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Private equity

We help private equity firms make better investment decisions at every stage of the deal life cycle and build greater returns through active management of portfolio companies. We also advise on investment firm strategy and development, creating value through improved performance.

We are the leading advisor to the private equity industry. Our work is driven by the collaboration of partners, advisors, and specialists with a deep understanding of private equity and the intricacies of the investment lifecycle. With over 9,500 consultants working in 107 offices spanning more than 60 countries, our scale and scope bring unparalleled insights across industries, geographies, and operational areas, allowing us to offer a fundamentally different approach to private equity consulting.

What we do

We help private equity firms create greater returns at every stage in the investment cycle and strengthen firm strategy and development.

  • Investment screening. Our work with clients in pre-diligence investment screening is varied and tailored to their specific needs. We help identify and qualify investment opportunities by leveraging a systematic process to screen and reveal potential targets and provide proactive, investable insights and thematic ideas. We also offer in-depth, customized workshops and access to proprietary research and data.
  • Due diligence. Our approach to due diligence is flexible and analytics-driven, incorporating extensive proprietary knowledge and deep industry experience. We help clients evaluate the outlook and opportunities with investment targets across all sectors, drawing on the knowledge of more than 1400 partners, each with specific business expertise. Our flexible model allows for a wide range of potential configurations, from targeted analysis to fully-integrated due diligence.
  • Portfolio development. We help clients develop and execute aggressive, targeted plans of action for the first 100 days post-closing to capture near-term opportunities and ensure the success of their investment. Beyond the first 100 days, our support is focused on near-medium term improvement models, developed with an exit strategy in mind, and aimed at transforming the performance of portfolio companies in high-impact areas. Portfolio projects are customized, with scale and timing driven by client need. Our services range from rapid assessments of portfolio company business capabilities to comprehensive turnaround of performance, redesigning processes, operations, and products from the ground up.
  • Exit support. We help company owners to prepare for a maximum-value exit using a three-phase support model that covers planning, preparation, and execution for auctions and initial public offerings. We work with clients to develop and communicate clear and coherent business plans and offer seven core support modules, including sell-side documentation for bidders and financers. McKinsey has extensive exit experience across industries, with more than 450 projects in the last decade. We bring an informed view of industry-shaping trends, a clear line of sight on key risks and how they might affect the business, and deep understanding of the buyer landscape and preferred exit route.
  • Firm strategy and development. Combining deep insights on global macroeconomic trends with proprietary research on market trends, we help clients make strategic choices to increase fund and firm performance, including how to establish competitive positioning, how to adapt investment processes, how to settle on an investment strategy, and how to evolve their governance structure. We also provide support for operational improvement, including risk management and business support capabilities.
  • RTS. For especially challenging cases, including distressed companies and underperforming business units, we call on the expertise of RTS. This special unit focuses exclusively on radical and sustained performance improvement in all industries and geographies, and has a robust track record of high impact turnarounds with a focus on generating value.
  • McKinsey Implementation. Our clients have access to McKinsey Implementation services, specialist teams that are available to work side-by-side with portfolio companies, offering tailored support to help accelerate the execution of recommendations and improvement plans. McKinsey Implementation teams work across industries and geographies on a wide variety of projects, helping companies achieve rapid, significant, and measureable bottom-line results.

FEATURED EXPERTS

Alex Panas

Senior Partner, Boston

Gary Pinkus

Senior Partner, Bay Area

Fredrik Dahlqvist

Senior Partner, Stockholm

Vivek Pandit

Senior Partner, Mumbai

Related Insights

Collection

McKinsey on Investing

– The best of our recent research and ideas for investors.

McKinsey on Investing draws on the perspectives and... experience of McKinsey consultants who advise investors, and other sources from around the world. To learn more about our expertise, please visit our Private Equity & Principal Investors Practice, Wealth & Asset Management Practice, or Capital Projects & Infrastructure Practice pages.