About this episode

Greg Warnock discusses the growth of Mercato Partners from a $52 million fund to a $1 billion platform, sharing insights on investment strategies and the impact of AI on private markets.

How do you build a private equity firm that thrives for nearly 20 years? In this episode of Funds That Won , Lincoln sits down with Greg Warnock, Founder and Managing Director of Mercato Partners, to discuss the journey from launching a $52 million first fund to managing a $1B platform across 4 funds. Greg shares the story behind Mercato’s founding, the lessons he learned from building multiple investment firms, why disciplined growth investing has remained effective for nearly two decades, and how artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of private markets. The conversation covers fundraising, institutional LP relationships, portfolio construction, AI investing, succession planning, and invaluable advice for emerging fund managers preparing to raise their first fund. Whether you’re an emerging manager, venture capitalist, private equity professional, or simply interested in how successful investment firms are built, this episode is filled with practical insights from one of the industry’s most experienced investors. In this episode you’ll learn: • How Mercato Partners grew from a $52M first fund to a $1B platform across 4 funds • Why Greg believes staying disciplined…

People in this episode

Host: Lincoln

Guest: Greg Warnock

Topics covered

• private equity
• fundraising
• artificial intelligence
• investment strategies
• portfolio construction
• emerging fund managers

Keywords

• private equity
• fundraising
• AI investing
• portfolio construction
• emerging managers
• investment firms
• discipline in investing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Mercato Partners

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