CAI Practitioner Network
Most capital architecture problems go unsolved because the people who could solve them never find each other. The CAI Practitioner Network exists to close that gap.
This is a working group for practitioners who design, stress-test, and deploy bespoke capital structures - across blended finance, private credit, venture debt, infrastructure, and deep tech. Not a directory. Not a newsletter. A peer group operating at the same level of structural complexity, with an explicit commitment to reciprocal contribution.
Who belongs here
Fund managers, DFI structurers, family office principals, institutional allocators, and independent advisors working on mandates that require engineering rather than product selection. Members are typically senior, transaction-experienced, and operating in domains where conventional instruments either don't exist or don't fit.
The network is deliberately small. We grow through referrals and applications, not open enrolment.
If you are looking for leads, visibility, or a place to broadcast - this is not the right room.
What membership involves
Membership is active, not passive. In practice, this means:
- Peer review of working papers prior to public release - you read, you comment, you improve the work
- Participation in two closed roundtables per year (Zurich and London, alternating focus: structuring methodology / market intelligence)
- Contribution of anonymised transaction data or case material to the CAF empirical validation programme, where applicable
- Engagement in asynchronous discussion channels between roundtables - quarterly paper drops, structured problem threads, methodology debates
In return, members receive early access to the full CAF toolkit and working paper series, co-authorship opportunities on CAI research, and direct input into methodology development.
What disqualifies an application
We don't admit applicants who are primarily seeking deal flow, commercial introductions, or a credential to attach to a bio. We also pass on applications where the candidate's work is entirely execution-focused with no design or structuring dimension. Seniority alone is not sufficient - we are looking for practitioners who are actively working on hard structural problems.
How to join
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Cohort size is capped. We typically onboard one to two new members per quarter.
→ Apply
network@cai-institute.com - include a brief description of the mandate or structural problem you are currently working on.