No Thanks, Wall Street

Why I Said No to the Traditional Investment Route

If you’ve been in the investment world for over three decades like I have, you start to notice a pattern:

Everyone talks about innovation.

Very few actually do it.

So when I say I took the alternative route, I don’t just mean I picked a niche strategy or launched a quirky product. I mean I looked at the traditional world of investment management; the herd mentality, the jargon, the obsession with benchmarks, and I said:“No thanks.”

I didn’t want to build just another firm. I wanted to build a different way. AIP Capital Management was born from that decision.

Ironman Legs. Hedge Fund Brain.

Let’s rewind a bit.

I’ve always believed in pushing boundaries, physically and mentally. You don’t sign up for multiple Ironman’s or Cape Epic’s unless you’ve got a thing for discomfort. But here’s the truth:

Traditional investing stopped challenging me.

Over the years, I watched markets change, geopolitically, structurally, and philosophically. Indexing and ETFs rose to power. Active managers were either underperforming or overcharging.

And yet, the industry’s response?

“Let’s do what we’ve always done... but harder.”

That didn’t sit right with me.

The world was becoming more concentrated. More complex. There were more players at the table, but fewer playing a new game. And clients? They wanted more value, more flexibility, and more alignment, not more long-winded quarterly letters filled with jargon.

From Fundamental to Tactical

I shifted my focus.

Away from old-school, long-only, “hope-and-hold” strategies…

…toward a more active, agile, and opportunistic mindset.

We started thinking like traders.

Reading signals. Spotting inefficiencies. Moving faster.

Not abandoning fundamentals, but evolving beyond them.

That’s what alternative investing means to me.

It’s not just about hedge funds or private capital.

It’s about asking different questions.

Seeing value where others see noise.

Travel, Golf & Looking Sideways

In both investing and life, I’ve always been more interested in the side roads. Whether it’s playing 18 holes in a remote part of Scotland or exploring markets others ignore, I’ve learned the best opportunities rarely sit on the main highway.

Building AIP has been no different. We didn’t want to be louder than the traditional firms, just smarter. More agile. More human. More real.

A Firm That Thinks Differently

What we’re building at AIP isn’t for everyone. It’s not wrapped in pinstripes or padded in corporate speak. We’re here to challenge the status quo, to find alternative opportunities, create real value, and build trust through performance, not promises.

We don’t pretend to know exactly what the future holds.

But we do know this: the old way isn’t built for what’s coming.

So we’re building a new one.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.

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Johan Henn

CEO, AIP Capital Management