News & Analysis

The vehicle of choice for many fund managers and investors despite its archaic roots, the English LP is set for a revamp.

For the last year, listed European private equity firms have been consolidating their accounts - a requirement they view as unnecessary and potentially misleading. At least one industry pro is still looking for an escape route. By Andy Thomson

Things change 2006-09-01 Staff Writer Alvin Toffler, the futurist and author, once wrote: ?The illiterates of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.?<br /><br />Confronted with constant regulatory change and the threat of chan

As the marketing pointperson for the Palo Alto- and Dallas-based Sevin Rosen Funds, Jennifer Michalski has the dual mandates of building the venture firm's brand and supporting its portfolio companies' marketing efforts. PEM recently spoke with Michalski about her responsibilities and the evolution of the marketing function at VC firms in recent years.

Flush in finance 2006-08-01 Staff Writer last month's COO and CFO Forum staged by <italic>Private Equity International</italic> and <italic>Private Equity Manager</italic> in London, delegates were asked a series of questions relating to their level of seniority and compensation withi

Loose lips sink ships, they say. Likewise, loose security can sink a deal. We ask the experts what to watch out for-and find that to err is human.

PEM examines three cutting-edge forms of due diligence that are being used in a changing risk environment.

Washington DC-based Allied Capital is a $4 billion publicly traded business development company that makes debt and equity investments in middle-market, private companies. With thousands of public shareholders to answer to, the firm sticks to a highly regimented investment process that moves through multiple stages from initial investment screening to sealing the deal. A key hurdle in the middle of this process is due diligence. After being given initial approval by the investment committee, the deal team on a potential transaction seeks to validate historical and projected financials, assess the competitive business environment as well as market trends, and performs background checks on management, among other forms of due diligence. Private Equity Manager spoke recently with Allied managing director John Fruehwirth about his firm's carefully considered approach to due diligence.

When UK investor Phoenix Equity Partners spun out of DLJ, it was time to examine the firm's existing directors and officers (D&O) policy. What the firm discovered was coverage that was loosely worded and unnecessarily expensive. By Andy Thomson

Many private equity firms buy insurance policies to guard against the surprise expenses of lawsuits and seller misrepresentations. Most of these are glad they did. By Judy Kuan and David Snow