So far in our “Private Equity Now” series we’ve covered the various technologies available to LPs and GPs to access liquidity in this difficult environment. This week we focus on fundraising to understand how GPs are navigating with investors pining for distributions.

Indeed, private equity fund managers are facing a landscape unlike any we’ve experienced in recent years. According to Pitchbook, the median time to close a fund is now nearly 17 months, as of September 30. That is up from 14 months in 2023 and 11 months in 2022. Those timelines extend even further for less experienced or first-time managers.

The slow return of capital has created an imbalance between the amount raised and the supply available from investors. This imbalance is an opening to stand out in a competitive market.