Valuing Private Equity

Abstract Private equity funds are set up to invest in private companies for a predefined multiyear period. Private equity companies, i.e. the companies that run private equity funds, come in several types, with different goals and methods. Private equity performs an important role in funding and fostering companies that are as yet too small for the stock market and/or too risky for bank loans. By nature, private equity is very well suited to sustainable investing since it is a fundamental form of investing with active ownership, multiyear investment horizons, and close consideration of the company’s business model and circumstances. However, in the application of sustainability considerations, private equity falls behind the public equity space. The main difficulty lies in getting the right information for the investors in private equity funds, as many of these funds are still reluctant to systematically report on environmental and social factors—although this is improving. The integrated view on private equity is again similar to the one on public equity, but with the added challenge of data and comparability.