Q&A

Fabian Neuenschwander, senior vice-president at Partners Group, says that although some private equity groups with large secondaries capability may enter the real estate secondaries market, the supply/demand imbalance is likely to remain for some time.

While the secondaries market is providing a convenient avenue for limited partners to sell fund stakes and access to liquidity, alternatives such as preferred equity have become welcomed opportunities for LPs looking to preserve portfolio upside, explains Pierre-Antoine de Selancy, managing partner and co-founder of London-based 17Capital.

Fund restructurings have become a common occurrence in the secondaries market. Jeff Hammer and Paul Sanabria, managing directors and co-heads of the illiquid financial assets practice at Houlihan Lokey, explain what makes a GP a good candidate for a fund restructuring and how to ensure that LPs are getting the best possible deal.

Leerink Capital Partners recently raised a new $192 million fund along with Revelation Partners to invest in direct secondaries in healthcare companies. Scott Halsted, managing director at Revelation, explains the strategy and the current environment for healthcare secondaries investments.

With strong deal flow and high pricing expectations, demand for direct secondaries is robust, but the market also tends to reflect a disconnect to the fundamentals, according to Hans Swildens, chief executive and founder of Industry Ventures.

With only few active buyers, the secondary market for timberland fund stakes remains quite illiquid compared to other asset classes, creating inefficiencies and offering attractive discounts to net asset value, says Thomas Goodrich, a partner with Stafford Capital Partners.

Navigating full pricing, the rise of restructurings and the use of seller financing in today’s booming secondaries market were among the topics debated recently in New York at a PEI roundtable.

Most of the secondaries opportunities in Israel are in venture funds that have invested in hard core technology assets, but evaluating the underlying portfolio companies is a challenge for most buyers, says Alan Feld, co-founder and managing partner of Vintage Investment Partners.

CBRE is readying for an increase in one-off transactions that take advantage of immediate pricing opportunities, says senior managing director Philip Barker.