Alec Garza
I've never had one thing. I'm drawn to hard problems, people who think clearly, and the overlap between capital and ideas.
For the past decade, I worked at the intersection of family offices and alternative investments — a world where trust compounds slower than capital, and judgment matters more than any single bet. Most recently I co-founded an asset management firm, which taught me more about people than it did about markets.
I care less about how big and more about how good.
When I'm not working, I'm often in the mountains, helping friends bring an idea to life, or having coffee and breakfast tacos with my wife and our baby boy.
Projects
What I'm
building.
A short list of what I'm actively working on.
Roam Advisory
ActiveContent systems for fund managers
Building content and distribution systems that help fund managers nurture active fundraising conversations and turn their expertise into consistent inbound deal flow.
AI Workflow Studio
BuildingInfrastructure for lean investing
Building AI-native workflows for diligence, monitoring, and communication — the operating system that lets one person run a serious investment practice.
Consumer Products
ExploringNon-dilutive capital for consumer brands
Exploring non-dilutive financing structures for consumer product companies — helping founders grow without giving up equity. Powered by the same lean workflows I'm building.
Writing
The
Long Run.
My notebook, made public. Shared to think more clearly, not to have all the answers. An active exploration of business, culture, and the people taking the path less traveled.
Read the archiveFavorites
Some of
my favorites.
Things I've loved enough to recommend without reservation. Updated as I go.
On repeat
10 songs on repeat. Updated whenever.
Reads
- —
The best case I've read for staying curious and playing the long game instead of over-optimizing early.
- —Project Hail MaryAndy Weir
Pure problem-solving joy. Restarted my interest in fiction.
- —Shoe DogPhil Knight
Every founder should read this. The messy, uncertain reality of building something real.
- —
Stutz's framework for confronting adversity — not avoiding it — has genuinely stuck with me.
- —Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible VoyageAlfred Lansing
What Shackleton pulled off has no business being a true story. A masterclass in leading under pressure.
- —
The most honest thing I've read about what it actually takes to build a durable investment business. Duncan doesn't romanticize it.
- —Nobody CaresBen Horowitz
Short and uncomfortable. The job is to solve the problem — not to be understood while you're doing it.
- —NarrativesBen Thompson, Stratechery
Every business is a distribution challenge. Every distribution challenge is a narrative challenge. Thompson gets this better than anyone.
- —
“If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.”
— Maya Angelou
- —
“We're all different and we're all imperfect, and the imperfections are what makes each of us and our work interesting. We create pieces reflective of who we are, and if insecurity is part of who we are, then our work will have a greater degree of truth in it as a result.”
— Rick Rubin, The Creative Act
- —
“The prize never goes to the fastest guy. It goes to the guy who slows down the least. True in endurance sports. And possibly even truer in life.”
— Chris, via Rich Roll — Finding Ultra
This one applies to way more than racing.
Work
Experience.
Over a decade across investing, building, and operating — often all three at once. Use the filters to zoom in on what's most relevant to you.
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Pick one or more to focus the view.
Context
My career has never fit one box. Investor by training, builder by necessity, operator by choice — often all three at once. Over a decade across public and private markets. $165M raised. Left Epic in 2025 to build something new. Turns out building is the part I like most. That instinct is what's driving everything now. Use the filters above to zoom in on whatever's most relevant.
Experience
Co-founder & Managing Partner
Private Markets Asset ManagerEpic Funds · Jan 2021 – May 2025
Austin, TX
Founded and built a private-markets asset management firm from scratch — spinout, $2M seed round, RIA registration, and full operating infrastructure. Grew from $50M to ~$165M AUM (~34% annual growth) across three flagship vehicles (including an evergreen offering) and four single-purpose SPVs, while personally owning the investment strategy, LP relationships, and day-to-day operations.
- —Defined and executed the firm's investment strategy across 60+ private-market transactions — primary fund investments and direct co-investments spanning private credit, private equity, real assets, and venture.
- —Chaired the Investment Committee; drove asset allocation and capital deployment decisions across three flagship vehicles — including an evergreen structure launched in 2024 — and four single-purpose SPVs.
- —Built a technology-driven due-diligence and portfolio monitoring system (Cobalt by Hamilton Lane, Arch, Addepar) that scaled deal sourcing to 1,000+ evaluated opportunities in 2024.
- —Raised $165M from institutional and HNW investors across three flagship vehicles and four single-purpose SPVs; led a $2M seed round to finance the firm itself.
- —Led the 2021 spinout from IWP Family Office: secured RIA registration, authored compliance policies, and built a fully remote team of five spanning investments, operations, and marketing.
- —Served as Chief Compliance Officer; designed cybersecurity posture and managed regulatory filings across the firm's lifecycle.
- —Ran content and IR as a distribution engine — newsletters, webinars, industry panels, and LinkedIn as the top-of-funnel into every LP conversation.
Advisor
Cycling-Focused Business NetworkHill Climbers · 2025 – Present
Austin, TX
Advising on strategy, positioning, and community operations for a cycling-focused network connecting founders, investors, and operators across Austin.
- —Developed positioning and growth strategy — reframed the network from a cycling community to a business-first platform, with in-person events as the primary acquisition engine.
- —Led newsletter migration to Beehiiv, growing the subscriber base 44% in two months (373 → 537); identified events as the primary acquisition driver and optimized list quality to improve deliverability.
- —Supported production of flagship events including a SXSW Innovation Panel featuring a U.S. Crit National Champion, USA Cycling Chief of Staff, and a performance nutrition founder — and a Rapha CEO fireside chat.
Partner
Multi-Family OfficeIWP Family Office · 2017 – 2021
Denver, CO
Built the firm's private-investment program from the ground up — first fund structure, four-person investment committee, and $50M in LP capital. Executed 28 private-market deals across asset classes before spinning out Epic Funds as an independent RIA in 2021.
- —Launched and institutionalized the firm's first private-markets fund-of-funds and co-investment vehicle, raising $50M in LP capital.
- —Formed and chaired a four-person investment committee to bring governance, consistency, and accountability to investment decisions.
- —Sourced, underwrote, and executed 28 private-market investments across private equity, venture, credit, and real assets.
- —Led the 2021 spinout of Epic Funds as an independent RIA — operational separation, legal structuring, and stakeholder management.
Partner
Private WealthIWP Private Client Advisors · 2014 – 2017
Denver, CO
Advised 20+ UHNW families on investment strategy, portfolio construction, and estate coordination. Partnered with the CIO on asset allocation, liquidity analysis, and tactical positioning — and built the operating instincts that informed everything that came after.
- —Owned comprehensive portfolio strategy for UHNW households — asset allocation, rebalancing, options overlays, tax optimization.
- —Partnered with the CIO on portfolio monitoring, liquidity analysis, and tactical allocation recommendations across multi-asset client portfolios.
- —Orchestrated onboarding of new client families by coordinating tax, legal, and estate teams — and led migration into Addepar and Orion for consolidated reporting.