Playing the long game is the goal of the private equity investment lifecycle, which ends with a private equity exit. The moment will come to sell the asset and, ideally, generate a good return to distribute to investors after years of owning a portfolio firm and exit strategies for private equity the ideal timing and opportunity.

What is involved in a procedure with such high stakes? For our analysis of the private equity exodus, continue reading the exit strategies for private equity.

A private equity exit: What is it?

The sale or other disposal of an asset to generate income for the fund and its investors is known as a private equity exit. Private equity firms usually keep their assets, which are usually portfolio companies, for five to seven years, and occasionally for ten. Through operational adjustments, simplifying a business's product or service line, organizational reorganization, and other means, they hope to increase the asset's value over time.

After all that effort and planning, the manager hopes to have a higher-value asset in their possession, which they then try to sell, IPO, or otherwise dispose of.

Recommended to read: Private Equity Exits: Why Investors Should Look Beyond The Headlines?

Which exit methods are typical for private equity?

Private equity managers usually turn to a few standard tactics when evaluating private equity exit prospects for a portfolio business. The bulk of the private equity exits that we observe in the sector fall into these strategy categories.

IPO

Filing for an initial public offering (IPO) to become a publicly traded business on a stock market is a common but labor-intensive method of exiting a portfolio firm. A price per share is determined based on the number of units of stock issued, and a valuation team decides what the firm should launch at on the selected stock market.

Strategic Marketing

In a strategic sale, the general partner sells the business, usually in its whole, to a buyer who intends to develop the offering into its own enterprise. For instance, a larger marketing automation business seeking to expand its capabilities may purchase an email marketing platform from a PE firm.

Secondary acquisition

In a secondary buyout, the portfolio firm remains in the private equity industry after the private equity management sells its share to another investment manager. After then, the PE buyer begins generating value for the asset using its own strategy. Deal specifics are frequently kept secret in secondary buyouts.

Buyout of management

A private equity manager sells the business or their share of it to the management team when they leave an investment through a management buyout (MBO), frequently using a leveraged buyout financing mechanism.

A portion of the departure

By selling off a portion of their ownership in the firm, usually through a secondary sale, the private equity management can profit from the partial exit strategy while leaving a portfolio company. This approach allows you to continue influencing the asset's value while also earning a portion of your initial exit strategies for private equity.

Read Also: Funding And Exits: Top Private Equity Exit Strategies

Do Your Research on Potential Private Equity Exit Opportunities?

Every departure method has advantages and disadvantages. For both the portfolio firm and the private equity investor, efficient exit preparation is essential to optimizing profits and guaranteeing a seamless transition.

Comprehensive due diligence is the finest weapon in your toolbox for exit strategies for private equity.

Significant financial losses might be avoided by searching beneath the sofa cushions and asking the correct questions. It is essential to evaluate exit options using a methodical and exacting methodology.

Download our Private Equity Due Diligence Guide to expand your due diligence toolkit. This manual offers thorough checklists, warning signs to look out for, and methods for efficiently assessing private equity transactions.