In the financial sector, private equity describes direct investments into businesses by investors and private equity firms. Institutional investors typically invest private equity in venture capital or leveraged acquisitions. Private equity can serve various purposes, such as technology upgrades, acquisitions, business expansion and even the revival of a failed company.
Private equity investors have an investment horizon of 5-7 years and expect to exit after a substantial return on investment. Investors in private equity may use different exit strategies to recover their investment. For a long time, private equity (PE) has been a major expansion engine. The private equity industry primary goal is productivity and evolution. Private equity is capital that has yet to be traded publicly, and that is invested into an industry that has existed for a long time but is either not performing well or about to fail.
Thus in this blog post will explore the different exit strategies private equity investors use to exit from their investments. This blog will help you better understand the different exit strategies available to private equity investors and how to select the one that delivers the best return for your investment.
Private Equity Exit Routes
Venture capitalists and private equity investors plan to exit the business once conditions are met. They always expect their relationship with a company to continue for a while. Private Equity Exit Strategy is a venture capitalists plan to exit a financial investment or sell tangible assets of a business once certain conditions are met. Private equity and venture capital investors need a very active exit strategy at entry. It is essential to know your exit strategy before entering any field. Private equity investors want to be prepared to reap the rewards when the time is right. A policy of exit is designed to help you get out of an unprofitable investment or close down a failing business. This exit strategy aims to minimize losses. An exit strategy is implemented when a business or property has achieved its profit target.
What Are The Exit Modes?
Private Equity investors place great importance on exits and use various exit strategies to maximize their return. Private Equity investors use a variety of exit strategies to maximize their return on investment.
- 1. Initial Public Offering
Venture capitalists offer their holdings to the public through public matter once the bonds of an investee are listed and cited at a premium. An Initial Public Offering can yield profits if the valuation is high enough, the administration cooperates since they remain in control, and the investor chooses to benefit from a long-term shareholding. The valuation depends on the current market conditions. The initial public offering involves significant transaction costs, the transaction requires careful planning, and the practice is long in implementation. During this time, drastic changes in the market may force the project to be abandoned.
- 2. Secondary Sales
In a secondary transaction, private investors may sell their stakes in the acquired company to another private equity group. Secondary sales can happen for many reasons. The business might need more funds than the equity fund can provide. The company could have reached the point where earlier equity investors were ready to sell, and new equity investors wanted to take it over.
- 3. Share Purchases by the Founders
The terms of any agreement between the investor and the promoters will determine whether they can repurchase shares at the current market price. The venture capitalist may look at other options if they decline.
- 4. Change in Venture Capitalists
Private equity firms and venture capitalists may sell their equity stake in a business to another interested VC company. Venture capitalists may sell at a loss to get out of the business.
|Read more: Private Equity Valuation Methods
- 5. Liquidation by the Investee Company
Private Equity and venture capitalists can recover their investment if the invested corporation is not profitable or suffers losses by negotiating a settlement with the businessperson. If that fails, the business is wound up by the court.
- 6. Trade Sale
A trade sale is a popular way to exit. The private equity investor would then look to sell his stake in the business to another company or investor. Investors usually do this when the company reaches a certain maturity level and wants a return on investment. A trade sale process is long and costly but can yield a high return on investment.
- 7. Sale to New Venture Capitalist
Private Equity and venture capitalists can sell their equity in an enterprise to a venture capital firm interested in purchasing the ownership portion of venture capital. The venture capitalist may sell the equity to get the money and leave the company.
|Read More: Private Equity Deal Structure
- 8. Making Company Public
A second option is to make the company publicly traded. Private equity investors will list the company on a stock exchange. This is a great option for investors as it can often lead to a substantial return on their initial investment. To list a company, several regulatory requirements need to be met.
Conclusion
Private equity investors should consider various exit strategies to maximize their investment’s profitability. It is important to consider all possible avenues, from asset sales to public offering, to maximize your return on investment.
Private equity investors can improve their portfolio performance by examining different exit strategies. The exit strategy can make the difference between an investment that is successful and one that fails. You can maximize your return on investment by choosing the right exit strategy. It will also minimize risks and give you the flexibility to seize opportunities.
