Private Equity

In the past decade, Bain & Company has advised on half of all buyout transactions valued at more than $500 million globally. Our work with buyout funds represents 75% of global equity capital. Our practice is more than three times larger than that of the next-largest consulting firm serving private equity funds.

And Bain’s work with private equity does not stop with buyout funds. We work across fund types, including debt, infrastructure, real estate and hedge funds. We also work for many of the most prominent institutional investors, including sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, endowments and family investment offices.

At Bain, consulting to private equity firms and institutional investors represents about 25% of the firm's global business. We maintain a global network of more than 1,000 experienced professionals serving private equity and institutional investor clients. Bain has deep experience working in all regions of the world across all major sectors–from consumer products and financial services to technology and industrial goods. We support our clients across a broad range of objectives:

• Deal generation
• Due diligence
• Portfolio value creation
• Exit planning
• Private equity firm strategy and operations, including sector strategy
• Institutional investor strategy

Bain provides a full range of services to support private equity, financial investors and portfolio companies:

Deal generation: We work alongside investors to develop the right investment thesis and enhance deal flow by profiling industries, screening targets and devising a plan to approach targets.

Due diligence: We help investors make better deal decisions by performing due diligence, assessing revenue growth and cost reduction opportunities to determine a target’s full potential, and providing a clear post-acquisition agenda.

Portfolio value creation: Immediately post-acquisition, we support the pursuit of rapid returns by developing strategic blueprints for acquired companies, leading workshops that align management with strategic priorities and directing focused initiatives. During the ownership phase, we help increase the value of portfolio companies by supporting revenue enhancement and cost reduction initiatives and refreshing their value creation plans. In addition, we support turnarounds of underperforming, capital-constrained companies with the aim of preserving shareholder equity.

Exit planning: We help ensure that investors maximize returns by preparing for exit, identifying the optimal exit strategy, preparing the selling documents and pre-qualifying buyers.

Private equity firm strategy and operations, including sector strategy: Working jointly with private equity firms, we help them to develop their strategy for continued excellence. Topics include asset class and geographic diversification, fund strategy, sector strategy, fund-raising, organizational design and decision making, enlisting and retaining top talent and maximizing investment capabilities.

Institutional investor strategy: We work with institutional investors to develop top-performing alternative investment programs, including private equity, real estate and infrastructure asset classes. Topics include asset class allocation, sector strategy, portfolio construction, fund manager selection, governance and risk management, and organizational design and decision making. We also help institutional investors expand their participation in alternative assets through co-investment and direct investing opportunities.