Family Offices To Debate Investment Risk, AI And The Next Generation At New York Summit

Editorial Staff

9 November 2026

Family offices will gather in New York on November 16 for the Twelfth Family Wealth Report Family Office Investment Summit, with an agenda connecting immediate investment decisions to the longer task of preserving wealth and preparing future generations.

Hosted at PwC, 300 Madison Avenue, the summit will bring together family office principals, investment professionals and advisors to examine geopolitics, private credit, venture investing and artificial intelligence. Across the program, the emphasis is on translating change into practical questions about portfolio construction, risk and family priorities.

Geopolitics and capital positioning
Geopolitics will provide a central thread. Jesse Friedlander, founder and chief investment officer of Des Voeux Partners Family Office, will explore how competition between the US and China is reshaping investment opportunities in “Navigating the Great Realignment.” His session will consider the implications of strategic rivalry for capital allocation across markets.

Rachel Ziemba will moderate “No Return to Normal: Geopolitics, the Midterms, and Capital Positioning,” with Damian Perl and Lu Zhou. Taking place shortly after the US midterm elections, the discussion will examine how shifting power dynamics, regulatory differences and security policies affect portfolios and direct investments. Perl brings perspectives from defense technology investing and his family office, Damazein, while Zhou leads Vanquour Wealth Management.

Private markets: opportunity and risk
Private markets will receive scrutiny from multiple perspectives. JanetLee Santiago, Stuart Katz and Rajneesh Vig will address private credit and alternative investments, considering the balance between opportunity, liquidity and risk. For family offices assessing commitments across a broadening investment universe, the session will put manager selection and portfolio fit on the agenda.

Caplight’s Adam Crawford and Siddharth Somani will explore direct access to venture companies through secondaries and co-investments. Their fireside chat will examine how family offices are participating in these markets, including the questions on access and pricing.

AI: investment and implementation
AI will feature as an investment theme and an operational consideration. Forum Markets’ John Kristoff and Michael Edwards will discuss the infrastructure supporting its development in “From Training AI to Running It: Why Power Is the Unlock.” The session will examine the connection between computing demand, energy availability and investment opportunity.

Hugo Gonzalez of HalcyonFT and Joe Haddock of MultiMix IT will turn to building secured AI agents for family offices. Their discussion will bring the technology closer to investment workflows, where the usefulness of new tools depends on appropriate access, protection of sensitive information and oversight.

“Investing in the Age of AI: What Every Family Office Should Know” will bring together Alek Turkmen, Van Azadian and Steve Kim. A presentation from AI entrepreneur Ari Smith, founder of the Cognitive Coefficient Institute, will explore “The Architecture of Human Abundance in the Age of AI.”

Preserving wealth across generations
Alongside these discussions of technological change, Neil Nisker of Our Family Office will offer an historical perspective in “The Market Casino… What History Teaches About Leverage and Risk.” His contribution will connect the pursuit of returns with enduring questions about investment behavior and capital preservation.

The final panel, “The Art of Intergenerational Wealth Transfer,” will be moderated by ThreeEQ founder Jason Ma, with Julia Haart, Allison Huynh and Frontier Group’s David Robb. It will explore the relationships, preparation and expectations that influence successful succession, placing the human dimensions of wealth alongside the day’s investment debates.

Breakfast, networking breaks, lunch and a closing drinks reception will offer opportunities for continuing those conversations with peers. Together, the sessions will give delegates scope to examine how investment choices connect to a family’s objectives, from responding to geopolitical uncertainty and evaluating emerging technologies to preparing the next generation for responsibility. That combination of portfolio debate and family perspective will run throughout the day, bringing a range of experiences to the discussion.

See more details here.