Interview #69 : Jeremy Kokemor (Right Tail Capital)

Investing in excellent businesses that are undervalued.

For this issue we had the pleasure of interviewing Jeremy Kokemor, Founder and Portfolio Manager of Right Tail Capital.

---

⚡ Consider becoming a Premium Subscriber to read these interviews in full, and gain access to the growing archive, for just $10 monthly or $100 annual subscription.

Read the last two interviews with Daniel Gladiš (Vltava Fund) and Marc and Daniel (Gehlen Bräutigam Capital).

---

Hi Jeremy, thanks so much for taking the time to do this interview. 

Can you please tell readers about your background, and how you got involved in investing?

I had an awesome time growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana – a city with a fantastic culture and atmosphere. Saving money became important to me at a young age after my parents divorced when I was 6 years old. As the oldest child in our family, I felt our financial strains.

I learned that hard work could lead to greater financial security and my first paying job was making $3-4 per hour in middle school helping teach summer school students.

I then participated in our high school’s work study program to help pay for tuition before financing my education at the University of Virginia where I double-majored in Economics and History. To this stage, I was interested in saving and investing money though I knew little about how to invest.

After working in investment banking, I spent a few years in investment management where I discovered a passion for analyzing businesses and investing in the stock market.

I then had a fantastic time at Harvard Business School where I developed wonderful friendships with awesome people from around the world.  One of my most formative investment experiences was as an analyst at T. Rowe Price where I got to work with investors with many different investment philosophies, all having a strong fundamental research underpinning.

We moved back to Richmond, Virginia, in 2014 and have been managing a concentrated portfolio similar to Right Tail before deciding to start Right Tail in early 2022.

---

Why did you start Right Tail Capital? And who do you manage capital on behalf of?

Starting Right Tail has been a long term dream, even going back to writing my Harvard Business School essays in 2007. I plan to be investing for as long as I can think soundly.

As I think through the next several decades, investing the majority of our family’s net worth alongside like-minded investors is the simplest and most authentic version of who I want to be as an investor.

Today, I manage capital on behalf of friends and family who similarly have a long-term mindset and want to compound their wealth over a longer-term periods.