Every quarter we gather leading women in PE to discuss current industry topics and to offer intelligent women the chance to gather, share information, and decompress with one another. In our most recent event, we gathered to discuss the trending topics of continuing 2021 trends, deal process pressures, and inflation. We have shared the themes we heard discussed across different areas below.
These forums are invite-only and follow Chatham House Rules, so listed below are high-level takeaways only. Are you a woman in private equity and interested in joining fellow leading PE professionals during our next Women in PE Forum? Register for our upcoming Women in PE Forums here.
- Continuing 2021 Trends: Many 2021 trends will continue into 2022. Deal flow will remain high and multiples will remain high. Once interest rates are raised, public valuations should slow, which may stabilize private valuations, likely around Q4. With so much capital chasing deals right now, multiples may stay high through 2022.
- Deal Process Pressures: Only put resources towards deals you have a conviction against. Zoom made it easier to attend management presentations, so there is more competition than ever before. It is essential to have some type of differentiation to make yourself competitive. As timelines are crunched, and providers are booked up, it’s also essential to line up diligence providers at the start of the deal.
- Inflation: The vast majority of portfolio companies are struggling with inflation and supply chain disruption. Portfolio companies need to figure out how to pass the increased prices along to the customer or absorb the higher prices. It’s okay to “fire” customers – if margins are too thin, it may not be worth keeping some customers.
We thoroughly enjoyed getting to gather with other leading women in PE to discuss these trending topics. If we can be of help with any of the above, we’d be happy to quickly connect you to the exact-fit, PE-grade, third-party resources you need.
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