What Billion-Dollar Investors Actually Look For (It’s Not Your Numbers) | Greg Dugard

About this episode

Greg Dugard discusses what billion-dollar investors prioritize beyond financial metrics and the importance of trust in partnerships.

What do billion-dollar investors and donors actually care about? It’s not your pitch deck. It’s not your financial model. And it’s definitely not your IRR slide. In this episode of Commercially Speaking , we sit down with Greg Dugard , COO of Seder Grove Holdings , who previously helped raise over $5 billion during Notre Dame’s historic capital campaign. Greg breaks down what he learned from raising billions, working with ultra-high-net-worth families, and now partnering with founders through permanent capital , a long-term investment approach that rejects forced exits, short-term incentives, and five-year flip cycles. We explore: What investors actually look for before wiring money Why time horizons destroy more value than bad deals Permanent capital vs private equity and venture capital How misaligned incentives quietly ruin partnerships Why selling too early kills compounding The difference between IRR and long-term wealth creation How founders should evaluate partners before signing Why trust beats returns in the long run What “life’s work” really means for a founder If you’re a founder, investor, or operator thinking about taking on capital, this conversation might save you…

People in this episode

Hosts: Bo Barron, Timmy Barron

Guest: Greg Dugard

Topics covered

• billion-dollar investors
• investment strategies
• permanent capital
• founder partnerships
• trust in investing

Keywords

• investment
• capital raising
• founders
• private equity
• long-term wealth

Sponsors

CRE Investor Coach, Superpowers HQ

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Seder Grove Holdings, Notre Dame

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