CANTINA: CHICAGO
A Charity Investment and Tech Conference to Benefit ALTSO
OCTOBER 20-22, 2026
Gleacher Center at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business
For any questions: events@alpineca.com
Scenes from Cantina 2025
Event Partners and Participants
Event Sponsors
LPs That Have Registered Include:
Note: Registration is complimentary for LPs, subject to the approval of the organizer.
35 Oak Holdings
50 South Capital Advisors
747 Capital
Abbott Laboratories
Accord Family Office
Advocate Health
AFP Confia
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
ALSAC St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
ArchBridge Family Office
Assetblue Investment Group
B1 Capital Partners
Berkeley Endowment
Bessley Capital
Bondy Capital
Builders Vision
Cherry Creek Family Offices
Core Capital/ Aiperion
DePaul University
DV Trading
Engxi Holdings
Evanston Capital
Farview Investments
Fiducient Advisors
Firemen's Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago
First Trust Capital Management
Frankenthal International Ltd.
GEM Investments
Globo Ventures
Gore Creek Asset Management
GPE Advisory
Gresham Partners
Grinnell College
GVW Group
Harris Holdings
Health Care Service Corporation
Hershey Trust Company
Inlihtan Capital
Inversiones Adriana
Investure
Jasper Ridge Partners
Kansas State University Foundation
KF Partners
Kronyx Capital Partners
Louisiana School Employees' Retirement System
Loyola University Chicago
MacArthur Foundation
Marcuard Family Office
MassPRIM
MBB Capital Partners
MEMCO
Mercer
Mesirow Private Equity
Michaud Capital Management
Michigan State University
MB Investments
MCP Alternative Asset Partners
MPowered Capital
Next Chapter Holdings
North Star Investments, Inc.
Northern Trust
Northwestern Medicine
Northwestern University
Office Of The Illinois State Treasurer
Oxford Financial Group
Parkland Management Company
Phillips Academy
Pritzker Alternative Strategies
Rice Management Company
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
RockCreek
Rotary International
Sachem Hill
Sieleta
Smithsonian Institution
TIFF Investment Management
Traverse Holdings
Tulane University
University of Chicago
University of Illinois Foundation
University of Iowa Center For Advancement
University of Rochester
Ventu Partners
Wallace Foundation
Washington University In St. Louis
Wellesley College Investment Office
Willis Towers Watson
Willoughby Capital
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
XP Asset Management
Zell Family Office
Agenda
Please note: The agenda is subject to change. Our LP-only sessions are nearing capacity. We encourage you to register at your earliest convenience if you plan to attend. If your plans change and you are no longer able to join us, please let us know so we can make space available for other attendees.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026 – Tech Night (LP-Only)
4:30pm: Registration Opens
5:00pm – 5:10pm: Welcome
5:10pm – 5:40pm: Going Down the AI Rabbit Hole as an LP
5:40pm – 6:00pm: Pushing the LP Systems Envelope
6:00pm – 6:30pm: Building a Tech Stack
6:30pm – 7:30pm: Dinner Break, Lightning Presentations from Old Well and Alpine, and Breakout/Hackathon Session 1
7:30pm – 8:00pm: Building Internal Systems for Large and Small LP Organizations
8:00pm – 8:20pm: Overcoming Complexity and Systems Integration
8:20pm – 9:00pm: Group Project and Breakout/Hackathon Session 2
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
7:30am: Registration Opens (Light Breakfast Provided)
8:00am - 12:00pm: 1-on-1 meetings (30-Minute Windows) *
11:00am - 12:00pm: Boxed Lunch Provided
12:00pm – 5:45pm: LP-Only Sessions on Investments, Careers, and LP Tech
12:00pm – 12:30pm: Ice Breakers and 20-Second Introductions
12:30pm – 1:05pm: Welcome to Chicago CIO Panel
1:05pm – 1:40pm: Public Markets
1:40pm – 2:15pm: New CIOs Unplugged
2:15pm – 2:50pm: LP Tech Night Review
2:50pm – 3:50pm: Break, LP Networking, and Breakout Session
3:50pm – 4:25pm: Private Markets
4:25pm – 5:00pm: CIO Lessons Learned
5:00pm – 5:30pm: Coffee Talk
5:30pm – 5:45pm: Closing and Takeaways
5:45pm – 9:30pm: All-Attendee Networking
5:45pm – 7:30pm: Networking Cocktails
7:30pm - 9:30pm: Drinks and Dinner
Thursday, October 22, 2026
7:30am: Registration Opens (Light Breakfast Provided)
8:00am - 6:00pm: 1-on-1 meetings (30-Minute Windows) *
11:30am - 1:00pm: Lunch Provided
6:00pm - 11:00pm: Rocktoberfest (to benefit ALTSO) at the House of Blues Chicago - More Info HERE (Dinner Provided) Conference attendees will have all-access passes to all VIP areas, plus a special area accessible only to conference attendees.
