Jan 09, 2026

Would this affect fund raising?

I work for a fund with decent name recognition but has not performed super well. Fund 1 was 10% gross irr (target was 15-20%) due to one large loss. Fund 2 is shaking out to be 8% gross irr (same target) due to one large loss. From fund 1 to fund 2, Aum was already 30% smaller. How might this return impact the next fundraise in your experience?

13 Comments
 

Impossible to predict but probably not great prospects. How concentrated is portfolio? One large loss killing returns. 

Sounds like either the firm is stretching because of a dearth of opps or bad at actually managing through “special situations,” structuring poorly, etc.


Your fund is putting up returns in line with vanilla, hyper diversified direct lending vehicles with significantly more risk. 

Here to conduct pig business.
 
Most Helpful

How big is the fund in terms of AUM? The special sits credit funds have done decently well in terms of fundraising over the last 2 years, although that view is informed by players >5B AUM.

Swines comment is correct for a lot of special sits credit shops right now. Essentially, where is the additional spread for the risk you’re taking.

Looking at pitch book (not gospel I know) lots of these firms are in the 9-12% range in funds that are 2-3 years old. That does seem like a great risk reward calc vs regular way private credit.

But some of these funds may be able to raise bigger subsequent funds based on the narrative that private credit is crowdedand they are ‘differentiated’. Overall, very few funds have shown that since 2020.

That’s a stream of consciousness. But punchline is, those returns are not great….. but…. Peers are in similar bucket and they seem to be able to fundraise. Although your firm did see a downsize from fund to fund. Which isn’t a good fact pattern.

 

Is it a standalone strategy or part of a bigger manager. 3Bn fundraise for first time fund is pretty unreal. I would assume this sits within a bigger manager? That changes some of the dynamics here, for better and worse

 

I work at a large LP. In short yes it will impact fundraising. It’s incredibly hard to present to IC a consistently underperforming fund. If it were only 1 vintage I’d say there’s a chance, but with both behind target, that’s hard. Especially since 2nd fund is 2023 with already a large loss. The rest of the portfolio will be put under scrutiny. My genuine advice: look around.

 

Quos eos blanditiis quas sit aut. Enim in et libero voluptatem autem. Eveniet sint odio delectus cum necessitatibus enim tenetur ad.

Expedita neque consequatur est quo et. Nulla porro earum sequi odio error. Non vitae ratione velit quam nam qui enim doloremque. Ut enim quos ut reprehenderit sapiente.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.6%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.0%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.6%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”