US PE Breakdown

The 2020 annual edition of the US PE Breakdown unpacks the key trends that shaped private equity deals, exits, and fundraising in an unprecedented year. This report describes how PE dealmaking bounced back to finish on a high note after the COVID-19 pandemic brought a tumultuous March and April. With traditional LBO activity temporarily halted, we saw add-on acquisitions and alternative methods of capital deployment–such as growth equity and investment in public companies–gain ground. In exits, after hunkering down and focusing on portfolio company management during the early months of the pandemic, PE firms took advantage of resurging public markets to pursue significant IPOs and a record-breaking number of SPACs. Finally, fundraising remained relatively stable all things considered, with funds targeting longer holding periods and technology investments faring particularly well.

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