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The University of California Office of the Chief Investment Officer
The University of California Office of the Chief Investment Officer (UC Investments) traces its formal roots to the founding of the university in 1868.
The University of California Office of the Chief Investment Officer
The University of California Office of the Chief Investment Officer (UC Investments) traces its formal roots to the founding of the university in 1868. In its modern form, the office was restructured under CIO Jagdeep Singh Bachher in 2014. The wealth originates from the university system's endowment, but UC Investments also manages the retirement and pension pools, totaling $176.6B, as of the 2024 fiscal year (per UC Investments public disclosures). UC Investments allocates across a broad asset-class mix: public equities, fixed income, real estate, private equity, hedge funds, infrastructure, natural resources, and venture capital. The team emphasizes a long-term, multi-asset approach that includes both direct co-investments and commitments to external fund managers. Confirmed public-equity holdings and private-market deals are disclosed in the portfolio's annual investment reports. Geographically, the portfolio spans North America, Europe, Asia, and emerging markets. The office employs a relatively lean team of roughly 50–60 investment professionals, based in Oakland, California. In recent years, it has expanded its direct-investment capabilities and built an in-house real assets team. The office operates under the oversight of the UC Board of Regents. UC Investments stands apart from many large endowments due to its scale as a multi-campus pooled vehicle. The office serves ten distinct institutions with varied liquidity needs — a governance and operational complexity that shapes its portfolio construction. The CIO reports through a board structure that includes faculty and regents, embedding an academic governance layer into investment decisions.
General information
Firm type
Endowment
Year founded
1878
AUM
$176.6B (per UC Investments, 2024)
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Oakland
Corporate office
Oakland, CA, United States
Principals
Jagdeep Singh Bachher
Chief Investment Officer
Timothy Recker
Deputy Chief Investment Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at UC Investments?
Jagdeep Singh Bachher has been the Chief Investment Officer since 2014. He oversees a team of investment professionals and reports to the UC Board of Regents. The office sets asset allocation and executes investments across public and private markets.
How does UC Investments source its proprietary deal flow?
The office leverages its large scale and the academic network of the University of California system to source direct deals and co-investments. It maintains relationships with leading private-equity and venture capital firms. The team also participates in club deals and direct investments in real estate and infrastructure.
What investment stages does UC Investments typically target?
UC Investments invests across the capital structure — from public equities and fixed income to private equity, venture capital, real estate, and infrastructure. The allocation is long-term oriented, with a focus on value creation over multi-decade horizons.
Which sectors does UC Investments explicitly avoid?
The office does not publish a publicly available list of excluded sectors. However, as a public university system, it adheres to UC's sustainable investing principles, including fossil fuel divestment and tobacco exclusion (per UC policy).
Is UC Investments structured as a single-family office or a multi-family office?
UC Investments is an institutional endowment and pension investment office, not a family office. It functions as a centralized investment pool for the ten UC campuses, with a governance structure through the UC Board of Regents.
Does UC Investments participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
UC Investments does both. It makes commitments to external fund managers (private equity, venture capital, hedge funds) and also executes direct investments, particularly in real assets and co-investments alongside partner GPs.
Where does the underlying wealth come from?
The investment pool comprises the UC endowment, retirement plan assets, and working capital for the university system. Contributions come from tuition, state funding, and donations, historically accumulated since the founding of the university in 1868.
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