6:20pm: Hive of Scum and Villainy plays the Acoustic Stage
8:15pm: Hive plays the Main Stage
Overview
We are prioritizing registrations from GPs who have not previously attended the conference; however, all are encouraged to register. Hotel room blocks are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please email events@alpineca.com for availability and additional information.
This conference will feature two unique components:
1) LP-only programming on investments and careers, and LP collaboration and demonstrations on the use of AI and Tech.
2) LPs, GPs, and Tech providers will be able to schedule up to twenty-eight (28) one-on-one meetings with curated GPs and Tech providers who have been referred by LPs. We will target a maximum 1:1 GP/Tech-provider-to-LP ratio.
We will initially reserve at least half of the GP meeting slots for emerging managers, defined as:
1) Private markets managers raising Fund I–III, and
2) Public markets managers with firm AUM under $500 million.
LP Speakers, Breakout Leaders, and Moderators Include:
Many more speakers to be announced!
Al Hemmingsen, Chief Investment Officer – Parkland Management Company
Andre Mehta, Senior Managing Director – Michaud Capital Management
Anthony Novara, Partner, Research Director – Fiducient Advisors
Brian Scharf, Chief Investment Officer - Zell Family Office
Chris Parker, Investment Director - Wellesley College
Clay Drury, Chief Investment Officer - North Star Investments
Daniel Gottlieb, Chief Investment Officer – University of Iowa Center for Advancement
David Li, Chief Technology Officer – Washington University in St. Louis
Faridah Usman, Associate Investment Director – Rice Management Company
Harisha Haigh, Chief Investment Officer – Northwestern Medicine
Huaizhang Deng, Managing Director – The Rock Creek Group
Hunter McCrossin, Chief Investment Officer – Willoughby Capital
Jeff Banaszak, Director of Research and Investments – GVW
Jeremy Heer, Managing Director, Investment Research and Engagement – UIF
Joe Simpson, Partner – Gresham Partners
Katharine Wyatt, Chief Investment Officer - Loyola University Chicago
Matt Freedman, Chief Investment Officer – Louisiana School Employees' Retirement System
Richard Chau, Chief Investment Officer – Tulane University
Rob Rahbari, Senior Investment Officer and Assistant Treasurer – University of Rochester
Rodrigo Louro, Co-Founder – Ventu Partners
Sami Mesrour, Partner – Jasper Ridge Partners
Scott Wilson, Chief Investment Officer – Washington University in St. Louis
Sean Casey, Chief Investment Officer – Gore Creek Asset Management
Sophia Tsai, Chief Investment Officer – Wallace Foundation
Cantina: Chicago 2025 Recap:
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$231,000 Raised for Charity - Supporting ALTSO (A Leg To Stand On) and advancing life-changing care for children worldwide.
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LP-Led Thought Leadership - Exclusive LP-only sessions fostering candid dialogue under the Chatham House Rule.
