Getting ready for private equity investment

At a time when access to finance is proving critical to many, mid-market businesses are looking beyond traditional sources and turning to private equity to fund their growth. Our specialists explore how private equity firms are now working with their portfolios and how the mid-market can benefit from investment.

As global markets grapple with the impacts of COVID-19 and face an extended period of uncertainty, mid-market businesses have growing concerns about their ability to raise finance to invest in growth. As a result, leaders are increasingly looking to alternative finance like private equity (PE) to achieve their strategic ambitions.

PE investment has long been seen as a potential source of capital for the mid-market. Indeed, for many firms, finding the right PE partner – aligned to their goals – has acted as a growth catalyst and helped the firm to its next stage.

That trend may continue. The latest Global Business Pulse following the first wave of COVID-19 lockdowns, showed that 46% of global business leaders viewed a shortage of finance as a constraint on growth – a jump from 37% in the previous half. Figures from H1 2019 also showed there was a considerable appetite for private equity investment in the mid-market with 37% of businesses looking at PE to fund international growth. When it came to M&A, 36% were thinking of PE while 29% of businesses aiming for organic growth expect to support their strategy via PE investment.

However, although mid-market leaders are increasingly amenable to exploring PE investment, many remain reticent about partnering with PE finance, put off by some of the less frequent examples of negative outcomes. As a result, some mistaken notions have grown around the industry (see our private equity myth-busting article for some common misapprehensions). Fully understanding the benefits of PE, how they operate, and how your business can prepare for equity investment will be critical to devising your finance strategy.

Private equity offers funds, expertise and experience

As businesses review their strategies and where they need to make investments for growth in the wake of COVID-19, private equity is becoming a more interesting finance option. Dinesh Anand, global head of private equity and partner at Grant Thornton India, says: "There's a lot of liquidity. Private equity funds are sitting on huge amounts of dry powder, and they have the money to invest."

In the US, life science and technology are popular among PE. While in Australia, most mid-market funds have already “pivoted in their later structures to more tech-enabled businesses,” says Paul Gooley, partner and national head of corporate finance, Grant Thornton Australia. “Some e-commerce businesses have seen volumes double. Other sectors, such as education, which compared to the US has very low IT integration in Australia, is also seeing more deal flow for online learning platforms.”

Successful PE investment follows rigorous preparation

While PE firms have a lot of liquidity and eagerly hunt promising assets among the mid-market, the criteria for investment is high. Carlos Ferreira, national managing partner of private equity at Grant Thornton US, says: "Debt underwriting is still very strict. There's a general presumption that because investors are sitting on dry powder, they have to put money to work. And, while PE firms are making investments, there are still companies that are difficult to finance.” He adds: "Ultimately, investors want to know that they will receive a robust return that is proportional to the risk.”

There are plenty of things a successful mid-market business can do to attract PE interest and increase the chances of following through with the right deal.

1. Be clear PE is right for you and get internal buy in

The first step is clarity. Are the owners and business leaders clear that private equity investment is the right route forward for growth and have the key stakeholders got buy-in? According to Thierry Dartus, Partner at Grant Thornton France, if an owner decides to do a deal off the back of an opportunistic offer, it can take much longer to conclude if, for example, family members and other critical parties require convincing. Negotiations and due diligence can be more straightforward if private equity has already been properly considered as part of the growth strategy.

2. Ensure you have the right financial information available

Indeed, the due diligence process can be onerous and time-consuming. Ferreira says: "Private equity investors are going to seek a considerable amount of information. The majority of it financial, but they'll also want to know what the customers look like and what the supply chain looks like; what intellectual property and facilities the business has.

"The starting point is having good financial information, good financial records and detailed information." Investors want to know what the business operations and accounting look like and what kind of reports can be produced.

"We go to companies long before a private equity firm is even at the door and we take them through a due diligence process from a sell-side perspective. This approach has been around for a long time in Western Europe, but in the US it is relatively new. It's designed to get businesses ready to provide information when they need to."

"Often, in the middle-market space, they may not have the technology, processes and systems to produce all the financial information and business metrics to analyze the historical performance or build projections,” says Ferreira.

Businesses sometimes lack the capacity to produce the volume of analysis and information that PE firms are looking for, so when a process starts the businesses management team, finance, accounting and reporting function can be overwhelmed.

3. Have the right management in place

Mickerts says: "Management is key. Private equity firms always look at the management and will want to meet several times. They like to see a clear split of duties and responsibilities. The CEO normally drives the top line, growing the business whether by products or by country. They want to know there is a vision to develop the company over the next five years and spend the money in a way that supports growth."

PE firms will also take a close look at the CFO and will want to know they have the numbers ready and understand them. Ferreira says: "That individual may not have the background, education, experience or level of analysis that a private equity firm and their advisers want to see when they're considering buying the business. Businesses will understand that if they are going to sell part of the company in a year or two, they may need a CFO that has experience going through a transaction."

4. Seek support from trusted external advisers

Critically, outside of the management, businesses also need the right external support, including lawyers and investment bankers to help assess the merits of any potential PE partner and subsequent deal. Mickerts says: "Those trusted advisers are also able to say: 'I know several good Mittelstand (mid-market) private equity players; they're very experienced people with a long-term investment and growth perspective "

Today, there is much more opportunity to make that assessment. PE firms are competing for assets and are more focused on building relationships and trust with potential partners, understanding what the target business is looking to achieve and establishing whether they can make an appropriate return through supporting them.

Preparation is key

PE is certainly one avenue to consider as businesses pivot to grasp opportunities and adapt to the new world of COVID-19 and its impact. But ultimately, mid-market businesses need to be sure of the strategic path PE presents and have a full game plan to ready themselves for that investment. As Ferreira says: "The more prepared you are, the greater the chances that you're going to get a deal done."

To explore how private equity finance could benefit your business, speak to your local Grant Thornton expert.