We had the pleasure of hosting 300 investors last Thursday at Marina Congress Center for Alternatives Afternoon 2026, an afternoon dedicated to the developments across private markets.

A highlight of the day was the fireside chat with Mario Giannini, Executive Co-Chairman at Hamilton Lane, reflecting on his 35 years at Hamilton Lane and discussing the global investment landscape together with Daniel Harima.

The LP perspective, including portfolio allocation, manager selection and the role of private markets in long-term portfolios was discussed in an investor panel with Jussi Laitinen, former CEO at Sigrid Jusélius Foundation and Niko Fagernäs, CEO at Proprius Partners, moderated by Jan Sasse.

In addition, we got to hear market updates from Hamilton Lane: John Stake, Head of Portfolio Management Group, presenting an overview of the private markets, followed by Managing Director Dominik von Scheven covering the long-term opportunity set within the infrastructure segment. Managing Director Nathan Ritsko shared his views on the rapid increase in AI-related VC and Growth Equity investment activity.

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Key takeaways:

• AI and portfolio concentration: AI is increasingly shaping not only technology markets but overall portfolio construction. With public markets heavily concentrated in a small number of AI-related companies, understanding where that exposure sits, and how to diversify it, has become increasingly important.

• Buyout and downside protection: Buyout strategies offer diversification beyond the AI-driven concentration in public markets. In addition, buyout has historically demonstrated resilience in preserving capital over the long term, even through the most challenging market conditions.

• Private market liquidity: Distributions remain below long-term norms, partly due to investments made at elevated valuations during 2021–2022. Liquidity is expected to improve gradually rather than through a sudden rebound.

• Infrastructure: The opportunity extends well beyond data centers. AI, electrification and increasing power demand are creating long-term investment needs across energy generation, grids and other essential infrastructure.

• Venture capital and access: Many of the companies that may shape the next decade are likely to create substantial value before reaching the public markets. At the same time, venture remains highly access-driven, making manager selection and access to established venture ecosystems particularly important.

• Long-term perspective: Despite a more challenging environment in recent years, the discussions highlighted that the fundamental role of private markets in diversified, long-term portfolios remains intact.

We warmly thank all the speakers for their time and valuable insights. Thank you also to all the participants, we hope you enjoyed your time with us!