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Curated, High-Quality Attendees - Bringing together institutional investors, family offices, and leading private markets professionals.
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Actionable Insights & Networking Opportunities - Panels, roundtables, and structured meetings designed to drive real outcomes.
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A Purpose-Driven Industry Event - Combining impactful discussions, meaningful connections, and philanthropic giving.
Pricing Information for GPs
Note: Registration is complimentary for LPs, subject to the approval of the organizer. Registration and payment must be completed by each applicable deadline in order to qualify for the corresponding pricing. For an additional cost, a limited number of private meeting rooms are available. To inquire, please reach out to events@alpineca.com. The platform will open in early September for attendee profile creation and document submission. This profile will be used for the one-on-one meeting request process, which will become available in mid-to-late September. The host reserves the right to rescind or cancel any registration at any time and for any reason. Sharing the attendee list or your event platform login credentials with any third party may result in immediate suspension of platform access and cancellation of your registration without refund.
Each registration is valid for one (1) individual attendee only. Registrations are non-transferable and may not be shared between multiple attendees.
GP Registration
$5,000 -- $7,500
Early Bird: $5,000 (Valid until July 1)
Regular Registration: $6,000 (Valid July 2 -- September 19)
Late Registration: $7,500 (Valid September 20 -- October 20)
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Includes one (1) ticket to Cantina: Chicago 2026
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Access for one (1) attendee to cocktails and dinner on October 21st
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One (1) ticket to Rocktoberfest on October 22nd
Tech Providers
$6,000 -- $9,000
Early Bird: $6,000 (Valid until July 1)
Regular Registration: $7,500 (Valid July 2 -- September 19)
Late Registration: $9,000 (Valid September 20 -- October 20)
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Includes one (1) ticket to Cantina: Chicago 2026
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Access for one (1) attendee to cocktails and dinner on October 21st
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One (1) ticket to Rocktoberfest on October 22nd
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Access to one (1) dedicated table for hosting meetings and product demonstrations
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Tech providers may only attend with at least one (1) product specialist or a CEO/Founder
Sponsorship
$20,000
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Includes three (3) tickets to Cantina: Chicago 2026
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Your logo featured on the Cantina: Chicago 2026 website
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Recognition as a Rocktoberfest Sponsor: logo placement on the Rocktoberfest website and additional Rocktoberfest tickets for distribution
FAQs
What is the Cantina Conference?
Cantina is a private gathering of institutional investors, fund managers, and tech providers focused on thoughtful discussion around the private markets landscape. The event combines panels, presentations, 1-on-1 meetings, and informal networking opportunities designed to facilitate candid conversations under the Chatham House Rule.
Who typically attends?
Attendees include institutional LPs (pensions, endowments, foundations, family offices), fund managers, and tech providers.
Is there a registration fee?
There is no fee for LPs. The organizer determines the criteria of what qualifies as an LP. GPs and tech providers have a registration fee.
What is the ratio of GP/tech-provider-to-LPs?
We will target a maximum 1:1 GP/tech-provider-to-LP ratio.
Will there be networking opportunities?
Yes. In addition to panel discussions, the schedule includes dedicated networking sessions and informal gatherings.
Will session recordings be available afterward?
No. To encourage candid dialogue, sessions are not recorded. Key takeaways may be shared afterward.
Where is the conference being held?
Gleacher Center at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Will food and beverages be provided?
Yes. Dinner and refreshments will be provided during the LP-Only Hack-A-Thon on Tuesday evening. Light breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and dinner will also be provided throughout the conference on Wednesday and Thursday.
Can I bring a guest or colleague?
Each attendee needs to register.
Do you guarantee a minimum number of meetings?
We do not guarantee a minimum number of meetings. Our goal is to facilitate high-quality, mutually beneficial conversations, so meetings are scheduled based on mutual interest.
Who should I contact with questions?
Please reach out to the Cantina team at: events@alpineca.com
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