Private equity (‘PE’) investment and distressed debt investment covers a wide range of investment activity by pooled investment vehicles (ie, funds) in privately or publicly (through ‘take-private’ transactions or IPO’s) owned companies, using capital raised from institutional investors that are limited partners of the funds. Such investment activity can be broadly categorized according to the point at which the investment is made within the typical development cycle of a company: (i) initial venture capital provides seed capital for start-up businesses; (ii) growth capital assists early-stage companies with the growth of their operations; (iii) mezzanine financing, comprising the contribution of subordinated debt or preferred equity, provides further capital to more established businesses; (iv) leveraged buyouts (‘LBOs’) are pursued to acquire portfolio businesses with a proven track record of sales and financial performance; and (v) distressed debt investing (the focus of this chapter) which provides support to companies that are in financially precarious positions.
Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity