PEI Staff

My employer, VCFA Group, was the first firm formed to purchase private equity interests on a secondary basis and has raised approximately $750 million over the course of its 25-year history. At a time when other secondary firms are closing on multi-billion dollar funds (Goldman’s latest secondary private equity fund was in excess of $3 […]

More than a year in the making, the team at Lux Research this morning released the key findings for The Cleantech Report, its 600+ page authoritative study on energy and environmental technologies (Full disclosure: I’m a founder of Lux Research and my venture firm Lux Capital is an investor). Some quick highlights from the study:Cleantech’s undiscovered gem […]

This column is inspired by the reader who remarked that my last column was little more than sophomoric drivel. This posting attempts to be more useful…  To continue our cleantech exploration, Ben Dubin, managing partner of Asset Management Company, recently shared his views with me. Ben is a prototypical early adopter of green and clean technology. He personally […]

Private equity has become the subject of extensive debate here in Europe. In particular, much has been made of the tussle between the unions and the large buyout funds. Little of the criticism is justified, although there is widespread recognition that disclosure by private equity firms, and their portfolio companies, can be improved. There has […]

Though I find myself usually agreeing with Professor Primack, this time I think he has it wrong on the middle market carry issue, both on a couple of points he made as well as some items he passed over. Mega Funds as a threat? In Dan’s hypothetical discussion he has the middle market GP arguing […]

Yup, my bracket is officially busted. Wisconsin going to the final game? What was I thinking?! Texas riding Kevin Durant’s slim shoulders all the way into the Final Four? Not going to happen! My B-school alma mater Stanford upsetting Louisville in the first round? Not even close! So many of those “reasonable assumptions” (except for Stanford) now seem incredibly ill-conceived in […]

Every year, Probitas Partners does a survey of institutional investors to take their temperature on the private equity market. In a summary question, we always ask what their fears are, ranging from the ubiquitous “Too much money chasing too few deals” to “I’m afraid I can’t access the funds I want, either in the size I’m looking […]

Every year around this time, I take note of the similarities between the NCAA basketball tourney and the brand of Madness that we like to call Venture Capital. Here’s what I mean. Right now (Tuesday afternoon), I’ve made my hoops selections, and the games themselves have yet to commence. My diligence was extensive, my bracket is now […]

Never underestimate the motivational power of a noble challenge. That lesson came through loud and clear to me last week as VCs from across the country visited local schools as part of EntrepreneurshipWeek USA. While scores of students responded to the National Venture Capital Association’s challenge to develop ideas that can change the way we live, one […]

Federal legislators are mulling a proposal to treat carried interest compensation for private equity and hedge fund professionals as ordinary income rather than capital gains. The move would instantly propel the biggest pool of private equity compensation into a much higher tax bracket. Salaries and bonuses earned by private equity professionals come from fund management […]