University of Iowa

Daniel Gottlieb was appointed Chief Investment Officer effective February 2026, taking over from long-time CIO Jim Bethea, who managed the portfolio from 2010 through 2025. Gottlieb now leads the investment team operating out of Iowa City, with governance oversight from the UI Center for Advancement board chaired by Chris D. DeWolf. Andrew W. Code, co-founder of CHS Capital, serves as vice chair of that board.

The University of Iowa's endowment does not publicly disclose a single AUM figure, but Altss estimates the pool at roughly $3.5 billion based on institutional comparables and investment track records. That places it among the mid-tier Big Ten endowments, well behind Michigan's roughly $18 billion but ahead of smaller conference peers. The portfolio spans venture capital, private equity, private credit, hedge funds, real estate, natural resources, and infrastructure.

The office invests through a hybrid model — making fund commitments, fund-of-funds allocations, and direct co-investments alongside GPs. The UI Strategic Initiatives Fund serves as a dedicated on-balance-sheet vehicle for targeted early-stage deployment. The endowment also captures deal flow seeded by University of Iowa Research Park tenants and faculty-founded startups commercialized through the UI Research Foundation.

The portfolio's venture and growth sleeves target digital health, healthcare services, robotics and automation, edtech, agritech and food science, supply chain and logistics, fintech, workflow automation, climate technology, mobility and transportation, industrial technology, and space technology. Underlying technology exposures include AI and machine learning, biotechnology, space technology, and augmented and virtual reality platforms.

The UI Center for Advancement serves as the fundraising and governance arm that works alongside the investment office. Lynette Marshall functions as president and CEO, while the board — chaired by Chris D. DeWolf with Andrew W. Code as vice chair — provides fiduciary oversight over endowment assets and advancement activities. The UI Research Foundation operates separately as the university's technology-transfer and startup-formation vehicle.

Physical holdings documented in institutional planning records include the UI Health Care North Liberty medical campus, Kinnick Stadium, the Research Park in Coralville, the 322 North Clinton Street residential property, and the Stanley Museum of Art collection in Iowa City. The university also holds a small fleet of aircraft — including L-39ZA and L-29 Delfin jets and MI-2 Hoplite helicopters — though these are likely operational rather than investment assets.

Membership in the Big Ten since the conference's early formation and in the Association of American Universities since 1909 provides the University of Iowa with a peer group that shapes asset-allocation benchmarks and compensation norms. AAU membership also reinforces the research-commercialization flywheel: federally funded research emerges from university labs, the UI Research Foundation files patents and forms startups, and the endowment can optionally participate in early rounds without cold-sourcing deals.