Preface
We are ever amazed at the wide range of issues that are covered in private equity. Nearly all business aspects are at the heart of the matter—valuation, accounting and control, strategy, operations, financial structuring, asset allocation, management, entrepreneurship, regulation, and government policy. It is squarely at the crossroads of academia and practice where there is no mercy for just being conceptual or lacking timeliness. This creates challenges—yet great fun—in understanding the subject; in particular, in trying to break down what makes it so effective, fascinating, and perhaps addictive.
The motivation for our book is to provide a comprehensive overview of the main topics in private equity that are relevant to students in graduate programs, investors, other professionals seeking to understand the many facets of private equity, and private equity practitioners wanting a more complete analysis of this asset class.
The book has grown out of our teaching the “Private equity and venture capital” elective course at London Business School. Over the years the focus of the course has broadened internationally and by subject matter, which is reflected both in the text chapters and the case studies. Working closely with the professional private equity community in London proved particularly valuable in generating first-rate material and direct contributions through chapter co-authorships. Much of that was achieved through the Coller Institute of Private Equity and its ...
