Origins: Inside Venture Capital · 2026-05-13 · 44 min
What happens when a classically trained musician from Juilliard ends up managing a $6 billion endowment? Today's episode of Origins explores exactly that journey - and what it reveals about how the best institutional investors really think. Nicholas Csicsko, Managing Director of Investments at Trinity Church NYC , brings a rare perspective to venture capital - one shaped by years of classical music training, a doctorate from Juilliard, and a decade building out one of America's most unique institutional investors. Trinity Church, founded in 1697 and endowed with 215 acres of Manhattan by Queen Anne in 1705, has grown its diversified investment pool to over $4 billion under Nicholas and CIO Meredith Jenkins. Together with hosts Nick & Beezer, the group digs into what institutional LPs really look for in venture managers, and what puts them off. From the tension between patient capital and the need for liquidity, to skepticism around sky-high private market valuations and the growing disconnect between private and public markets, Nicholas delivers the kind of frank, independent thinking that makes for a truly exceptional investor.
Fund Commitments, Co-Invest & Secondaries: The $120B LP Playbook69 / 100Minisode: The Conversation Happening in Every Early-Stage Boardroom Right NowMinisode: The Brutal Math Behind VC ConsolidationWhy Power Laws Still Drive Outperformance with VenCap’s David ClarkMinisode: Does the Data Match the Anecdotes?