The forever fund: evergreen capital in private equity
The traditional private equity fund is a 10-year close-ended vehicle, with a five-year investment period and an average holding period of three to six years. Some argue that the time-limited model encodes short-termism into the private equity perspective. The manager’s decisions to buy, hold and sell investments are influenced or even ordained by the ticking…
GP stakes investing – the rise of a new alternative strategy (part 2 of 2)
Recently, we looked at the reasons behind the rise of GP stakes investing – an investment strategy in which an investor or fund acquires equity interests in a fund manager, rather than one of the funds it manages. In this piece, we examine some of the risks of taking stakes higher up the asset manager…
Real assets in a COVID-19 world
In this paper, we discuss some of real assets, namely infrastructure and real estate, investment trends that have been brought to the fore during the COVID-19 crisis, from accelerating digitalisation to the decline in retail property. We will explore how asset classifications are likely to develop in response to these long-term trends and why it…
GP stakes investing: Part 1 – taking private equity exposure to the next level
An investor looking for exposure to alternative assets generally invests in alternative investment funds and may also co-invest in the funds’ portfolio companies. But a third option has hove into the public spotlight in the last decade: investing in the fund managers themselves. This is a relatively new and fast-growing part of the asset class…
Unsustainable risks? Regulatory climate change for AIFMD
The Alternative Investment Fund Management Directive (“AIFMD”) was implemented in the EU in 2013, to regulate the alternative investment industry, chiefly as a result of the Global Financial Crisis. Fast forward seven years and this directive is still evolving, but now with a new focus: sustainabilty. On 8th June 2020, the European Commission published a…
The investor journey and why it matters (Part 2)
Once you have an understanding of what it is like to walk in an investor’s shoes and emphasis with the investor journey, you will be in a better position to make the fundraising process a more productive and engaging experience for them. And in an over-crowded industry where products are most often “bought not sold,”…
A short primer on Shariah-compliant private equity funds
Shariah-compliant private equity funds are governed by the laws and principles of Islam. The amount of capital managed by these funds continues to increase, partly due to the build-up of savings from successive oil and gas booms in the Middle East, the heartland of the Islamic world. Many investors would like to put their money…
10 VC facts: past, present and future
This month MJ Hudson celebrated it’s 10-year anniversary. So, in this article, we wanted to capitalise on it by shining a light on ten key facts of the Venture Capital industry that illustrate its state of play, scope, and successes. We have seen in past financial crises that Venture Capital has had a significant hand…
“Knock, knock” – how to approach negotiations with your lender: 5 top tips
Our previous article covered aspects of a company’s third-party credit facilities that could cause concern in light of the hardships caused by COVID-19. In this piece we provide practical tips on how a borrower might approach discussions with third party lenders to refinance or adjust the terms of its facilities 1. Engage early and decisively…
What can secondaries do for LPs and GPs?
Secondaries can help with LPs and GPs that are going to need ways to confront and resolve the particular challenges imposed on them by the coronavirus-induced economic crisis: As has been widely reported, many portfolio companies are severely impacted and in desperate need of cash. Private equity-backed companies do have access to the parent fund’s…