ET Alpha Wealth Summit 2.0: How India’s biggest investors are hunting for the next alpha

Retail investors often track institutional investors and their market moves to understand where large pools of capital are flowing and which themes could shape the next phase of the investment cycle.

While these investors operate with different mandates, risk frameworks and time horizons, their allocation decisions can offer useful clues about changing opportunities across asset classes.

But following smart money is no longer simply about tracking large-cap stocks or public-market trades. Family offices and institutional investors are increasingly looking beyond traditional equities and debt to identify differentiated sources of returns. Private credit, venture debt, co-investments and other alternative strategies are becoming part of the broader allocation conversation as investors seek opportunities beyond conventional portfolios.


This shift in capital allocation will be explored in the session Following Smart Money at the ET Alpha Wealth Summit 2.0 in Mumbai on October 8.

The panel featuring Ashish Shankar, Pranob Gupta, Rahul Jain and Sandeep Das will discuss how India’s leading family offices and institutional investors are deploying capital across private credit, venture debt, co-investments and alternative strategies to generate differentiated sources of Alpha.

Why alternative assets are gaining attention

For large investors, the attraction of alternative strategies lies partly in the ability to access opportunities that may not be available through listed markets. Private credit, for instance, can provide exposure to lending opportunities outside traditional banking channels, while venture debt can offer capital to high-growth businesses without relying entirely on equity financing.

Co-investments can provide investors with more targeted exposure to specific businesses or opportunities alongside established investment managers. Family offices, with their longer investment horizons in some cases, may also have greater flexibility to evaluate such opportunities based on factors beyond short-term market movements.

What retail investors can learn from institutional allocation

That does not mean retail investors can simply replicate the portfolios of family offices or institutional investors. The size of the investment, access to private deals, liquidity requirements, risk tolerance and investment horizon can differ significantly.

What is worth watching, however, is the thinking behind those decisions. Are investors finding better risk-adjusted opportunities outside listed markets? What risks are they comfortable taking for higher returns, and where are they drawing the line?

As more capital moves into private and alternative assets, the choices made by family offices and institutions can offer a useful window into how large investors are thinking about the next opportunity — and where they see risks building up.

Join this important conversation at the ET Alpha Wealth Summit 2.0 in Mumbai on October 8. Register now