Comp @ 100m+ L/S

Been talking with a 100m long short with 2 founders and wondering what a reasonable comp expectation is. Fees are in the 1.5/15 range and I have 5 yrs of experience (2.5 yrs buyside). They have said carry will be part of comp after yr 1 but trying to gauge the base + bonus expectation.

37 Comments
 

$125k + 0-300% (of base) is fair given the smaller AUM base

1.5% management fee would mean $1.5M of fees for the partner’s salaries, overhead, trading, etc. so $125k is feasible 

Assuming a good year (I’m assuming 20% gross performance), this would imply $3M Carry dollars for the 2 partners. Obviously their mouths will be fed first and the majority will go toward them. But a payout of $375k from that $3M Carry pool is not that unreasonable if you contributed and performed. 
 

so all in $500k is pretty solid in a good year. Your goal should be to maximize the amount of Carry you get in the next few years because, assuming the fund scales nicely, ur comp will increase nicely as well 

 

I wouldn't join if i were you. It's really difficult for smaller fund to scale up - not because the PM, CIO lack skills, but because they started so small from day 1 that other investors would be reluctant to join. These days, I really think decent starting AUM needs to be min. $500m. Yes, you would have an upside if your firm works out, and if your PM is great. But, if they were great, why did they raise only $100m? 

 
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Are they starting with $100mm AUM? That's a pretty big number nowadays (bad raise environment this past year). To raise $100mm means that they must have a decent pedigree and connections. You will surely take a hit on day 1 comp in hopes that they quickly scale, a few quarters / years of good performance with a strong network of potential LPs can skyrocket that AUM quickly to $500-1bn. If you don't want to bet on that, or are unsure whether their strategy is repeatable/viable, then I would pass on this opportunity. 

I know that the past decade is not a great comparison for today since it was easier to raise money back then but I know of a founder who quickly scaled from $100mm outside money to billions just after a few years of ~15% CAGR. But it requires pedigree (i.e., Tiger lineage) and connections. 

However, if they've been at that number already for a few years, have a dwindling rolodex of LPs to talk to, then this is not as great of an idea. 

 

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