026 Global Allocator Survey — Full results: private credit sentiment, venture capital outlook, AI investment themes, geographic allocation plans, and portfolio risk priorities
• What This Means for Marketers — Strategy-by-strategy guidance on positioning, differentiation, and capturing allocator attention in a more competitive fundraising environment

Gladwyne, April 21, 2026 — iConnections today announced the launch of Global Alts Europe 2027, a new addition to its flagship event portfolio, to be held April 28–29, 2027 at Les Salles du Carrousel, Carrousel du Louvre, Paris. The event will bring together institutional allocators, fund managers, and industry leaders for two days of high-value meetings, curated networking, and timely market discussion in one of Europe’s most iconic venues.

The announcement comes at a time of renewed allocator interest in Europe. In a recent iConnections survey conducted at Global Alts Miami, 55% of LP respondents said they intend to allocate to Europe over the next 12 to 18 months, up from 47% last year. With more than half of surveyed LPs signaling planned activity in the region, Global Alts Europe 2027 is designed to meet that demand by creating a focused environment for relationship-building and capital formation.

Set in the heart of Paris at Les Salles du Carrousel, located within the Carrousel du Louvre, the venue offers a central and prestigious setting for an event aimed at the global alternatives community.

Global Alts Europe 2027 will extend the Global Alts brand into a market where investor interest appears to be strengthening after a long period of muted sentiment toward the region. By convening the allocator and manager community in Paris, iConnections aims to create another premier destination for efficient, high-value meetings and insight-sharing across alternatives.

Additional details, including registration and programming updates, are available on the Global Alts Europe 2027 event page.

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About iConnections

iConnections is the most efficient and effective network for capital connection. Built for fund managers and allocators, the platform facilitates high-quality relationship building, discovery, and fundraising — all in one place, all year long. By combining powerful technology with deep institutional participation, iConnections helps investment professionals connect with the right partners, at the right time — before, during, and after events. The firm also hosts Global Alts, one of the alternative investment industry’s most influential event series, bringing together thousands of allocators and managers worldwide.

Visit iconnections.io to learn more.

iConnections will soon release its 2026 Global Allocator Report, built from Global Alts Miami, one of the largest gatherings in alternatives, bringing together 5,000 decision-makers representing over $55 trillion in assets. At the event, we surveyed more than 500 global LPs across regions and allocator types. The message is direct. Demand for alternatives remains strong, but the market has become more exacting. Allocator attention is no longer evenly distributed. It must be earned.

Three takeaways define the shift:

1. Demand is not declining. It is concentrating.
Nearly two-thirds of allocators expect to increase their exposure to alternatives this year. But that growth is not broad-based. Capital is flowing toward strategies that offer liquidity, adaptability, and a clear role in navigating a more uncertain macro environment. The result is a market where attention clusters around a narrower set of high-conviction opportunities.

2. Private markets are hitting the limits of allocator bandwidth.
Meeting volumes remained high across private markets, but the underlying signal is selectivity. Even in large, established categories like private credit, allocators are becoming far more discriminating at the sub-strategy and manager level. Supply has expanded faster than attention. The implication is straightforward: being in the right strategy is no longer sufficient. Differentiation within that strategy now determines outcomes.

3. Allocators are not retreating. They are recycling.
Redemptions in 2025 were not a pullback from alternatives, but a repositioning within them. Capital is being actively reallocated toward higher-conviction, more opportunistic strategies, particularly those that can respond dynamically to volatility and dispersion. Investors remain engaged, but they are underwriting with tighter due diligence and clearer expectations.

The conclusion is a more mature alternatives market. Capital is still moving, and in many cases accelerating, but it is doing so with greater precision. In a larger and more competitive ecosystem, access to that capital is increasingly defined by clarity of strategy, strength of positioning, and the ability to meet a more exacting allocator standard.

Coming Soon… Global Alts Miami 2026 Investor Report

In the meantime, explore our previous volumes while you wait.

