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LP contributions to the VC
industry is back to pre-recession highs (but still well below the 2000 peak) 2 US VC fundraising activity 0 65 130 195 260 $0 $15 $30 $45 $60 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Capital raised ($B) # of funds closed 237 258 193187 134 150 118 184178 193 162 $35$34 $20 $24$25 $19 $12 $33$34 $37 $22 162 193 178 184 118 150 134 187 193 258 237 Source: PitchBook 2015 Annual U.S. Venture Industry Report.
3 US VC funds annualized
cash flow by year -$60 -$40 -$20 $0 $20 $40 $60 $80 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Contributions ($B) Distributions ($B) Net Cash Flow ($B) 17 -11 -5-5 -11 -18 -6-6 -13 -16 8 -11-11 34 26 30 24 19 1011 27 22 11 7 28 1011 -18 -27-29-28 -25 -21 -29 -33 -28 -24-23 -20-21-22 -11 -11 8 -16 -13 -6 -6 -18 -11 -5 -5 1 -1 17 Distributions haven’t made up for a decade of negative cashflows. Markups don’t pay the bills Source: PitchBook 3Q 2015 PE VC Benchmarking Report.
The good news is that
only 7% of LPs believe they will cut back on venture programs with 26% of funds looking to increase exposure 4 4% 22% 67% 7% Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016, 73 LPs. How would you describe your fund’s current allocation to VC? About the right allocation Aggressively growing venture Too much allocated to venture Trying to grow our venture program
40% of LPs have a
full bench, 40% looking to add, 20% looking to cut back 5 3% 38% 40% 19% Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016, 73 LPs. How would you describe your fund’s current outlook on VC managers? Cutting back on managers Aggressively add new managers to our program Pragmatically add managers to our program Happy with our existing roster
But LPs expressed caution, too.
Nearly 75% of LPs have concerns about investment pace, valuation levels and burn rates of underlying companies 6 6% 68% 26% Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016, 72 LPs. How would you describe your fund’s outlook on your existing (VC) managers activities? Very happy with investment activities of our existing managers Deeply concerned about the market behavior A bit concerned by pace, valuation creep and burn rates
61% of LPs believe that
VCs are coming back to market to raise money at too quick of a pace - a reflection of anxieties of the over-funding of portfolios 7 61% 15% 24% Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016, 72 LPs. How would you describe your fund’s outlook in your existing (VC) managers funding (and fund raising) pace? Managers come back at a normal cadence and it hasn’t changed much Managers have been coming back more quickly than in the past and we’re fine with this Managers have been coming back more quickly than in the past and it concerns us
Even if some short-term concerns,
70% of LPs still bullish on VC as a great long-term asset 8 30% 69% 1% Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016, 71 LPs. How would you describe your current views on venture capital overall? We’re even more bullish about VC than in the past We still think VC a great long-term asset class. At current levels, Venture Capital is starting to feel over-funded
And 82% of LPs are
likely to maintain their existing investment pace 9 10% 82% 8% Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016, 73 LPs. How would you describe your likely investment pace in venture over the next 3 years? We’re likely to increase our investment pace We’re likely to keep the same investment pace We’re likely to slow down our investment pace
It seems clear that “direct
investments” are becoming a more important part of the LP asset mix for nearly 40% of LPs. 10 1% 17% 21% 44% 17% Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016, 72 LPs. How would you describe your fund’s position on direct investments We do some directs. It’s opportunistic. Unlikely to ever be meaningful Direct investments are the only reason we fund VC managers in the first place We never do direct and never will We think direct is a very important strategy for us Doing more direct investments and this is becoming an important part of our strategy
Overwhelmingly LPs have been supportive
of “opportunity funds” provided they are done pragmatically and with favorable economics 11 3% 82% 15% Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016, 73 LPs. How you would describe your fund’s outlook on growth / overage / opportunity funds? We only do core funds We’ve been very active in the growth / overage / opportunity fund Done with a pragmatic approach & favorable economics we’re favorable
While the market for Seed
Funds grew enormously in the past 7 years, many LPs still express some concerns about capacity and market crowding 12 23% 66% 11% Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016, 70 LPs. What is your fund’s outlook on the seed market? Seed delivers the highest potential returns and we’ll continue to invest heavilyThere are too many seed funds and we’re worried they won’t have enough capacity We fund seed VCs but we’re very discerning on which ones we’ll fund
Unsurprisingly half the market is
looking for a balance of seed, A/B and growth funds. 1/3rd focuses mostly on A/B 13 17% 50% 33% Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016, 72 LPs. What is your fund’s outlook on traditional Series A/B venture capital? We prefer to focus on traditional A/B venture We think traditional VCs are being squeezed We want a healthy mix of seed funds, A/B and growth VCs
Also it’s not too surprising
that LPs are most cautious about growth stage funds - in particular concerns about late-stage valuations 14 68% 32% Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016, 71 LPs. What is your fund’s outlook on later stage venture capital / growth equity? We like growth stage but want a healthy balance of seed, A/B and growth We’re worried that the growth stage is the most over-valued part of the market
73 LPs surveyed, part 1
15 Fund type 0 10 20 30 9 445 23 28 Fund size 0 10 20 $0-250M $250-750M $750M-1.5B $1.5-5B $5-10B $10B+ Blank 4 16 7 18 3 11 14 Which of the following best describes your focus on VC? 0 25 50 Only VC Mostly VC Very diverse Not much VC 2 42 10 19 Foundation or Endowment Fund of Funds Family Office Discretionary Advisor Insurance Company Other Survey respondent geography 0 15 30 NorCal SoCal NE US Other US ROW Blank 2 4 28 11 6 22 Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016.
73 LPs surveyed, part 2
16 Position 0 20 40 60 Partner / MD Analyst to Principal Blank 1 18 54 How long has your firm been investing in VC (years) 0 20 40 0-3 3-10 10-20 20+ 1 23 30 16 3 How long has your firm existed (years) 0 20 40 0-3 3-10 10-20 20+ 38 1614 5 Personal investment experience (years) 0 20 40 0-3 3-6 6-10 10-15 15+ 27 23 15 44 Haven’t invested much in VC Source: Upfront Survey Jan 2016.