"Financial Sponsors" include private equity firms, growth investors, venture capital firms, family offices, and other organizations that invest in privately held businesses.
Financial Sponsors invest capital in operating companies (called portfolio companies) with the goal of generating financial returns over a defined period of time.
Most Financial Sponsors have full control of their companies owning the majority of the common equity and exercise strategic guidance through the board of directors. Venture capital firms and some growth investors invest on a non-control basis through a minority position in their companies.
Capital invested by Financial Sponsors comes from a range of institutions such as pension funds and insurance companies as well as high-net-worth individuals. Most Financial Sponsors raise and deploy capital through a series of investment funds, with investors being limited partners in the funds.
“Finding the right executive talent to match up with current and contemplated portfolio companies is a very high priority for us. As investors, we can provide guidance and capital to our companies, but we need great executive partners to succeed.”
-- David Gorton, Partner at Tailwind Capital
Financial Sponsors Typically
- Target companies based on the size of their investment fund, often putting approximately 10% of a fund into 10+ portfolio companies.
- Leverage their industry sector, finance, and strategy expertise while partnering with operating executives with complementary skills and experience.
- Target annual investment returns to their investors of 15% to 25%, though this target varies based on the nature of each deal.
- Hold investments for three to five years, during which time they seek to significantly improve the operating and financial performance of the portfolio company.
Example Of Calculation Of Value Creation
Structure of PE Firm
Five Years Between Funds
Each fund has 10-40 Limited Partners (LPs) as investors:
- Pension Funds
- Insurance Companies
- Family Offices
- Wealthy Individuals
- Endowments
Each General Partner (GP) will see at least 500 investment opportunities per year:
- Will Take 250 "Books"
- Will Bid on 20-40 Deals
- Will Meet with 20-40 Management Teams
- Will Close on 2-3 Platform Deals Per Year