Welcome to iConnections—where the alternative investment industry comes to connect, learn, and grow. iConnections’ Global Alts is the world’s largest cap intro event, hosted at the Miami Beach Convention Center. This premier gathering features insights from top minds in investment, finance, and economics, while giving attendees exclusive access to the global alternative investment community.

But we’re more than just events. iConnections is a platform built to connect allocators, managers, and the alternative investment industry year-round. Through innovative technology and curated connections, we make it easier than ever to network, schedule meetings, and grow your business—all in one place. Join us as we transform the way the alternative investment world connects and collaborates. Let’s shape the future of the industry together.

Discover iConnections Today:

Learn more about our platform

Stay connected through our social channels:

LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

At Global Alts Miami, we surveyed hundreds of institutional investors and family offices on the ground to understand how allocators are positioning portfolios heading into 2026. A few themes emerged clearly.

Private credit sentiment is moderating, not collapsing.

Private credit remains firmly embedded in institutional portfolios, but allocators are becoming more measured. The largest share of respondents indicated they are maintaining current allocations, while nearly as many said they are slowing deployment. Only a small minority are expanding exposure aggressively. The takeaway is clear: the asset class remains core, but capital is becoming more selective after a decade of rapid growth.

Strategy concerns are often really liquidity concerns.

When LPs cited “strategy” as a reason they might hesitate to allocate, it was rarely about conceptual disagreement with the strategy itself. More often, the concern was how the strategy behaves in stressed markets or constrained liquidity environments—a dynamic particularly relevant for areas like private credit and venture. In other words, allocators are scrutinizing not just what a strategy does in good markets, but how flexible and resilient it is when exits slow or capital becomes locked up.

Liquidity and macro risk dominate portfolio concerns.

When asked about the biggest challenges facing their portfolios today, LPs pointed overwhelmingly to global macro uncertainty and portfolio liquidity. After several years of market volatility and slower exits in private markets, investors are prioritizing flexibility and resilience alongside returns.

Bottom line:

Allocator demand for alternatives remains robust—but the environment has shifted from exponential expansion to disciplined capital allocation, where strategy resilience, liquidity management, and cycle-tested performance matter more than ever. In the current volatile market, alternatives remain more important than ever. Stay tuned for the full survey release later this month.Their perspectives echoed the broader mood of the year: allocators want in, but they want to understand exactly what they’re buying. As we close out 2025, the question for 2026 is no longer whether private credit continues to grow, but whether the industry can scale without diluting its edge. The firms that answer that question convincingly will define the next chapter of alternatives.

Coming Soon… Global Alts Miami 2026 Investor Report

In the meantime, explore our previous volumes while you wait.

Welcome to iConnections—where the alternative investment industry comes to connect, learn, and grow. iConnections’ Global Alts is the world’s largest cap intro event, hosted at the Miami Beach Convention Center. This premier gathering features insights from top minds in investment, finance, and economics, while giving attendees exclusive access to the global alternative investment community.

But we’re more than just events. iConnections is a platform built to connect allocators, managers, and the alternative investment industry year-round. Through innovative technology and curated connections, we make it easier than ever to network, schedule meetings, and grow your business—all in one place. Join us as we transform the way the alternative investment world connects and collaborates. Let’s shape the future of the industry together.

Discover iConnections Today:

Learn more about our platform

Stay connected through our social channels:

LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

The Wall Street Skinny sits down with Ron Biscardi, the CEO and co-founder of iConnections, live at Global Alts Miami to get the skinny on what’s happening with fund managers and allocators in real time. Last year, private credit was the undisputed darling of investment strategies. Now, on the heels of Blue Owl headlines and concerns about cracks within the private credit markets, headlines seem to suggest a tough road ahead. But reality is far more nuanced. Ron synthesized both emotional reactions and hard data from investors responding to new perceived stresses in the sector in ways that might surprise you. We also learn where smart money is pivoting, where it remains steadfast, which asset classes and investment strategies stand poised to benefit, and how allocators are positioning for highly volatile markets this year.