Mastering Private Equity

**Mastering Private Equity - Second Edition: Navigating New Horizons in Private Markets**
Mastering Private Equity, the definitive guide to private equity (PE) since 2017, has been fully updated to reflect the current state of the industry, the latest market data, and the innovation reshaping the private capital industry.
Written for a professional audience, the Second Edition of Mastering Private Equity is a valuable and unique reference for investors, finance professionals, students, and business owners looking to engage with PE firms or invest in PE funds.
**What's New**
While preserving its core focus on education, the Second Edition highlights the latest industry developments, including:

• A more measured and resilient Venture Capital space, following steep repricing of risk in 2021 and 3x increase in downrounds in 22-23
• the rapid expansion of Private Debt, catalysed by a high-interest rate environment and the strategy's edge in a traditional fixed income portfolio
• Buy-and-Build Strategies, and PE investor's ability to create category leading businesses and grow platforms via acquisition
• PE Secondaries are de jour, as the market delivered liquidity in an inflationary and low exit environment
• the step-change in responsible and impact investing, from "interesting" in 2017 to "essential" in 2025
• the Democratization of Private Capital, introducing high-net-worth individuals to the asset class

Join the authors and two dozen senior industry contributors for a masterclass on the essentials of private equity and the trends driving the industry's sustained growth.  

List of Contributors vii
Foreword ix
Preface to the Second Edition xiii
How to Use the Second Edition of This Book xv
Section I Private Equity Overview 1
Chapter 1 Private Equity Essentials 5
Chapter 2 Venture Capital 21
Chapter 3 Growth Equity 39
Chapter 4 Buyouts 51
Chapter 5 Alternative Private Market Strategies 65
Section II Doing Deals in PE 77
Chapter 6 Deal Sourcing & Due Diligence 81
Chapter 7 Target Valuation 95
Chapter 8 Deal Pricing Dynamics 107
Chapter 9 Deal Structuring 119
Chapter 10 Transaction Documentation 131
Section III Managing PE Investments 143
Chapter 11 Corporate Governance 147
Chapter 12 Securing Management Teams 159
Chapter 13 Operational Value Creation 173
Chapter 14 Responsible Investing & Sustainability 189
Chapter 15 Exit 203
Section IV Fund Management and the GP-LP Relationship 215
Chapter 16 Fund Formation 219
Chapter 17 Fundraising 233
Chapter 18 LP Portfolio Management 245
Chapter 19 Performance Measurement & Reporting 261
Chapter 20 Winding Down a Fund 277
Section V The Evolution of PE 285
Chapter 21 LP Direct Investment 289
Chapter 22 Listed Private Equity 299
Chapter 23 Risk Management 311
Chapter 24 Private Equity Secondaries 323
Chapter 25 Private Debt 337
Chapter 26 Long & Short: Evergreen Funds & Retail Investors 351
Acknowledgments 363
About the Authors 365
Glossary 367
Index 379