Financial Intermediation in Private Equity: How Well Do Funds of Funds Perform?

55 Pages Posted: 20 Jun 2015 Last revised: 13 May 2017

See all articles by Robert S. Harris

Robert S. Harris

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business

Tim Jenkinson

University of Oxford - Said Business School; European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI)

Steven N. Kaplan

University of Chicago - Booth School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI); University of Chicago - Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship

Rüdiger Stucke

Warburg Pincus; University of Oxford

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: May 11, 2017

Abstract

This paper focuses on funds of funds (FOFs) as a form of financial intermediation in private equity (both buyout and venture capital). After accounting for fees, FOFs provide returns equal to or above public market indices for both buyout and venture capital. While FOFs focusing on buyouts outperform public markets, they underperform direct fund investment strategies in buyout. In contrast, the average performance of FOFs in venture capital is on a par with results from direct venture fund investing. This suggests that FOFs in venture capital (but not in buyouts) are able to identify and access superior performing funds.

Keywords: private equity, fund of funds, financial intermediation, venture capital

JEL Classification: G20, G23

Suggested Citation

Harris, Robert S. and Jenkinson, Tim and Kaplan, Steven Neil and Stucke, Rüdiger, Financial Intermediation in Private Equity: How Well Do Funds of Funds Perform? (May 11, 2017). Darden Business School Working Paper No. 2620582, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2620582 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2620582

Robert S. Harris (Contact Author)

University of Virginia - Darden School of Business ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://www.darden.virginia.edu/faculty/harris.htm

Tim Jenkinson

University of Oxford - Said Business School ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://www.sbs.oxford.edu/timjenkinson

European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) ( email )

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Belgium

HOME PAGE: http://www.ecgi.org

Steven Neil Kaplan

University of Chicago - Booth School of Business ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Cambridge, MA 02138
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European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI) ( email )

c/o the Royal Academies of Belgium
Rue Ducale 1 Hertogsstraat
1000 Brussels
Belgium

University of Chicago - Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship

Chicago, IL 60637
United States

Rüdiger Stucke

Warburg Pincus ( email )

450 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10017
United States

University of Oxford ( email )

Park End Street
Oxford, OX1 1HP
Great Britain

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